Christianity

Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade in 1095 in an effort to protect the Byzantine Empire from Turkish expansion.

The the Holy Roman Empire launched nine Crusades in all, they ultimately failed in thier objective to stop Turkish expansion.

Those who fought in the Crusades were granted indulgences, which amounted to forgiveness for past sins.

No. Pope Urban called for the First Crusade to retake Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land back from the Seljuk Turks who conquered it in 1070.

It doesn't matter to us who lounched the Crusades, if Catholic Popes or Catholic kings, or Peter the Hermit. The Crusades were for us, the Jews, a nightmare, as they adopted the slogan: "Why go all the way to the Middle East if the killers of our lord are right here?" And they would kill Jews by the thousands.