The purpose of the Christian crusades - different points of viewThe Christian crusades took place between the years 1095 and 1500. According to the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, the crusades were military expeditions , beginning in the late 11th century, which were organized by Western Christians in response to centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. Their main objectives were to control the spread of Islam, regain control of the Holy Land, and reconquer previously Christian territories. The objectives of the crusades were often different for the Christian authorities, the crusaders and their families. The Crusades were focused on religious beliefs and freedoms, so their main aim was to regain religious freedom for Christianity from Muslim control. Is this true for all parties that contributed to the crusader movement? According to Jonathan Riley-Smith the Crusaders came from all classes; What drove them to sell their possessions and travel thousands of miles? There are various points of view on the motivations of the crusaders, and many of them can be supported by historical data. Some of the incentives offered by the Pope to the crusaders were: exemption from taxes, the liberation of prisoners or the offer of extraordinary indulgences with the remission of all punishments due to sin for those who died during the crusade. Upper-class crusaders very often left their possessions to regents and took part in crusades to fight in the name of Christ, acquire wealth, fame and lands. Crusaders of the lower classes also fought in the name of Christ and at the same time very often sought relief from their miserable life and wanted to improve themselves abroad. The view of the Crusades and the Crusaders differs depending on the commentator... at the center of the article ...... ast with the Crusades". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 140, no. 3: 518-25. Rice, Earle. Life During the Crusades. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 1998. Riley-Smith, Jonathan Simon Christopher The Crusades, Christianity and Islam New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.Riley-Smith, Jonathan Simon Christopher. What Were the Crusades?, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1977. Saul, Nigel 1997. "Comparing the Crusades." : University of Toronto Press, 1998.