Before the Third Crusade, there was the Second Crusade, which ended in failure. π
In 1187, Saladin, the leader of the Ayyubid dynasty, captured Jerusalem after winning the Battle of Hattin. This made many Christians upset because they wanted to visit the holy city. The Pope, who is like a leader for Catholics, called for a new crusade to take back Jerusalem. This inspired King
Richard I of England, also known as Richard the Lionheart, and King Philip II of France to gather knights and soldiers for the journey to the Holy Land, where they hoped to fight and win back the city. π°