Download Name: Date: Assignment # ______ The Crusades In wars called

Name:___________________________________________ Date:________________________ Assignment # _______
The Crusades
In wars called the Crusades, Christians from Europe fought Muslims for control of Jerusalem and other holy places. The word
crusade comes from the Latin word crux, meaning “cross.” The Christian soldiers, called Crusaders, wore the cross as a symbol
of their religion. The Crusades took place between 1095 and 1291.
Jerusalem is a holy city to several religions. Muslims controlled Jerusalem for hundreds of years before the Crusades. However,
they allowed Christians to make pilgrimages to the city. In 1071 a new Muslim group called the Seljuk Turks took control of
Jerusalem. They were hostile to Christian pilgrims. They also attacked the nearby Byzantine Empire, which was Christian.
The Byzantine emperor feared that the Muslims would attack Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), his capital. He asked the
pope in Rome for help. In 1095 the pope urged Christians to take back Jerusalem.
First Crusades
The main army of the First Crusade left Europe in August 1096. The Crusaders captured Jerusalem on July 15, 1099. Most of
the Crusaders returned home after the First Crusade. Others stayed in the Holy Land and established Christian states. In 1144
the Turks captured one of the Christian states. German and French rulers then called for the Second Crusade. It was a failure
for the Christians. The Muslim leader Saladin conquered Jerusalem in 1187. The kings of England, France, and Germany
launched the Third Crusade against him. They were not able to recapture Jerusalem. However, the English king signed a peace
treaty with Saladin in 1192. It allowed Christian pilgrims to visit holy places in Jerusalem.
Crusades of the 1200s
The Fourth Crusade started in 1202. The Crusaders planned to attack the Muslims in Egypt. However, the plan changed when
the Crusaders passed through Venice. The Venetians got the Crusaders to capture Zara (now Zadar, Croatia), a Christian city
that competed with Venice for trade. Then the Venetians and the Crusaders seized Constantinople. In 1204 they looted the
city.
In 1212 two separate groups of children set out for Jerusalem. Some children died during the difficult journey. Others were
captured and sold into slavery. Neither of the Children's Crusades got near Jerusalem. French and German Crusaders reached
Egypt in 1218 as part of the Fifth Crusade. In 1219 the Muslims offered to give up Jerusalem if the Crusaders would leave
Egypt. The leader of the Crusaders refused. Later he was defeated. Frederick II, the Holy Roman emperor, set out on the Sixth
Crusade in 1228. He signed a treaty with the leader of Egypt that gave the Christians control of most of Jerusalem. In 1244,
however, the Turks took Jerusalem back. This led to the Seventh Crusade in 1249. Louis IX, king of France, was the leader. He
was captured and held before being released in 1250. In 1270 Louis led the Eighth Crusade. He died of plague, however, and
the Crusade failed.
Other Crusades
Crusades continued all the way into the 1400s, but all those directed against the Holy Land were unsuccessful. By 1291, all the
territories that had been won by the first crusaders had fallen under Muslim control.
Resources
"Crusades ." Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica,
2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010 <http://www.school.eb.com/all/elementary/article?articleId=353022>.
"The Crusades (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.
Now, answer the questions on the following page in SENTENCES.
Name:________________________________________________ Date:____________________________
Crusade Article Questions
Directions: Please answer the following questions in SENTENCES (unless noted otherwise).
1. Define what the Crusades were, including what they were about and who was involved.
2. Why did the Crusaders wear the cross?
3. When did the Crusades take place? (No sentence necessary, but give a date range here.)
4. Explain two acts that the Seljuk Turks did that made some Christians wanted to reclaim the Holy Land.
5. Describe the significance of Saladin. (Who was he? What did he do?)
6. Explain what happened in the Children’s Crusades. (Who was involved? What was the outcome?)
7. Explain the overall impact of the Crusades. (Were they successful? Why or why not?)