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 The Crusades
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

● The reason and nature behind the birth of the Crusades.

● The Crusading Movements between 1096 and 1270.
● Results of the Crusades, including the establishment of Crusader
Kingdoms (First Crusade).

Let’s know more about

FACT FILE the Crusades!

The Crusading movement was a series

Illustration of Pope Urban II
calling for the First Crusade
of military campaigns against the
Muslims in the Middle East. It rooted
from the act of pilgrimage supported by
the Church’s Gregorian reforms.
Ecclesiastical reforms during the early
medieval period caused drastic changes
in the Church governance and its
relationship with the imperial sovereign.
They comprised a major chapter of
medieval history. Extending over three
centuries, they attracted every social
class in central Europe, Kings and
commoners, barons and bishops, knights
and knaves - all participated in these
expeditions to the eastern shores of the
Mediterranean.
The crusaders derived their name from the Latin word for ‘cross’ – crux. A
crusader went to the Holy Land with a cross of cloth sewn on the breast of
his garment; when and if he returned, he had a similar cross stitched on its
back. Legend and literature have surrounded the Crusades with an aura of
romance and grandeur, of chivalry and courage which is only remotely
related to reality.

Historical Context The Birth of the Crusades

By the 10th century, Seljuk

Turks began to migrate
and embrace Islam under
their Khan, Seljuk. They
were nomadic horsemen
from the clan of the Oghuz
from the north of the Oxus
River. Turkish tribes
particularly invaded parts
of Western Asia and
Central Asia.

● In 1055, the Seljuks took over several Samanid cities and occupied
Baghdad. They established themselves as the new protector of the
Abbasid caliphate and Sunni Islam, which created the empire in Persia
and Mesopotamia.
● In the 1070s, they entered the Byzantine Empire territory after taking
Syria from the Fatimids. After the defeat of the Byzantine emperor at
the Battle of Manzikert, they conquered Anatolia and established the
Sultanate of Rum.
● In 1091, the Byzantine emperor requested aid from Pope Urban II in
battling the Seljuks. Urban II responded and the birth of Crusades
began.

In response to the appeal of

In 1088, Urban II was elected as the
new pope. He was a protégé and
supporter of the great medieval
reformer, Pope Gregory VII. Like
Gregory VII, he imposed Cluniac
reforms including the end of simony.
Emperor Alexius I, Pope Urban II
made his speech at the Council of
Clermont urging every social class
to embark on a righteous war to
rescue the Holy Land from
the hands of the ‘infidels.’
 THINK ABOUT THIS! ACTIVITIES FOR AGES 11-14

MIND MAP. Based on your knowledge about the causes behind the
1 birth of the Crusades, complete the mind map below. (X marks)
 THINK ABOUT THIS! ACTIVITIES FOR AGES 14-16

SOURCE ANALYSIS. Critically analyse the source using the guide

1 questions provided. (X marks)

SOURCE A
From a Venetian manuscript (ca. 1330) of La Conquête de Constantinople by Geoffrey of Villehardouin

GUIDE QUESTIONS
1. Describe what is depicted in the source.
2. Based on your understanding of the Fourth Crusade and the
source, what was the result of this Crusading Movement?
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