Jerusalem and the surrounding areas of Palestine and Syria had become part of the Islamic Empire in AD 638. However, Christian pilgrims from Europe remained free to visit the sacred places associated with their faith in the Holy Land for the next 400 years or so. In 1009-1010 rumours of the persecution of the Christians of Syria and Palestine and the destruction of an important church in Jerusalem soured relations between Christians and Muslims.

Matters remained strained but peaceful until the Seljuk Turks took control of the Abbasid Empire in 1055. In 1095 they attacked the Byzantine Empire and Emperor Alexis looked to Europe for help. Pope Urban II called for a series of military campaigns, known as ‘crusades’, to expel the Seljuks.

The army of the First Crusade arrived in Syria in 1097 and after a series of victories against the Muslims, established the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem, as well as smaller states based in Tripoli, Antioch, and Edessa. Numerous attempts were made to remove the Crusaders from Muslim lands, in particular by the Ayyubids (reigned 1171-1250) who controlled the most affected areas of Syria and Palestine. However, it was not until 1291 that the Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, al-Ashraf Khalil (reigned 1290-93), was finally successful in conquering the remaining Crusader possessions.