The Crusades

The Crusades were a series of historical events that are often satirized in Polandball in various lights. Technically, they were wars.

First Crusade
The Byzantine Empireball asked for help to the western christians in the combat against the seljuks, nevertheless the Western Europe had other plans, and decided to launch a holy war not only to face the turks but to conquer the region of the Levant as a whole, which would give economic, political, and religious advantages ties to the Western Europe and would be a possible solution to such a crisis. This specific crusade was successful and managed to conquer the holy city of Jerusalemcube and other territories in the Levant, however the Islamic empires would react later and a series of other conflicts would have beginning.

Second Crusade
The Second Crusade was the european response after the overthrow of the County of Edessaball in the Siege of Edessa. However the crusade proved to be a complete failure for the european christians who failed to resurrect the County of Edessaball and still lost more territories and battles for the muslims in the Middle East, the Byzantine Empireball was forced to sign truce with the Seljukball. To further worsen to the Europeans, the crusaders and byzantines defeats have placed Jerusalemcube in an extremely vulnerable position, making it an easy target for the Sultan Saladin of Ayyubidball, who recovered the city for the muslims after the crusade in the Siege of Jerusalem (1187). In the Iberian peninsula the crusaders obtained some victories in the reconquest. Crusader invasions of Egypt would begin, yet all of them would end in complete failure too.

Third Crusade
The Third Crusade was the european response to the islamic reconquest of the holy city of Jerusalemcube by Ayyubidball under the command of the sultan Saladin in the Siege of Jerusalem (1187), Ayyubidball had also destroyed other crusader states of the region like the Principality of Galileeball and the Lordship of Oultrejordainball, also considerably reduced the territory of the Kingdom of Jerusalemball, which further infuriated the europeans. The main objective of the crusade failed because the Crusaders failed to recover Jerusalemcube, however they did some positive things for them, like consolidate some latin crusader kingdoms in the region.

Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was a crusade and invasion with the original purpose of invading Jerusalemcube, which was an Ayyubidball possession since the siege and the last crusade.

After several events had occurred the crusaders ended in sacking the capital of the Christian-controlled Byzantine Empireball and Zadarball.

After the crusade it had resulted in the division of the Byzantine Empireball and the creation of the Latin Empireball

Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade was a crusade launched by the Papal Statesball in order to take  Egyptball. However the crusade's objective failed, first the crusaders refused to negotiate with Ayyubidball leaders, then they attacked Egyptian cities, after being a time advantageously the crusaders begin to lose, after being defeated, an agreement was made, so that they could be withdrawn from  Egyptball alive, an eight-year truce was also signed on account of the defeat. The emperor Frederick II of the  Holy Roman Empireball ended up being excommunicated by the Papal Statesball for not having sent reinforcements.

Sixth Crusade
The Sixth Crusade was a crusade launched by the Holy Roman Empireball, which claimed its rights over Cyprusball and Jerusalemcube, but had no support from Papal Statesball, as it was angry with the Holy Roman Empireball since the defeat of the crusaders in the last crusade, Papal Statesball blamed Holy Roman Empireball for this defeat, then Papal Statesball began to attack the lands of the Holy Roman Empireball. However the christians would not gain anything militarily, the emperor Frederick || of Holy Roman Empireball gained popularity with the Ayyubidball leaders and in the entire islamic world as a well for strengthening the discourse with them, which caused Jerusalemcube to return to christian command through diplomatic agreements, in return the muslims would be tolerated and would have freedom of worship in Jerusalemcube. However, this agreement didn't please the Papal Statesball that excommunicated Frederick again. But the leadership of Jerusalem would change and the enmity between the Crusaders and Ayyubidball would return, Jerusalemcube returned to the muslim command in the Siege of Jerusalem.

Seventh Crusade
The Seventh Crusade was launched by the  Kingdom of Franceball, the crusade had been motivated by the fact that the Khwarazmianball and Ayyubidball had reclaimed the holy city of Jerusalemcube back for the muslim command in the Siege of Jerusalem, after it was returned to the christians through diplomatic agreements in the Sixth Crusade. Kingdom of Franceball took advantage of the fact that Mongol Empireball did inflicted damage on the eastern islamic empires to attack. The attack was done and the crusaders succeeded in capturing some cities in Egyptball, Egypt's crusader conquest would serve as the basis for the conquest of the whole Levant. However the crusader plans were interrupted when they tried to take Cairoball, a flood of the Nile accused many casualties in the crusader troops, with that the crusader defeats and Ayyubidball victories began to appear. The armies of the crusaders of the Kingdom of Franceball suffered countless casualties, the king of the Kingdom of Franceball would be captured and made prisoner along with many others, after paying high amounts he and other crusader prisoners were released, but the war had already been lost, as well as everything they had conquered in Egyptball.

Eighth Crusade
The Eighth Crusade was another crusade launched by the Kingdom of Franceball that as well as the previous one, ended in a complete failure. Kingdom of Franceball intended to convert Hafsidball sultan and rulers to christianity, then Hafsidball said that they didn't want them there and prepared themselves for war. When Kingdom of Franceball arrived in the region the battles didn't even begin and the army of Kingdom of Franceball was devastated by a plague that was devasting the region, among the many who died, the king of Kingdom of Franceball and his sons were among them, then crusaders were forced to left the region. Meanwhile trade with Tunisball was opened.

Ninth Crusade
The Ninth Crusade was a crusade launched by the crusaders to try to contain Mamlukball advances. Mamlukball had considerably reduced the territory of Kingdom of Jerusalemball and other kingdoms of the region, for example, the Principality of Antiochball, that fell on the Siege of Antioch. After many battles and clashes, Kingdom of Englandball saw that it was wasting time and so a ten-year truce between Mamlukball and the crusaders were signed. Nevertheless, Mamlukball would continue advancing and taking the crusaders territories in the following years, which would result in the fall of the crusader states in the region of the Levant, respectively in the Siege of Tripoli and in the Siege of Acre.

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