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first crusaders, who were on their way to fight the 'enemies of
God' in the Middle East, saw no difference between the
Muslims they were going towards and the Jews whom they met
on the way (see Source D). The Peasants' Crusade then
reached Asia Minor (near modern-day Turkey) where crusaders
robbed villages to support themselves.
THE CRUSADES
What were the
Crusade~?
The Crusades is the name given to a number of different wars
fought between Christians and non-Christians during the
Middle Ages . The main Crusades were fought in the Middle
East between European Christians and Turkish Muslims. The
Crusades began in 1095 and ended in 1204. They were fought
over who controlled the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was, and
still is, a holy city for both the Christian and Muslim faiths (as
well as the Jewish religion).
The First Crusade
The First Crusade began in 1095 when Pope Urban II called on
Christians to go on a pilgrimage where they would fight the
Muslims in the Byzantine Empire and go on to take control of
the holy city of Jerusalem. This happened for two reasons.
First, Christian pilgrims had visited the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem for many years. This Church was
believed to be built on the spot where Jesus Christ died. After
the Turks took control of Jerusalem in 1071, rumours that they
were killing Christian pilgrims began to reach Europe. Second,
the Byzantine Emperor, Alexius, asked the Pope for help to
fight the Muslims who were threatening his empire .
The Arabs did not call these wars the Crusades. Instead they
called them The Frankish Invasions or The Frankish Wars. The
Arabs called the Europeans the Franj (an Arabic word that
came to mean any Westerner) or the Latins . The term
'Crusades' comes from the Latin word crux, meaning cross.
When people left for a Crusade they wore the cross, and 'to
take the cross' came to mean that a person had decided to go
on a Crusade.
The Peasants' Crusade
The first group to answer the Pope's calls was an unofficial
army of crusaders led by a preacher known as Peter the
Hermit, who promised his followers that God would show
them the way to Jerusalem. Others joined when they heard the
preaching of another man, Walter the Penniless. The Peasants'
Crusade (sometimes called the People's Crusade) left for
Jerusalem in the spring of 1096. On their way to the Holy Land,
the group passed through many Jewish communities in Eastern
Europe. In most of these towns, the crusaders forced Jews to
be baptised as Christians and massacred thousands of Jewish
people. There are stories that tell of Jews who took refuge in a
synagogue and were locked in by crusaders and burned alive .
Some Jews committed suicide rather than fall into the hands of
these crusaders. Jewish historians of the time thought that the
massacres were being committed as revenge for the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ. Western writers of the time also claimed those
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HEINE MA NN HI STO RY LINK S: A NCIEN T A ND MEDIE VA L
QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
1 Read Source A. What did Pope Urban
II promise the crusaders?
2 Study this unit and Sources B and C
and answer the following:
The 'official' crusade
A great commotion arose through
all the parts of France ... for Pope
Urban II began to give ... sermons
.. . saying that if anyone wanted
to save his soul he would not
hesitate to go to the Holy Land.
a Compare the two parts of the First
The 'official' Crusade was made up of nobles who took up the
cross and left for Jerusalem in the autumn of 1096. This
Crusade went on to take Jerusalem in 1099. It was successful
because the crusaders were well armed and used the tactic of
charging on horseback in vety large groups. However, defending
the newly won territory proved very difficult.
Crusade. Your comparison should
include how crusaders were
organised; how they fought; how
they were disciplined; and what
atrocities were committed.
b Explain why the Peasants' Crusade
failed and why the 'official' Crusade
was successful.
From the Gesta Francorum, a history of the
First Crusade, probably written by someone
who took part in the first 'official' crusade.
3 Write a newspaper report on the
Peasants' Crusade. Include:
a a description of the most
important events
b an explanation of why the Peasants'
Crusade started
c interviews with people involved
(for example Peter the Hermit, one
of his followers, a victim of their
attacks on Jewish communities).
KEY TERMS
•
•
•
•
A map of the Middle East showing where the
Crusades took place.
DID YOU KNOW7
Saladin, leader of the Arab army
during the Third Crusade, was
famous in Europe as an honourable
soldier. One story about him
describes how he saw Richard the
Lion Heart (leader of the Crusaders)
fall off his horse during a battle.
Saladin sent his servant with two
fresh horses for his enemy to use.
Saladin lost the battle.
the Crusades
holy city
pilgrimage
pilgrims
• Franj
• baptised
• synagogue
A picture of the Frankish victory at Doryaelum in 1097.
SOURC
I do not know if it was because of ... some delusion in
their minds, but the pilgrims rose in a spirit of cruelty
against the Jews ... they inflicted a most cruel slaughter on
them ... claiming this was the beginning of their journey
and the killings would be .. . against the enemies of
Christianity .. . they suddenly attacked small bands of Jews,
they decapitated many ... they destroyed their homes and
synagogues, and divided a great sum of looted money
among themselves.
From a description by Albert of Aachen. a German chronicler
(a Christian writer). written sometime after 11DO.
FO RG OD A ND G LO RY
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