There is no single agreed-on number, but historians usually say there were eight to nine major Crusades to the Holy Land between the late 11th and late 13th centuries.

Quick Scoop: the core answer

  • Most standard references list “at least eight Crusades” in the Near East from the First (starting 1096) to the Eighth (1270).
  • Many history overviews and teachers also talk about a Ninth Crusade , usually dated to around 1271–1272 or up to 1303 as the last major episode, which is why you often see “nine main Crusades.”
  • Beyond those, there were other Crusades (for example, the Albigensian Crusade in southern France, plus the People’s and Children’s Crusades), but these are not usually counted in the classic numbered sequence.

So, if someone asks “how many Crusades were there?” in a quick, school-style sense, the safe short answer is:

There were eight major Crusades to the Holy Land (sometimes expanded to nine), plus several other smaller or regional crusading campaigns.

Main numbered Crusades (quick timeline)

Historians cluster the “main” Crusades like this:

  1. First Crusade (1096–1099) – Armies from Western Europe captured Jerusalem and founded crusader states.
  1. Second Crusade (1147–1149/50) – Launched after the fall of the county of Edessa; it failed to achieve major gains.
  1. Third Crusade (1189–1192) – Response to Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem; involved rulers like Richard the Lionheart.
  1. Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) – Intended for the Holy Land but famously ended with the sack of Constantinople.
  1. Fifth Crusade (1217–1221/22) – Focused on Egypt as the key to controlling the Holy Land, but ultimately failed.
  1. Sixth Crusade (1228–1229) – Led by Emperor Frederick II; secured a negotiated handover of Jerusalem rather than by battle.
  1. Seventh Crusade (1248–1254) – Led by Louis IX of France; targeted Egypt and ended with his capture.
  1. Eighth Crusade (1270) – Again led by Louis IX, this time to North Africa; he died soon after arrival.
  1. Ninth Crusade (c. 1271–1272, sometimes extended to 1303) – Often linked with Edward I of England; seen by some as the last major crusading expedition to the region.

Why the numbers differ

Historians and reference works count differently because:

  • They define “Crusade” differently – some only count large papal campaigns aimed at the Holy Land, others include broader crusading wars.
  • Some merge what others separate – for example, some authors stop at eight, while others treat later operations as a distinct Ninth Crusade.
  • There were also internal European Crusades , like the Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229) against heretics in southern France, and movements like the People’s and Children’s Crusades in 1212, which sit outside the classic numbered list.

HTML table: main Crusades overview

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Numbered Crusade</th>
      <th>Approx. Dates</th>
      <th>Region / Aim</th>
      <th>Usual “main count” status</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>First Crusade</td>
      <td>1096–1099[web:3][web:7]</td>
      <td>Conquer Jerusalem, create crusader states in the Levant[web:3][web:9]</td>
      <td>Always counted (1 of 8 or 9)[web:1][web:3][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Second Crusade</td>
      <td>1147–1149/50[web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
      <td>Response to fall of Edessa in the Near East[web:3][web:9]</td>
      <td>Always counted[web:1][web:3][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Third Crusade</td>
      <td>1189–1192[web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
      <td>Attempt to retake Jerusalem from Saladin[web:3][web:9]</td>
      <td>Always counted[web:1][web:3][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Fourth Crusade</td>
      <td>1202–1204[web:3][web:7][web:9]</td>
      <td>Pledged to Holy Land, diverted to Constantinople[web:3][web:9]</td>
      <td>Always counted[web:1][web:3][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Fifth Crusade</td>
      <td>1217–1221/22[web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Attack Egypt as route to the Holy Land[web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Standard part of 8–9 count[web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Sixth Crusade</td>
      <td>1228–1229[web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Diplomatic recovery of Jerusalem by Frederick II[web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Standard part of 8–9 count[web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Seventh Crusade</td>
      <td>1248–1254[web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Louis IX’s campaign in Egypt[web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
      <td>Standard part of 8–9 count[web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Eighth Crusade</td>
      <td>1270[web:3][web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
      <td>Louis IX’s expedition to North Africa[web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
      <td>Standard part of 8–9 count[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Ninth Crusade</td>
      <td>c. 1271–1272 (sometimes up to 1303)[web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Later campaigns in the Holy Land, often linked to Edward I[web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Included by many, omitted by some; yields “nine Crusades”[web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Other Crusades (un-numbered)</td>
      <td>1209–1229, 1212, and others[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Albigensian, People’s Crusade, Children’s Crusade, etc.[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Usually not counted in the classic numbered sequence[web:1][web:3][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Why this is still a “trending topic”

Modern discussions about “how many Crusades were there” keep popping up in forums, video explainers, and popular history sites because:

  • New readers bump into different numbers (8 vs 9) in school textbooks, online encyclopedias, and YouTube summaries, which sparks debate.
  • Recent articles and podcasts from 2020s historians stress that “eight” is a convenient classroom label , not an absolute count, since crusading went on in various forms well beyond 1291.
  • The word “crusade” itself is now used as a metaphor in politics and media, which sometimes leads people back to the question of how many historical Crusades there actually were.

TL;DR:
If you need a crisp one-liner: there were eight major Crusades to the Holy Land, often expanded to nine , plus a wider web of other crusading campaigns in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.