New
New
Year 7

The First Crusade

I can describe the key events of the First Crusade and the foundation of the 'crusader states'.

New
New
Year 7

The First Crusade

I can describe the key events of the First Crusade and the foundation of the 'crusader states'.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The First Crusade took place in the later 1090s.
  2. The People's Crusade was a failure.
  3. The crusaders faced very harsh conditions during their crusade.
  4. The events of the First Crusade led to the establishment of the crusader states.
  5. The Princes' Crusade successfully captured Jerusalem.

Keywords

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

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

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

  • Outremer - 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’

Common misconception

Christians 'saved' the Holy Land from barbaric Muslim conquerors.

Muslims had generally treated Christians very well during the 400 or so years that they had controlled the Holy Land. In contrast, when the Christian crusaders arrived in the Holy Land they engaged in barbaric acts.

Give students primary sources of the aftermath of the capture of Jerusalem to read in order to emphasise the point that there was little that was heroic or noble about the First Crusade.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
A military expedition against a group considered by the to be an enemy of the Church is known as a crusade.
Correct Answer: papacy, Papacy, Pope, pope
Q2.
How many men claimed to be the true pope when Urban II took the position?
1
Correct answer: 2
3
4
Q3.
The Byzantine Empire asked Pope Urban II for help fighting against the in 1095.
Correct Answer: Seljuks, seljuks, Seljuk Turks
Q4.
Alongside the Holy Land, Pope Urban II also called for a crusade in .
Correct Answer: Spain, spain
Q5.
Where did Urban II make his speech calling for Western knights to go on a crusade?
Correct answer: Clermont
Jerusalem
Rome
Anatolia
Q6.
By 1095, forces from primarily which religion had taken control of Jerusalem?
Judaism
Christianity
Correct answer: Islam
Buddhism

6 Questions

Q1.
What was promised to those who chose to take part in the First Crusade?
land in the Holy Land
money from the papacy
Correct answer: forgiveness for their sins
Q2.
Many crusaders thought that they would recapture the city of .
Correct Answer: Jerusalem, jerusalem
Q3.
How many separate groups made up the First Crusade?
Correct answer: two
three
four
Q4.
is the name for the Christian crusader states established in the Holy Land during the First Crusade.
Correct Answer: Outremer, outremer
Q5.
Which of these was not a crusader state established during the First Crusade?
Edessa
Correct answer: Byzantium
Antioch
Tripoli
Jerusalem
Q6.
Which part of the crusading army was crucial to their successful siege of Jerusalem?
The knights
The archers
The footsoldiers
Correct answer: The siege towers

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