Causes and Results of the Crusades The Crusades were expeditions taken by the Western and European Christians to take back Jerusalem and other Palestine places of pilgrimage away from Muslim control. These expeditions occurred during the years 1095 and 1270 ad. It started on November 27, 1095 just outside a French city called Clermont-Ferrand. The Pope, Urban II preached a sermon to the many clergy at the church council that day in Clermont. He discussed his plans for a Crusade. The clergy liked the idea. The Pope then ordered for the Bishops to return to their homes and recruit other volunteers. The Po