THE CRUSADES

Introduction
What would motivate you to pick up and leave your place of
residence and travel to another part of the world? Would you
be motivated by money, power, or religious faith? These are
the same questions others had to address centuries ago.
Consider as you proceed in the webquest lesson examining
your own life and what motivates you to act. Why do you
believe what you do? What motivates you to action?
Consider the causes and consequences of your own actions as
you consider those of others you will read about as you learn
and study about the Crusades.

Introduction
A CRUSADE is a war or venture carried out
for a religious purpose, also known as a
holy war.
From the late 1000s until the late 1200s,
European Christians engaged in a series of
CRUSADES primarily against Middle Eastern
Muslims.

Each of three major religious groups claimed

Jerusalem in the land of Palestine as their holy city.

To Christians, it was the place where Jesus was crucified and

ascended to heaven
To Muslims, it was the place where Muhammad met three earlier
prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
To Jews, it was the site of the ancient temple built by Solomon.

Task
This lesson is an opportunity for you to expand your knowledge of the
Crusades and to gain a better understanding of the causes, events,
and consequences. You will do the following things during this
lesson:
1. Using the following resources, you will be asked to answer
questions pertaining to the Crusades.
2. Analyze the resources, which includes primary and secondary
documents, art, and a map.
3. You will be asked to make your own inferences based on the
knowledge you gain today.

Process
Look through the following slides of
sources.
1. Read the resources and watch videos where noted.
2. Study some examples of artwork from the Crusades.
3. Analyze a map of the Crusades.
4. Use the information you have gathered about the Crusades, as
well as your own inferences, to answer the questions on the
Evaluation slide.
5. In a Word document, answer the following questions in this

Resources
Crusades Timeline
Background Overview and Video
Pope Urban II Orders the First Crusade
Summarization of the Crusades

Pope Urban II: Speech Calling for the Crusades

Crusades Artwork
Do you think the
artist was a
Christian or
a Muslim? Why?

Crusades Artwork
Describe what you think
is happening in this piece
of art.
What can you infer about
the artists point of view?

Map of the Crusades

Based on the map,
what physical
features of
Jerusalems
location made
it a desirable city?

Map of the Crusades

Based on the map, what physical
features of Jerusalems location made
it a desirable city?

Evaluation
Please answer each of the following questions in 2-3 sentences.
Use evidence from the resources where appropriate.

What inspired the Crusade movement?

How did Pope Urban II convince his fellow Catholics to kill other human beings? What did
he promise in return for those who chose to participate in the Crusades?

What were the goals of the Crusades? Do you believe they were achieved? Why or why
not?

Please answer each of the following questions in 4-6 sentences.

Use evidence from the resources where appropriate.

What were some religious, political, and economic effects of the Crusades? (Name at
least 4)

Do you see this struggle of groups fighting over land ownership today? If so, where? What

Conclusion
Final Thoughts: On your sheet of paper write one
or two questions that you still have on the
Crusades.
This concludes todays webquest on the
Crusades!
If time remains take a look at the next slide.

Final Activity (If Time Allows)

If you have completed the Webquest early, you may
play this game to further test your Crusades
knowledge!
Fling the Teacher: The Crusades