How and why did the Crusades begin, how successful were they and why did the Crusade movement ultimately fail The crusades were military expeditions launched against the Muslims by the Christians in an attempt to regain the Holy Land. They took place between 1095 A.D. and 1270 A.D. The word crusade, which is derived from the Latin crux ("cross") , is a reference to the biblical injunction that Christians carry their cross . Crusaders wore a red cloth cross sewn on their tunics to indicate that they had assumed the cross and were soldiers of ....