The Crusades

Key dates

Reading

How did the Crusades begin? – The Crusades – KS3 History Revision – BBC Bitesize
Wilkes, A., Invasion, Plague and Murder, pp. 64-71.

Pope Urban II calls the First Crusade:

Activities

1. 1. Read Wilkes, pp. 64-65:
      • Why did Jerusalem matter so much to Christians, Muslims and Jews?
      • Who called the first Crusade, where and when?
      • Why did this man matter so much?
      • Whose appeal for help was he responding to, and what did he hope to achieve?
      • Read Source C on p. 65. Identify the key reasons put forward in the speech to persuade people to go on Crusade. Who was the intended audience? Make a poster that reflects the reasons and the audience.
   2. Read p. 66-67:
      • Make a list of reasons why people would go on crusade divided into four categories: Money, Power, Faith, Other (Use p. 66 of Invasion, Plague and Murder to help you.)
   3. Please watch part 1 of the video above
      1. Where did Pope Urban II call the Crusade?
      2. Who asked Urban II for help?
      3. Where is the Byzantine empire?
      4. What was Urban II’s motive for answering the call for help?
      5. Why do you think so many people answered Urban II’s call?
      6. List the reasons why the People’s Crusade was such a disaster.
      7. Identify 3 leaders of the so-called ‘People’s Crusade’ – clue: PH, WSA, EL.
      8. Why was Count Emicho of Leinigen such a bad leader?
      9. What became of his splinter group?
   4. Please watch part 2 of the video above
      1. Who were the main leaders of the First Crusade?
      2. Who was the papal representative (legate)?
   5. Read pages 68-69:
      • Make a timeline of the Crusades – summarise the key events of each of the 5 Crusades
      • Who called the fourth Crusade and why did it never reach the Holy Land (you may need to do further research for this last part)?
      • In no more than 150 words, explain which side you think won the Crusades. You must include examples of both Crusader and Muslim victories and explain who controlled the Holy Land when the Crusades came to an end.
   6. Read pages 70-71:
      • Examine sources A, B, C, D and E. For each source:
        • Explain the point that the writer is trying to make;
        • Describe the overall impression these sources give about the relations between Christians and Muslims
        • Using the diagram on p. 70, create a poster in which you show what the Crusaders brought back from the Holy Land. Use no more than 15 words, but make sure that someone reading the poster would be able to understand the importance of the Crusades.