Today’s Objectives: 1) Investigate the causes, actions, and consequences of the Crusades; 2) Perceive the Crusades through the eyes of a knight.

• Do Now: Where have you heard the word “jihad” before? Do you know what it means?

The Rise of Islam• Birthplace of

Islam: Saudi Arabia

• Muslims controlled Palestine, the land where Jesus Christ lived

• Christian warriors want to reclaim their holy land from Muslim rule

Intro to the Crusades: The Turkish Invasion

• The Seljuks, a Turkish tribe, invaded the Byzantine Empire in 1095.

• The Seljuks were Muslims, but the emperor of Byzantium (Alexius I) was Christian…

Pope Urban II calls for a crusade…

• Emperor Alexius asks Pope Urban II to help him get rid of the Muslims.

• Urban sees this as an opportunity to:– 1) Spread

Christianity– 2) Stop knights from

fighting one another

The Knights and the Crusades

• See crusades as a religious obligation

• Offers them a chance for glory and wealth

• Creates unity as knights fight a common enemy – the Muslims

Weapons and Methods• Crossbow: 350-450

yards• Catapult• Battering ram• Dig underground and

light wall on fire• Try climbing walls, but

were often doused with boiling liquids

• Built staircases (siege towers) to push against the walls

The First Crusade: 1096-1099

• European success• Muslims are taken

by surprise• Established

Christian States on a strip of Holy Land

• Capture Jerusalem and Antioch, killing everyone in sight

Muslim Counter-Crusade• Christians launch a

second crusade when Muslims recapture lost territory but lose.

• Muslim general Saladin launches a jihad to recapture Jerusalem in 1187.

• Saladin was not an Arab or a Turk, but a Kurd from Northern Iraq.

Third Crusade: 1189 - 1192

• Led by King Richard “the Lion-Hearted” of England

• Christians not able to capture Jerusalem

• Truce is settled: Muslims control Holy Lands and Christians are free to visit their shrines.

Fourth Crusade: 1202-1204• Never reaches the Holy

Land at all• Ends up in

Constantinople (Byzantine capital)

• Constantinople is left in ruins; art and treasures are stolen

• Crusades end in 1291 when Muslims control all Holy Land.

Effects of the Crusades1) New goods

– Sugar, rice, melon, cotton, perfume, and spices

2) Revival of trade– Asian spices and fabrics– Italian woolen cloth, wine,

and leather3) New industry

– Factories develop– Soap, weapons, paper,

metal tools, glassmaking

Crusades Diary EntryA Crusading KnightIntro: You are one of the best knights of your era – a skillful, chivalrous warrior who

will fight for both his lord and his God. The pope has asked you to embark on a crusade and vow to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims. As you head east to the Holy Land, you begin to document your trip whenever you have a chance to stop to rest and eat.

Task: Create two journal entry (six sentences minimum each) from the perspective of a Christian knight: one before he leaves on his journey and one after he has reached the Holy Land. Use the map of the Crusades to help you. After writing all the entries, you should have included the following information:

• From where did your crusade begin?• What year is it?• Do you have a family? How do you feel about leaving them?• What are you reasons for going on the crusade? What do you hope to

accomplish?• What happened during your battle with the Muslims? • What was the outcome of your crusade? Was it successful? • What new goods did you discover while in the East? You may choose any Crusade. Refer to your notes to maintain historical accuracy.

You made add any creative details, as long as they do not contradict any of the history that you have learned.

Write your journal entries on lined paper – be neat! Be sure to proof-read your work for spelling, grammar, and logic. Be sure to write the date above each entry.

Review Questions

• 1) What were the motives behind the Crusades?

• 2) Were the Crusades successful from a Christian perspective? Explain.

• 3) Were the Crusades successful from a Muslim perspective? Explain.

• 4) What economic effects did the Crusades have on Europe?