Year 8 History Assignment Term 1

Topic 1: Jerusalem during the Crusades

Source A

The first source is a stone sculpture of the crusaders breaching the walls of Jerusalem.
The name of this sculpture is “Scene from the Legend of the True Cross” and was
created during the second half of the 14th century.
Source B

The source above is an excerpt of the book “August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The
Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants”. It is a personal account made by Raymond
d'Aguiliers, a french chronicler who had participated in the first crusade in 1099.

Both sources depict the religious importance of Jerusalem. The first source depicts
the Crusaders charging into the walls of Jerusalem in order to secure the holy land.
The sculpture shows Northern French crusaders besieging Jerusalem for its treasure
and religious importance. On the right side of the sculpture, we can see the Muslims
(the current holders of Jerusalem at the time) failing to stop the siege and one of the 3
displayed soldiers falling down from the fort, signifying that the city was captured by
the Christians. It reveals about Jerusalem that it was a very important city to both
parties, as it also depicts the enthusiasm and energy provided into besieging and
defending the city of Jerusalem.

The second source is an excerpt taken from “August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The
Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants”. The specific quote is St. Andrew telling
Peter Desiderius (frankish priest) not to worry about unfinished sieges or attacking
other cities and instead to focus on taking Jerusalem. St. Andrew also advised the
Count to be generous to his men and vassals, and promised that God would grant him
the cities of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Babylon if he followed this advice. This shows
the importance of Jerusalem, as the appearance of St. Andrew was a part of mythology
and was a symbol of divine approval. Ultimately, both sources stressed the importance
of Jerusalem during the crusades.

Topic 2: Pope Urban II

Source A

This quote originates from Pope Urban II’s speech at the Council of Clermont. The
main purpose of the speech was to initiate the first crusade and it was successful.

Source B

The source above is also from the speech at the Council of Clermont and spoken by
Pope Urban II.

The two sources above display different motives Pope Urban II had for Christianity.
Two of the main reasons Pope Urban had initiated the first crusade was for political
reasons and religious reasons. In this quote from Pope Urban II's speech (Source A),
he is urging the Christian world to take action in response to the Muslims “polluting”
their holy land. He says that the “unclean nations” (non-christian parties) are
infiltrating the holy places with their filthiness. He is implying that the holy places are
being treated unjust and are being treated unjust. He specifically does this in order to
create religious fervour and try to initiate the crusade. He is attempting to spread
Christianity into the Islamic world by giving just reasons to invade. In summation, the
purpose of this part of Pope Urban II’s speech was to give a political reason to start the
crusade.

In source B, Pope Urban II’s motives are different as they are now religious motives.
He calls the people as “God’s knights”, invoking spiritual incentives in order to
participate in the Crusade. He continues to do this by telling them that fighting in the
crusades would have an “immediate remission of sins”. He offers a spiritual award to
the audience in order to convince them to participate and initiate the crusade, and
says that the crusade isn’t only a political campaign but a sacred duty that they must
do for God as Christians. In essence, the purpose of source B was to give a religious
reason to start the crusade.

Topic 3: The Third Crusade

Source A

This source is quoted from “De Expugatione Terrae Sanctae per Saladinum”, a book
about Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem.
Source B

The quote above originates from “Letter from the East to the Master of the Hospitallers,
1187”, a letter sent to Archambault of Bourbon, the Master of the Hospitallers during
the Third Crusade.

In both sources, they display what was going on during the Third Crusade and how it
ended. In Source A, the quote describes the battle between the Chaldeans (Saladin and
his army) and the Christians during the Third Crusade. The battle was fierce and
lasted for a few days, and the Chaldeans emerged victorious. The Christians were
losing so badly by this time that only twenty or thirty men were left to defend the city
walls, indicating that their forces had been greatly depleted. The quote suggests that
the Christians were not well-prepared for the battle and were quickly overwhelmed by
the Chaldeans. Overall, this quote emphasises the strength and superiority of
Saladin's army during the Third Crusade.

According to Source B, it shows the outcome of the Battle of Hattin and talks about
the loss the Christians suffered. The phrase "because of our sins" suggests that the
author sees the defeat as a punishment from God. The reference to "very many of
ours" being killed suggests that the losses suffered by the Christians were significant.
The mention of the capture of the King, Count Gabula, Milo of Colaterido, and Onfred
the youth, as well as the killing of Prince Reinald, highlights the extent of the
Christian defeat and the importance of the figures involved. In summary, source B
reveals the outcome of the Battle of Hattin and emphasises the loss the Christians had
suffered.

References

John H, and Laurita L. Hill, Raymond d'Aguiliers, Historia francorum qui ceperint
Jerusalem, (Philadelphia, 1968)

Fulcher of Chartres: Gesta Francorum Jerusalem Expugnantium

Bongars, Gesta Dei per Francos, 1, pp. 382 f., trans in Oliver J. Thatcher, and Edgar
Holmes McNeal, eds., A Source Book for Medieval History, (New York: Scribners, 1905),
513-17

Robert the Monk: Historia Hierosolymitana. in [RHC, Occ III.]

Dana C. Munro, "Urban and the Crusaders", Translations and Reprints from the
Original Sources of European History, Vol 1:2, (Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania, 1895), 5-8

Ansbert in Fontes Rerum Austriac. 1 Abth., Vol V, p. 2. Iatin. Reprinted in Beylagen to

Wilken: Geschichte der Kreuzzüge Vol. IV, pp 93-94, trans in Dana C. Munro, "Letters
of the Crusaders", Translations and Reprints from the Original Sources of European
History, Vol 1:4, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1896), 18-20

De Expugatione Terrae Sanctae per Saladinum, [The Capture of the Holy Land by
Saladin], ed. Joseph Stevenson, Rolls Series, (London: Longmans, 1875), translated by
James Brundage, The Crusades: A Documentary History, (Milwaukee, WI: Marquette
University Press, 1962), 159-63

Nickel, Helmut. "Sir Gawayne and the Three White Knights." The Metropolitan
Museum of Art Bulletin, n.s., 28, no. 4 (December 1969). p. 178.

Schmidt, Gerhard. Gotische Bildwerke und ihre Meister. Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, 1992.
p. 168, fig. 181
Anon, (n.d.). The Crusades: Motivations, Administration, and Cultural Influence
www.ipl.org. (n.d.). Pope Urban II’s Goals In Launching The First Crusade | ipl.org.

Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Pope Urban II.