Final answer:
The name given to the series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims for the control of holy sites and trade routes is The Crusades. Beginning in 1096, they were initiated by the Latin Church and had widespread impacts on trade, culture, and relationships between religious groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expeditions you are referring to are known as The Crusades. These were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The primary goal of the Crusades was to secure control of sacred sites in the Holy Land considered religiously significant by both Christians and Muslims.
The Crusaders sought to retake Jerusalem and other holy sites from Muslim control, with the first Crusade being proclaimed by Pope Urban II and commencing in 1096. The Crusades extended beyond the conflicts in the Holy Land, with crusader campaigns reaching into the Baltic regions and contributing to the Reconquista in Spain.
The Crusades had considerable military, political, and economic impacts, and they contributed to the expansion of trade, including an increased interest in luxury goods such as silk and spices. They also entrenched sentiments of hostility between the Christian and Muslim worlds that have had long-term consequences. Furthermore, the Crusades were not solely focused on the Holy Land, as they also took place against other non-Christians and heretics within Europe.