what was the cause of the crusades

Question

A. a Muslim ruler captured the holy land in the middle east

B. Islamic and Cristiana nations disagreed about the trade routes known as the silk road

C. Christian nations wanted to conquer the middle east to gain more resources

D. Muslim nations would not use the same government models as Christian European nations

Answer 1

There was no single cause. However, at the beginning the Muslims captured Jerusalem and prevented Christians from making trips there, or pilgrimages. It was not only the capture but the limits on travel initially. Later the Christian Europeans wanted to fight Muslim Turks who had taken Constantinople (at that time, capital of the Byzantine Eastern Catholic empire), and they did want to gain resources and trade.