Download Quaestio: Why were the Crusades fought?

Nunc Agenda:
You are a young
knight who has just heard the speech by Pope
Urban II, and you have decided to join the
Crusade. Write a short note you will leave
behind for your family explaining your
decision. (3 minutes)
 During their overland journey
to the Holy Land, Crusader
armies, led by nobles, stopped
in Constantinople, met
Emperor Alexius, and
promised him the land they
conquered
 After a 9-month siege,
Crusaders conquered Antioch,
slaughtered Muslim
inhabitants, and pillaged the
city
 They did not return the land
to Alexius
 They continued south conquering cities including
Jerusalem, which Muslims and Jews fought together
to defend
 Four “Crusader States”
were established:
 The County of Edessa
 The Principality of
Antioch
 The County of Tripoli
 The Kingdom of
Jerusalem
 Landless Nobles now
had lands of their own
 After almost fifty years of
relative peace, Muslims
reconquered Edessa, sparking a
new Crusade
 The King of France and the
King of Germany each led
armies to attack Damascus in
Syria, but they were defeated,
AND Damascus joined with the
Seljuks against the Crusaders
 (Crusade Fail!)
 Muslim weakness  lack
of unity
 Seljuks controlled Syria,
Fatimids controlled Egypt
 1147- Saladin (Salahuddin)
became leader of both
Egypt and Syria,
reconquered Jerusalem
and other Crusader lands
for the Muslims
 In response, Pope called for
Third Crusade
 HRE Frederick I Barbarossa,
French King Philip II of
France, and King Richard
the Lionheart of England
led armies to take back
Jerusalem, but they were
unsuccessful
 Saladin agreed to allow
Christian pilgrims into
Jerusalem
 Pope Innocent III called for
a Fourth Crusade
 Lacking the funds to go all
the way to Jerusalem, the
Crusaders instead sacked
Christian Constantinople
and established a Latin
Empire in Byzantine land
 There were other smaller
Crusades in the following
years but they had little
impact
Classwork/Pensa:
 The documents on
your worksheet are
primary sources from
the Crusades showing
differing perspectives.
Work with a partner to
read the documents
and answer the
questions.