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Glite Dictionary
Fifth Crusade

Fifth Crusade

9.9
A Crusade from 1218 to 1221 where European Christians tried to take Jerusalem by attacking Egypt but failed
  • proper noun
translation icon : Quinta Cruzada
  • The Fifth Crusade, which took place from 1218 to 1221, sought to reclaim Jerusalem by first conquering Egypt.

Examples

  • The Fifth Crusade initially gained territory in Egypt before internal disputes undermined its efforts.

  • Historians debate the strategic errors that led to the failure of the Fifth Crusade.

  • Papal leadership played a crucial role in organizing the Fifth Crusade.

  • The Fifth Crusade aimed to reclaim Jerusalem.

  • Did the Fifth Crusade succeed in its mission?

  • Many historians discuss the Fifth Crusade as an important yet ultimately unsuccessful military endeavor.

  • The Fifth Crusade faced significant challenges due to internal disagreements among the leaders and troops.

Surface Forms

Fifth Crusade main

Morphology

fifth + crusade

The phrase is directly compositional: 'fifth' (ordinal number five) + 'crusade' (a medieval Christian military expedition) yields 'the fifth expedition in the sequence of Crusades.' A B1 learner who knows both constituent words will grasp that it names the fifth such campaign even if they lack detailed historical knowledge, and the ordinal+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Fifth Crusade The name comes from counting long-ago Christian campaigns: a crusade was a Christian 'holy mission' to win back Jerusalem, and Fifth shows it was the fifth big mission. That's why the term refers to the specific 1218-1221 campaign that tried to take Egypt as a step to Jerusalem but failed.