Holy Land

Christian term for Israel, because of its association with Jesus and the Old Testament.

The concept of the ‘Holy Land’ arose with the crusades. For two hundred years from the late 11th century onwards, these armed expeditions from Western Europe attempted to wrest control over Palestine from Islamic rulers. The crusaders regarded Jerusalem as their prime objective; as the seat of the Christian religion, it was thought that it must by rights belong under Christian rule (an argument that ignored the presence in the city of Muslim and Jewish sacred sites). Crusaders seized Jerusalem in 1099 and held it until 1187. A number of ‘Crusader states’ were also established along the Mediterranean coast. However, no permanent presence could be established and the Holy Land had reverted to Muslim control by the late 13th century.