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{{T}}
[[Category:English]]
[[Category:The Crusades]]
{{BR}}
= Introduction =
The '''Crusades''' were a series of religiously authorized military campaigns connected with Latin Christian Europe during the Middle Ages. The best-known crusades were fought in and around the eastern Mediterranean from the late eleventh to the late thirteenth centuries. Their goals changed over time, but control of [[English:Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] and other holy places was especially important. Crusading also took place in regions such as the Iberian Peninsula and the Baltic, and crusade ideas were sometimes used against other Christians.

For this course, you will focus on the major campaigns involving the Holy Land. You will learn why people joined, how events changed from the First to the later Crusades, how Muslims, Latin Christians, Byzantine Christians, and Jewish communities experienced the period, and how historians compare different sources. The topic includes faith and pilgrimage, but also politics, warfare, trade, diplomacy, migration, and serious violence against civilians.

[[File:Map of First Crusade.png|500px|frameless|center]]

The map shows routes connected with the [[English:First Crusade|First Crusade]]. As you study it, notice the long distance between western Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. Geography shaped travel, supply, communication, and military decisions.

{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGyCpI1zE6k|500|center}}

This Khan Academy introduction can help you review the setting and the beginning of the Crusades. While watching, write down one religious cause, one political cause, and one question you still have.

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= What Were the Crusades? =
A crusade was not simply any medieval war involving Christians and Muslims. In the Latin Christian world, crusading developed as a form of armed pilgrimage authorized by the pope. Participants took a vow and wore a cross as a sign of that vow. Church teaching offered spiritual benefits to those who fulfilled the crusading commitment.

The term '''Crusades''' is used in different ways by historians. In a narrow sense, it often refers to the major expeditions from western Europe toward the Holy Land. In a wider sense, it also includes papally authorized campaigns in places such as Iberia, the Baltic region, southern France, and even against political enemies of the papacy. This course concentrates on the eastern Mediterranean while reminding you that crusading was a wider movement.

{{BR}}
== Jerusalem and the Medieval World ==
[[English:Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] was sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. By the eleventh century, the city had been under Muslim rule for centuries. Christian pilgrims still traveled there, although conditions could vary with political changes. At the same time, the [[English:Byzantine Empire|Byzantine Empire]], centered on Constantinople, faced military pressure from Turkish powers in Anatolia.

In 1095, Byzantine emperor [[English:Alexios I Komnenos|Alexios I Komnenos]] asked western Christians for military assistance. Pope [[English:Urban II|Urban II]] responded at the [[English:Council of Clermont|Council of Clermont]] by calling people to support eastern Christians and journey toward Jerusalem.

[[File:Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont.jpg|500px|frameless|center]]

This image was made centuries after the Council of Clermont. That matters: it is evidence for how a later medieval artist imagined the event, not a photograph-like record of what the meeting looked like. Historians always ask when a source was made, by whom, for whom, and for what purpose.

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= Why Did People Join? =
There was no single motive shared by every crusader. '''Religion was central''': crusading was preached as an act of devotion, an armed pilgrimage, and a way to aid fellow Christians and holy places. Participants could receive an indulgence connected with fulfilling their vow.

Other motives could also matter. Some nobles hoped to protect status or family interests. Some people sought adventure, reputation, political influence, or material advantage. Family ties and pressure from local networks could shape decisions. Travel itself was dangerous and expensive, so the simple claim that everyone joined to become rich does not fit the evidence.

The leaders who promoted crusades also had different interests. The papacy sought to direct Christian warfare, Byzantine rulers wanted military help, rulers and nobles pursued political goals, and Italian maritime cities later gained important trading opportunities. Historians therefore study '''religious, political, social, and economic causes together'''.

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== Violence Before Reaching the Holy Land ==
The crusading movement caused violence in Europe as well as in the eastern Mediterranean. In 1096, groups connected with the so-called [[English:People's Crusade|People's Crusade]] attacked Jewish communities in several towns of the Rhineland. These persecutions show that crusading enthusiasm could be turned against people who were not military opponents in the Holy Land. Jewish accounts are essential sources for understanding these events.

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= The First Crusade =
The main armies of the [[English:First Crusade|First Crusade]] traveled toward Constantinople and then across Anatolia. They captured Antioch in 1098 after a difficult siege. In July 1099, crusader forces captured Jerusalem from the Fatimid rulers. The conquest was followed by mass killing of Muslim and Jewish inhabitants.

[[File:1099 Siege of Jerusalem.jpg|500px|frameless|center]]

The image above is a much later artistic representation of the siege. Use it as visual evidence about memory and representation, not as a precise eyewitness picture.

The capture of Jerusalem was a major success for the crusading armies, but it did not end conflict in the region. The new rulers had to defend territories far from western Europe and negotiate with neighboring powers.

{{BR}}
== The Crusader States ==
After the First Crusade, Latin Christian rulers established states in the eastern Mediterranean. The main ones were the [[English:County of Edessa|County of Edessa]], the [[English:Principality of Antioch|Principality of Antioch]], the [[English:Kingdom of Jerusalem|Kingdom of Jerusalem]], and the [[English:County of Tripoli|County of Tripoli]]. These territories are often called the '''Crusader states''' or the '''Latin East'''.

[[File:Map Crusader states 1165-en.svg|500px|frameless|center]]

The map shows the Near East in 1165. Compare the narrow coastal territories with the much larger neighboring regions. Geography helps explain why ports, fortified towns, alliances, and control of roads were so important.

Life in the Crusader states was more complicated than constant battle. Latin Christians, eastern Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived in the region, although they did not enjoy equal power or status. Trade, taxation, diplomacy, farming, pilgrimage, and warfare all shaped daily life.

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= The Second Crusade =
In 1144, the Muslim ruler Zengi captured Edessa, the first of the major Crusader states to fall. This helped trigger the [[English:Second Crusade|Second Crusade]], preached in western Europe and led by powerful rulers including Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany.

The campaign did not recover Edessa. Crusader forces attacked Damascus in 1148 but withdrew after only a few days. The failure showed that large armies and famous leaders did not guarantee success. Local alliances in the Middle East could be complex, and Muslim and Christian rulers sometimes cooperated with one another against different rivals.

{{BR}}
= Saladin and the Third Crusade =
In the later twelfth century, [[English:Saladin|Saladin]], or Salah al-Din, became the leading ruler of the Ayyubid state in Egypt and Syria. He worked to unite important Muslim territories and challenge the Crusader states.

In 1187, Saladin's army defeated the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the [[English:Battle of Hattin|Battle of Hattin]]. Jerusalem then surrendered to Saladin later that year.

[[File:Bataille de Hattîn (1187).jpg|500px|frameless|center]]

This fifteenth-century manuscript image represents King Guy marching toward battle with Saladin. Because it was created long after the battle, it tells us as much about later memory as about the event itself.

The loss of Jerusalem led to the [[English:Third Crusade|Third Crusade]] from 1189 to 1192. Its most famous leaders included [[English:Richard I of England|Richard I of England]], [[English:Philip II of France|Philip II of France]], and Holy Roman Emperor [[English:Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick I Barbarossa]]. Frederick died on the journey. Richard won important victories and helped secure a Christian-held coastal area, but the crusaders did not recapture Jerusalem. A settlement in 1192 allowed Christian pilgrims access to Jerusalem while the city remained under Muslim control.

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= The Fourth Crusade =
The [[English:Fourth Crusade|Fourth Crusade]] shows how far a crusade could move away from its original purpose. Pope Innocent III called the campaign, and the main plan developed around an attack on Muslim-controlled Egypt. Financial and political problems changed its route. Crusaders first attacked Zara, a Christian city, and later became involved in Byzantine dynastic conflict.

In 1204, crusader forces captured and sacked [[English:Constantinople|Constantinople]], the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire.

[[File:PriseDeConstantinople1204PalmaLeJeune.JPG|500px|frameless|center]]

The sack caused destruction and looting and deepened hostility between Latin western Christians and Byzantine Orthodox Christians. The Fourth Crusade did not capture Jerusalem. It is an important reminder that the history of the Crusades cannot be explained as a simple two-sided story of Christians against Muslims.

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= Castles, Orders, and Daily Life =
Crusader states depended on fortified places and military organizations. Orders such as the [[English:Knights Hospitaller|Knights Hospitaller]] and [[English:Knights Templar|Knights Templar]] combined religious vows with military roles. They developed networks of property and support across Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.

[[File:Krak des Chevaliers Crusader Castle, Syria.jpg|500px|frameless|center]]

[[English:Krak des Chevaliers|Krak des Chevaliers]] in present-day Syria is one of the best-known surviving castles associated with the Crusader period. When you study a castle, look for walls, towers, gates, water supplies, storage areas, and positions that helped defenders observe roads or valleys.

{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ACF4I4q0k|500|center}}

This Khan Academy video introduces the Knights Templar. Watch critically: distinguish evidence about what the order actually did from later legends that grew around it.

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= Later Crusades and the End of the Crusader States =
Further crusades were launched during the thirteenth century. Some targeted Egypt because leaders believed control there could make it easier to recover Jerusalem. Results were mixed and often short-lived.

In 1291, the Mamluks captured [[English:Acre|Acre]], the last major mainland stronghold of the Crusader states in the Holy Land. This is often used as an endpoint for the main period of the Levantine Crusades. The wider crusading movement, however, continued in other regions and in later centuries.

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= Consequences and Connections =
The Crusades caused death, displacement, destruction, and long-lasting memories of religious conflict. Jewish communities in Europe suffered massacres and persecution, Muslim and Jewish civilians were killed during conquests, and Christian communities also suffered during wars and sacks. The Fourth Crusade weakened the Byzantine Empire and deepened divisions between eastern and western Christianity.

The period also involved trade, diplomacy, travel, and cultural contact. Italian maritime cities increased their role in Mediterranean commerce. People exchanged goods, artistic styles, techniques, texts, and ideas across political and religious borders. However, you should avoid the oversimplified claim that the Crusades alone brought knowledge to Europe or directly caused the Renaissance. Intellectual exchange already happened through many routes, including Sicily, Iberia, Byzantium, trade networks, and translation.

{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0zudTQelzI|500|center}}

Crash Course presents an interpretation of crusading motives and outcomes. Compare its explanation with the course text. Which points agree, and which details would you want to verify with additional sources?

{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LY2CMteGw8|500|center}}

This overview focuses on the impact of the Crusades. As you watch, sort consequences into political, economic, social, religious, and cultural categories.

{{BR}}
= Thinking Like a Historian =
The Crusades are a good topic for learning how historians work because surviving sources were created by people with different loyalties and experiences. A Latin Christian chronicler, a Muslim historian, a Byzantine writer, and a Jewish community record might describe the same period very differently.

'''Primary sources''' were created during or close to the period being studied. They can include chronicles, letters, legal records, religious texts, objects, buildings, coins, and images. '''Secondary sources''' are later interpretations created by historians who compare evidence.

When reading any source, ask: Who created it? When? For whom? What did the creator know? What did the creator want the audience to believe? What information is missing? Can another independent source confirm the claim?

{{BR}}
== A Balanced Vocabulary ==
Words can shape interpretation. Use terms carefully.

# [[English:Crusade|Crusade]]: A papally authorized religious military campaign in the Latin Christian tradition.
# [[English:Pilgrimage|Pilgrimage]]: A journey to a place considered sacred.
# [[English:Indulgence|Indulgence]]: In medieval Catholic teaching, a remission of temporal punishment connected with sins whose guilt had been forgiven.
# [[English:Byzantine Empire|Byzantine Empire]]: The eastern Roman Empire, centered on Constantinople.
# [[English:Crusader states|Crusader states]]: Latin Christian states created in the eastern Mediterranean after the First Crusade.
# [[English:Jihad|Jihad]]: An Arabic term meaning struggle; in some medieval political and military contexts it referred to armed struggle.
# [[English:Siege|Siege]]: A military operation that surrounds a fortified place to force surrender.
# [[English:Treaty|Treaty]]: A formal agreement between political powers.

{{BR}}
= Timeline Overview =
{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Event
! Why it matters
|-
| 1095
| Pope Urban II calls for the First Crusade at Clermont
| The organized crusading movement toward the Holy Land begins
|-
| 1096
| Attacks on Jewish communities in the Rhineland
| Shows that crusading violence also affected civilians in Europe
|-
| 1099
| Crusaders capture Jerusalem
| The First Crusade reaches its main military objective
|-
| 1144
| Edessa falls to Zengi
| Helps trigger the Second Crusade
|-
| 1147–1149
| Second Crusade
| Ends without recovering Edessa
|-
| 1187
| Battle of Hattin and Saladin's capture of Jerusalem
| Changes the balance of power in the Holy Land
|-
| 1189–1192
| Third Crusade
| Secures parts of the coast but not Jerusalem
|-
| 1204
| Crusaders sack Constantinople
| The Fourth Crusade attacks a Christian capital
|-
| 1291
| Mamluks capture Acre
| Ends the major mainland Crusader states in the Levant
|}

{{BR}}
= Interactive Tasks =
{{BR}}
== Quiz: Test Your Knowledge ==
{{MC}}

'''Who called for the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont?'''
(Pope Urban II)
(!Saladin)
(!Richard I)
(!Zengi)

{{E}}
<br>

{{MC}}

'''Why did Byzantine emperor Alexios I ask western Christians for help?'''
(His empire faced military pressure in Anatolia)
(!He wanted to conquer England)
(!He planned to move his capital to Rome)
(!He wanted to end Mediterranean trade)

{{E}}
<br>

{{MC}}

'''Which city did crusader forces capture in 1099?'''
(Jerusalem)
(!Paris)
(!Cairo)
(!Baghdad)

{{E}}
<br>

{{MC}}

'''Which was one of the Crusader states?'''
(Kingdom of Jerusalem)
(!Kingdom of Scotland)
(!Sultanate of Delhi)
(!Mali Empire)

{{E}}
<br>

{{MC}}

'''What event helped trigger the Second Crusade?'''
(The fall of Edessa)
(!The fall of Acre)
(!The sack of Rome)
(!The Norman conquest of England)

{{E}}
<br>

{{MC}}

'''Who led the Muslim army that won the Battle of Hattin?'''
(Saladin)
(!Urban II)
(!Frederick II)
(!Conrad III)

{{E}}
<br>

{{MC}}

'''What was a major result of the Third Crusade?'''
(Jerusalem remained under Muslim control)
(!Constantinople became the goal of the First Crusade)
(!Edessa became part of France)
(!The Byzantine Empire moved to Jerusalem)

{{E}}
<br>

{{MC}}

'''What happened during the Fourth Crusade?'''
(Crusaders sacked Constantinople)
(!Crusaders founded the Byzantine Empire)
(!Saladin captured Rome)
(!Jerusalem became the capital of Venice)

{{E}}
<br>

{{MC}}

'''Why is the capture of Acre in 1291 important?'''
(It ended the major mainland Crusader states in the Levant)
(!It began the First Crusade)
(!It created the Byzantine Empire)
(!It caused the Battle of Hattin)

{{E}}
<br>

{{MC}}

'''Why should historians compare Latin Christian Muslim Byzantine and Jewish sources?'''
(To understand different perspectives and test claims)
(!To make every source tell the same story)
(!To avoid studying primary sources)
(!To prove that later pictures are eyewitness records)

{{E}}
<br>

{{BR}}
== Memory Game ==
<div class="memo-quiz">
{|
|-
| Pilgrimage || Journey to a sacred place
|-
| Papacy || Office and authority of the pope
|-
| Crusader states || Latin Christian territories founded in the eastern Mediterranean
|-
| Saladin || Ayyubid ruler who took Jerusalem in 1187
|-
| Hattin || Battle where an Ayyubid army defeated the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
|-
| Constantinople || Byzantine capital sacked by crusaders in 1204
|-
| Indulgence || Church granted remission of temporal punishment connected with forgiven sin
|-
| Acre || Major port captured by the Mamluks in 1291
|}
{{E}}
<br>

{{BR}}
== Drag and Drop ==
<div class="lueckentext-quiz">

{| class="wikitable"
! Match the correct terms.
! Topic
|-
| '''Council of Clermont'''
| Papal call that launched the First Crusade
|-
| '''Jerusalem'''
| Sacred city captured by crusader forces after a siege
|-
| '''Battle of Hattin'''
| Major Ayyubid victory over the Kingdom of Jerusalem
|-
| '''Third Crusade'''
| Campaign that ended without recapturing the sacred city
|-
| '''Fourth Crusade'''
| Campaign that ended with the sack of the Byzantine capital
|}
{{E}}

<br>
...
<br />

{{BR}}
== Crossword Puzzle ==
<div class="kreuzwort-quiz">
{|
|-
| Urban || Which pope called for the First Crusade at Clermont?
|-
| Jerusalem || Which sacred city was the main goal of the First Crusade?
|-
| Saladin || Which Ayyubid ruler captured Jerusalem in the late twelfth century?
|-
| Hattin || Which battle gave Saladin a decisive victory over the Kingdom of Jerusalem?
|-
| Acre || Which major port fell to the Mamluks at the end of the main Crusader states?
|-
| Constantinople || Which Byzantine capital was sacked during the Fourth Crusade?
|}
{{E}}
<br>

{{BR}}
== LearningApps ==
<iframe> https://learningapps.org/index.php?s=The+Crusades </iframe>

{{BR}}
== Cloze Text ==
<quiz display=simple>
{'''Complete the text.'''<br>
|type="{}"}
In 1095 Pope { Urban II } called western Christians to a crusade. The First Crusade captured { Jerusalem } in 1099. After the conquest Latin rulers created territories known as the { Crusader states }. The fall of Edessa helped trigger the { Second Crusade }. In 1187 the Ayyubid ruler { Saladin } defeated the Kingdom of Jerusalem at Hattin. The Third Crusade ended while Jerusalem remained under { Muslim control }. During the Fourth Crusade western forces sacked { Constantinople }. In 1291 the Mamluk capture of { Acre } ended the major mainland Crusader states in the Levant.
</quiz>

<br>

{{BR}}
= Open-Ended Tasks =
{{BR}}
=== Easy ===
# [[English:Crusades timeline|Crusades timeline]]: Create a one-page illustrated timeline with six important events and one sentence explaining why each event mattered.
# [[English:Historical map|Historical map]]: Use the maps in this course to draw a simple route map of the First Crusade and label three geographic challenges travelers faced.
# [[English:Crusades vocabulary|Crusades vocabulary]]: Make eight vocabulary cards with a term on one side and your own clear definition plus an example on the other.
# [[English:Medieval image analysis|Medieval image analysis]]: Choose one image from this course and record a one-minute audio explanation of what it can and cannot tell us about the event it represents.

{{BR}}
=== Standard ===
# [[English:Historical perspectives|Historical perspectives]]: Write two short diary-style texts about one event from different viewpoints, then add a note explaining which parts are evidence-based and which are imaginative.
# [[English:Crusades interview|Crusades interview]]: Interview a classmate acting as a historian and ask five questions about motives, sources, civilians, trade, and memory; submit the recording or a transcript.
# [[English:Medieval castles|Medieval castles]]: Build a labeled model or digital drawing of a Crusader-period castle and explain how at least four features supported defense and daily life.
# [[English:Medieval newspaper|Medieval newspaper]]: Produce a front page about the year 1187 with a report on Hattin, a map, an editorial, and a source box that separates fact from opinion.

{{BR}}
=== Advanced ===
# [[English:Source criticism|Source criticism]]: Compare one Latin Christian account with one Muslim, Byzantine, or Jewish account of a Crusades-era event and write a structured evaluation of agreements, differences, and possible bias.
# [[English:Historical debate|Historical debate]]: Prepare and conduct a class debate on the claim that the Crusades should be explained mainly by religion; use evidence for at least two additional types of motivation.
# [[English:Museum exhibition|Museum exhibition]]: Design a small physical or digital exhibition with six objects or images that tell the story of conflict and contact during the Crusades; write a caption and source note for each.
# [[English:Crusades documentary|Crusades documentary]]: Create a three-to-five-minute video that investigates one popular myth about the Crusades, compares it with reliable historical evidence, and ends with a reasoned conclusion.

{{:Open Task - Create a MOOC}}

{{BR}}
= Learning Assessment =
# [[English:Causation assessment|Causation assessment]]: Explain how religion, Byzantine politics, and social networks combined to help launch the First Crusade, and identify which factor you think was most important.
# [[English:Turning point assessment|Turning point assessment]]: Decide whether Hattin in 1187 or the sack of Constantinople in 1204 was the greater turning point, using at least three pieces of evidence.
# [[English:Map evidence assessment|Map evidence assessment]]: Use a map of the Crusader states to explain two strategic strengths and two weaknesses created by their geography.
# [[English:Perspective assessment|Perspective assessment]]: Compare how two communities could remember the capture of Jerusalem differently and explain why source context matters.
# [[English:Consequence assessment|Consequence assessment]]: Classify four consequences of the Crusades as political, economic, social, religious, or cultural, then explain one connection between categories.
# [[English:Transfer assessment|Transfer assessment]]: Evaluate a modern claim that uses the word crusade to describe a present-day conflict and explain why careful historical comparison is necessary.

<br>
<br>

{{BR}}
= Evidence of Learning =
; Knowledge : You can explain the main causes, major turning points, key people, geography, and outcomes of the Crusades without reducing the story to a single cause.
; Skills : You can read maps, place events in sequence, compare primary and secondary sources, identify perspective and bias, and support a claim with evidence.
; Products : Your work may include a timeline, map, model, source analysis, recorded interview, exhibition, debate notes, or documentary.
; Transfer : You can recognize oversimplified historical claims, compare different kinds of conflict carefully, and explain how words and memories from the past are used in later periods.

<br>
<br>

{{BR}}
= OERs on the Topic =
<iframe> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades </iframe>

You can use the embedded English Wikipedia article as a starting point. For stronger historical work, follow its references and compare them with museum, university, and scholarly sources.

<br>

{{BR}}
= Linked Learning Areas =
{| align=center
{{:D-Tab}}
'''[[English:The Crusades|The Crusades]]'''
# [[English:Middle Ages|Middle Ages]]
# [[English:Byzantine Empire|Byzantine Empire]]
# [[English:History of Christianity|History of Christianity]]
# [[English:History of Islam|History of Islam]]
# [[English:Jerusalem|Jerusalem]]
# [[English:Medieval warfare|Medieval warfare]]
# [[English:Medieval trade|Medieval trade]]
# [[English:Primary source|Primary source]]
# [[English:Historical method|Historical method]]
|}

{{BR}}
= aiMOOC Projects =
[[Category:English]]
[[Category:The Crusades]]
[[Category:History]]
[[Category:World History]]
[[Category:Middle Ages]]
[[Category:Religious Studies]]
[[Category:Grades 7-8]]
[[Category:AI_MOOC]]
[[Category:GPT aiMOOC]]
{{MT}}

English:The Crusades - Versionsgeschichte

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