The Crusades were a series of wars that took place in western Asia and Europe, encouraged by the Catholic Church. The most important of these were the campaigns against Muslims between 1096 and 1271. The objective of these wars was to recapture the Holy Land which was considered to be occupied by Muslims.
The Crusades led to enormous cultural and religious exchange between these two areas of the world. The long journeys and exotic locations contributed to the development of literature that described the great adventures of knights. These journeys allowed Europeans to develop a sense of curiosity for other regions of the world, which would eventually lead to a need for exploration, culminating in the Age of Exploration.