The First Crusade
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the key events of the First Crusade and the foundation of the 'crusader states'.
Key learning points
- The First Crusade took place in the later 1090s.
- The People's Crusade was a failure.
- The crusaders faced very harsh conditions during their crusade.
- The events of the First Crusade led to the establishment of the crusader states.
- 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.
Teacher tip
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.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A military expedition against a group considered by the to be an enemy of the Church is known as a crusade.
Q2.How many men claimed to be the true pope when Urban II took the position?
Q3.The Byzantine Empire asked Pope Urban II for help fighting against the in 1095.
Q4.Alongside the Holy Land, Pope Urban II also called for a crusade in .
Q5.Where did Urban II make his speech calling for Western knights to go on a crusade?
Q6.By 1095, forces from primarily which religion had taken control of Jerusalem?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What was promised to those who chose to take part in the First Crusade?
Q2.Many crusaders thought that they would recapture the city of .
Q3.How many separate groups made up the First Crusade?
Q4. is the name for the Christian crusader states established in the Holy Land during the First Crusade.
Q5.Which of these was not a crusader state established during the First Crusade?
Q6.Which part of the crusading army was crucial to their successful siege of Jerusalem?
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: The First Crusade, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: The First Crusade, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the The Crusades: did Europeans go on crusade to capture the 'holy land'? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.