Download Why did the Third Crusade fail?

Why did the Third Crusade fail?
Teaching notes
This resource forms part of a set of resources on the Crusades. It can be used alongside Why did
people go on Crusade? (search 26606).
Starter ideas
Pair your students and play a quick game of taboo. Standing back-to-back (one facing the
whiteboard, the other the back of the room) one student must describe the six topic keywords
that you write up on the whiteboard. Each pair has one minute in which to try to get as many as
possible – the facing person describes keyword without using it while the other guesses. Then
swap. The winning pair gets to celebrate!
Set I
Pope
Jerusalem
Cross
Knight
Saladin
Islam
Emperor
Holy Land
Golden Age
Richard the Lionheart
Castle
Crusader
Set 2
An alternative starter activity would be to use the fact sheets
on each crusade from Why did people go on Crusade?
Students can use these to construct a timeline which divides
the different Crusades into Crusader Victory or Islamic
Victory. They could then discuss which side won.
Main activity
This resource focuses particularly on the failure of the third
crusade. Students can sort the cards in a variety of ways.
1. Find evidence that the Third Crusade failed (cards
1,3,5,6,7,8,16,17,18,20,21,23,24)
2. Find evidence that the Third Crusade was a success
(cards 2,4,10,11,22)
3. Categorise them into reasons and decide which was the
most important in explaining the failure of the Third
Crusade.
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They can them come to a judgement on the overall success of the crusade. This could be
developed into a piece of extended writing.
Plenary activity
Use the map provided (Source 1) and annotate with the key points from the card sort to explain
the failure of the Third Crusade. A completed version is included for you to refer to.
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
26609
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Why did the Third Crusade fail?
Card sort
Read through the cards and then analyse them in different ways:
1. Find evidence that the Third Crusade failed.
2. Find evidence that the Third Crusade was a success.
3. Categorise them into reasons and decide which was the most important in explaining the
failure of the Third Crusade.
4. Overall, explain your own judgement on the success of the Third Crusade.
1. Saladin successfully
united the armies of
Syria and Egypt.
4. The Crusaders beat the
Muslims at the fortified
city of Acre.
7. While besieging the
city of Acre, (which
was eventually
successful), disease
killed many Crusaders.
10. After Acre was in
Christian hands,
Richard led a
successful attack on
the city of Jaffa.
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
2. Before the Third
Crusade, the Kings of
England and France
stopped arguing and
put their armies
together.
5. The remains of the
German army suffered
terribly in a disease
epidemic.
8. Richard I and Philip II
of France argued again
when they had seized
Acre and Philip took
half his army back to
France.
11. The Christian victory at
Jaffa encouraged the
Crusaders and
embarrassed Saladin.
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3. The German leader,
Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa,
in charge of a huge
army, drowned on the
journey and most of his
troops went home.
6. Richard I of England
organised a fleet to
carry his soldiers. A
terrible storm wrecked
many of the ships.
9. After the siege of Acre,
when Acre was in
Christian hands,
Richard I arranged a
massacre of Muslim
prisoners in full view of
the Muslim armies.
12. After the victory at
Jaffa, Saladin had to
send half his army
home.
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Why did the Third Crusade fail?
13. After the victory at
Jaffa, the Muslim
defenders of Jerusalem
were very weak.
Richard would have
won Jerusalem if he
had attacked then.
16. The Christian King
Conrad of Jerusalem
was murdered by
assassins.
19. Richard I said that he
would fight as an
ordinary soldier under
French command, if
they joined with the
English army and
attacked Jerusalem.
The French refused.
22. Saladin was not strong
enough to try to retake
Acre and Jaffa.
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
14. Richard did not want
to try to attack
Jerusalem in the
winter so he decided
to wait until the
spring.
17. The remains of the
French army argued
with Richard I’s
leadership and said
that they would not
support an attack on
Jerusalem.
20. The Crusader army was
too divided to risk an
attack on Jerusalem so
they decided not to try
at all.
23. After the spring,
Richard was not strong
enough to try to take
Jerusalem.
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15. Richard had two allies
as he approached
Jerusalem, Guy and
Conrad. Guy and
Conrad hated each
other.
18. Saladin retook Jaffa
which Richard had
taken from the
Muslims. Richard’s
army marched back
and took Jaffa back
again!
21. Saladin remained in
control of Jerusalem
but he had lost Acre
and Jaffa.
24. Richard and Saladin
agreed a truce. They
left Jerusalem in
Muslim hands but Acre
and Jaffa under
Christian control.
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Why did the Third Crusade fail?
Task
Add brief notes around the map to highlight key events in the Third Crusade and explain its failure.
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
26609
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Why did the Third Crusade fail?
Teacher version (suggested notes) and labels.
Richard I led a
crusading army
from England.
Philip II led a
crusading
army from
France.
Illustration of map
showing Crusader's
movements across
Europe and the Middle
East to Jerusalem
between 1096 and 1270 /
Credit: Rob Shone/
Dorling Kindersley /
Universal Images Group /
Copyright © DK Images /
For Education Use Only.
This and millions of other
educational images are
available through
Britannica Image Quest.
For a free trial, please
visit www.britannica.co.uk
/trial
Emperor Frederick
Barbarossa led a
crusading army from
Germany.
Emperor Frederick
Barbarossa
drowned in
Anatolia (Turkey).
Richard I’s
army picked up
troops from
Spain.
Constantinople
Antioch
Acre
Some English
ships were
shipwrecked.
Jaffa
Jerusalem
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
26609
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