What date did the first crusade start?

Answer 1

This question denotes a specific 'date' as seems to have been mentioned by 'Dark wizard 3' which is a bit troublesome as more or less all of the crusading bodies set off at different times in 1096. If you would like a specific date to pin it down on I would probably prescribe the 27th of November 1095 because this is the date which Pope Urban gives his speech at Clermont - this is the beginning of the Crusade in my eyes.

I would also like to refute the previous answer to this question which suggests the crusades were somehow started as a result of Muslims wanting Jerusalem - the city had been there for the better part of 400 years and as such this is complete nonsense and pseudo-history. No historian would agree with this absurd understanding of the First Crusade. For more information I advise reading the works of Jonathan Philips or if you're just looking for a light overview then Geoffrey Hindley's 'The Crusades' (which has an expanded title but google that and it will come up).

Hope that helps!