The First Crusade

From the late eleventh century (1096) until 1291 a continuing influx of pilgrims, armies, peasants and religious orders from Europe entered the Holy Land. Originally, their intent was recapturing Jerusalem from the Mohammedans. Later, armed intervention preserved those territories from further Moslem occupation (Bradford 1973). This northern and western insurgence into the Near East consisted of seven crusades (marked with the Cross) or religious campaigns. Religious conviction drove many to take the Cross (a pledge to join the military campaign). More mundane principles motivated others, being land-hungry nobles or knights seeking fame and fortune.
Although a Code of Chivalry had previously evolved in Norman England and France, often these countries' inhabitants were still semi-barbaric. Knights and nobles reveled in doing battle, seizing castles and procuring land. Therefore, they perceived the crusades as a glorious way of releasing heroic spirit while providing a sound distinction between themselves (the gallant heroic noble) and the inferior serf. This first campaign (as well as others to follow) was also a conflict sanctioned and even blessed by the pope and Mother Church.