I need a 500 word summary of the Crusades, answering the following prompt: How do you account for the outcome of the First Crusade, namely that the crucesignati succeeded in achieving their goal of ‘assisting suffering brethren in the East,’ and capturing Jerusalem? On the surface, it seems totally implausible that they would have achieved this “victory in the East,” but yet they did — or rather the minority that managed to survive through the experience. So, what were the key factors that enabled this, as you look at the expedition as a whole? In short, answer the question: "Why did the First Crusade hit the bull's eye?" Examples of other responses: During the 6th century Christians were able to make their pilgrimages to Jerusalem, the Holy Land. Jerusalem was the birthplace of the European Christians religion. However, during the end of the eleventh century, the Seljuk Turks were able to take over Jerusalem due to their growth in power and size. This created tension