# 44 The Crusades

World War II was fought from 1939 to 1945. That is a total of seven years. We think that a seven-year war is long. But there have been much longer wars. For example, there were the wars called the Crusades. These wars went on for over 200 years. They started in the year 1097 and lasted until almost 1300.

You might wonder what the word crusade means. It comes from the Latin word crux, which means "cross." The cross was the sign of the Christians. Each soldier had a cross sewed on his jacket. This marked him as a Crusader.

The Crusaders were fighting the Turks. The Turks were Muslims. They had control of the Holy Land. The Christians wanted that land. They yearned to have control of the place where Jesus lived.

History shows that there were eight Crusades. Here is the reason. The First Crusade was a smashing success. Excitement ran high. Separate armies from England, France, and Germany set out. Some sailed. Some marched over 2,000 miles. (This is the distance from New York City to Salt Lake City.) The armies finally arrived at Jerusalem in 1099. They captured it after only six weeks. The Crusaders held the city for about 50 years. But many Crusaders sailed home. The remaining force was weak. The Turks fought to regain the city. They succeeded.

Seven more Crusades were launched. All failed. The Christians were never able to retake the lands they wanted.

# 44 十字軍東征

第二次世界大戰從1939年打到1945年。總共七年。我們認為七年的戰爭很長。但還有更長的戰爭。例如，那些被稱為十字軍東征的戰爭。這些戰爭持續了200多年。它們始於1097年，一直持續到近1300年。

你可能想知道crusade這個詞是什麼意思。它來自拉丁詞crux，意思是「十字架」。十字架是基督徒的標誌。每個士兵的外套上都縫著一個十字架。這標誌著他是一名十字軍戰士。

十字軍在與土耳其人作戰。土耳其人是穆斯林。他們控制著聖地。基督徒想要那片土地。他們渴望控制耶穌生活過的地方。

歷史顯示有八次十字軍東征。原因是這樣的。第一次十字軍東征取得了巨大的成功。人們情緒高漲。來自英格蘭、法國和德國的軍隊分別出發。有些乘船。有些行軍超過2,000英里。（這是從紐約市到鹽湖城的距離。）軍隊最終於1099年抵達耶路撒冷。他們僅用六週就攻占了它。十字軍控制該城約50年。但許多十字軍乘船回家了。剩下的力量很薄弱。土耳其人為奪回該城而戰。他們成功了。

又發動了七次十字軍東征。全部失敗了。基督徒再也未能奪回他們想要的土地。