What series of religious wars were initiated by European Christians to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim rule?

The series of religious wars initiated by European Christians to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim rule is known as the Crusades. Beginning in the late 11th century, these military campaigns were largely motivated by a mix of religious zeal, the desire for economic gain, and the aspiration to expand territorial control. The most commonly referenced Crusades are the first four, which saw large numbers of knights and commoners alike embark on perilous journeys to try and capture Jerusalem and other significant religious sites.

The Crusades were characterized by their brutal conflicts, the establishment of Crusader states, and the significant cultural exchanges that resulted from these encounters. They had lasting impacts on both the Islamic and Christian worlds, influencing relations and perceptions between the two religions for centuries to come.

The Inquisition refers to a group of institutions within the Catholic Church aimed at combating heresy and was not a military campaign. The Great Schism pertains to the division between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, concerning theological and political differences rather than armed conflict. The Reconquista was specifically the effort by Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula to reclaim territory from Muslim rule, distinct from the Crusades in that it was focused within Europe rather than in the Holy Land.