Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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CRUSADES

The military expeditions undertaken by Christians in the eleventh through fourteenth centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Moslems. The name comes from the cross that the crusaders bore on their clothing. There were eight principal Crusades: the first (1096-99) and the eighth (1270). However, the term is also applied in a wider sense to all expeditions blessed by the Church against heretics and infidels. (Etym. French croisade; Spanish cruzada; Latin cruciata, a marking with the cross.)

See Also: CHILDREN'S CRUSADE, See Also: FIRST CRUSADE, See Also: SECOND CRUSADE, See Also: THIRD CRUSADE, See Also: FOURTH CRUSADE, See Also: FIFTH CRUSADE, See Also: SIXTH CRUSADE, See Also: SEVENTH CRUSADE, See Also: EIGHTH CRUSADE