an empire is a group of territories ruled over by one person or group of people

iconoclasm is the destruction of holy images

Eastern Orthodox Christianity was the form of Christianity practised in the Byzantine Empire

Background to the Crusades: the Byzantine Empire

History

Background to the Crusades: the Seljuk Empire

Background to the Crusades: the medieval Western Church

Pope Urban II's call to crusade

The First Crusade

The causes of the First Crusade

This unit allowed pupils to evaluate the various causes which can lead to international conflict. In 'The Wars of the Roses: what does it tell us about fifteenth-century England?', pupils will consider similar factors and motives for individuals but within the context of groups from the same country who go to war against one another.

In 'The Christian Church: how completely did the Great Schism transform Christendom?', pupils studied some of the structures and features of European Christianity in the 11th century. In this unit, pupils will deepen their understanding of Christian Europe by assessing the power of the Church in people's lives and other factors which affected individuals' and groups' decision-making.

In this unit, pupils develop a deep understanding of the First Crusade's background. They learn how the interplay of events across Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Seljuk Empire led to this significant campaign.

The Crusades: did Europeans go on crusade to capture the 'holy land'?

a caliphate is an Islamic state ruled by a single religious and political leader

a nomad is a person who has no permanent home but moves from one place to another

pastoral refers to the raising of cattle and other grazing animals

the Church is the organisation of the Christian religion

the pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church

a bishop is a senior member of the Christian Church

excommunication is the action of officially excluding someone from participation in the sacraments and services of the Christian Church

the pope is the head of the Catholic Church

a crusade is a military expedition against a group considered by the papacy to be an enemy of the Church

the Holy Land is an area in the Middle East that is sacred to three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam

a crusader is a Christian who fought in the holy wars authorised by the pope in the medieval period

outremer is the name for the Christian crusader states established in the Middle East during the First Crusade: the literal translation from French is ‘beyond the sea’

a pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place

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The Crusades: did Europeans go on crusade to capture the 'holy land'?

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