The Crusades were a series of wars between Christians and Muslims during the Middle Ages ; medieval times. Western European Christians sought to gain control of Palestine, the land where Jesus lived, died, and according to Christians, was resurrected, from the Muslims. While Christian Crusaders never achieved more than temporary control of Jerusalem, the Crusades had many lasting effects on Western European societies. These effects profoundly changed the lives of Western Europeans. The Crusades were the first time that European armies had gone outside the borders of Europe to try to impose their will and their culture on other people. This attitude carried over into the age of discovery. That age was motivated in part by the desire to go out and bring European culture to other peoples of the world.
One of the many effects of the Crusades was that the pope and the kings of Western Europe became more powerful. In addition, Europeans began to trade with the Middle East.f Trade increased as Western Europeans began to buy products like sugar, lemons, and spices. Naturally, increased trade led to increased cultural diffusion. Crusaders and traders learned about Arab art, architecture, medicine, and mathematics. Since the Arabs were very advanced in science and mathematics, Western European knowledge increased. Finally, after traveling to the Middle East, may Western Europeans began to see their small villages as uninteresting and even boring. Many Western Europeans began to seek adventure. They became explorers like Columbus, Magellan, Vasco Da Gama.
