The Crusades, c1095-1204 | Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0)

The Crusades, c1095-1204

177 questions
16 subtopics
Paper 1: the breadth study, one route of eight
Paper 1

A Paper 1 breadth study of the crusading movement from Urban II's appeal in 1095 to the sack of Constantinople in 1204, covering why people took the cross, who led the expeditions, how the crusader states were held, and how the Muslim response hardened under Zengi, Nur ad-Din and Saladin.

The historical interpretations section asks why the Fourth Crusade ended where it did.

Sample questions from The Crusades, c1095-1204

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Religious motives for the crusades

Which eleventh-century movement strengthened papal authority and reshaped ideas of penance?

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The papal reform movement, often called the Gregorian reform after Gregory VII, which asserted papal supremacy over the Church and over lay rulers.
The knights and the crusades

How did the Church try to redirect knightly violence before the crusades?

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Through the Peace of God, which protected non-combatants, and the Truce of God, which banned fighting on holy days; the crusade extended this by sending the violence abroad.
Louis VII, Conrad III and the Second Crusade

What tensions arose between Louis VII and Conrad III?

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Personal and political rivalry between the French and German courts meant the two armies marched separately, did not coordinate, and each suspected the other of seeking the greater share of glory.
Geography and economy of Outremer

Which crusader state was the first to be founded and the first to fall?

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The County of Edessa (founded 1098, fell 1144).
The government of the crusader states

Why was the monarchy of Jerusalem structurally weak?

Show the answer
The crown had limited lands and revenues of its own, depended on the barons and the military orders for troops, and repeatedly passed through women or minors, inviting regencies and disputed successions.
The growth of Muslim power, 1144–69

Why was the fall of Edessa in 1144 so significant?

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It was the first crusader state to be lost, it showed the states could be destroyed piecemeal, and it prompted the calling of the Second Crusade.
Innocent III's plans for the Fourth Crusade

Why did Innocent III want to keep the crusade under papal control?

Show the answer
Earlier crusades led by kings had been dominated by royal rivalries, so he sought a force led by nobles and directed by his own legates.
Venice and the Doge Enrico Dandolo

What did the contract cost Venice before the crusade even sailed?

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A year of its shipbuilding capacity and much of its commerce, since the republic suspended normal trade to build the fleet, which is why it refused to write off the debt.

The 16 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
Religious motives for the crusades	Recall questions on just war and the papal reform movement, plenary indulgence and the remission of penance, and the preachers who carried the appeal.	11
Political motives for the crusades	Recall questions on the Seljuk threat to Byzantium, Alexius I's appeal to Urban II, papal ambition, and the disorder in Europe the crusade was meant to relieve.	10
The knights and the crusades	Recall questions on knighthood and chivalry, the Peace and Truce of God, the protection of pilgrims, and what land and plunder in the East were worth.	10
The First Crusade	Recall questions on the People's Crusade, the eight princes and their rival priorities, Baldwin at Edessa and Bohemond at Antioch, and the capture of Jerusalem in 1099.	8
Louis VII, Conrad III and the Second Crusade	Recall questions on the calling of the crusade after Edessa fell, the rivalry of the two kings, their dealings with Manuel I, and the four-day failure at Damascus.	10
The troubled leadership of the Third Crusade	Recall questions on Barbarossa's death, the quarrel between Richard and Philip, the taking of Cyprus, and why Richard turned back twice from Jerusalem.	11
Geography and economy of Outremer	Recall questions on the four states and the primacy of Jerusalem, the open eastern frontier, the seaports and the Italian trading privileges, and the pattern of Frankish settlement.	16
Defence of the crusader states	Recall questions on Baldwin I's coastal conquests, castle building on local models, the Templars and Hospitallers on the frontier, and the shortage of manpower.	12
The government of the crusader states	Recall questions on the reigns of the Baldwins, the quarrel with Queen Melisende, the High Court and the weakness of the crown, and the succession crisis of 1185.	10
Muslim political and religious divisions	Recall questions on the Sunni and Shi'ah split, the Fatimid approach to the crusaders, Kilij Arslan's defeats, and why Kerbogha's relief army failed at Antioch.	13
The growth of Muslim power, 1144–69	Recall questions on Zengi and the fall of Edessa, Nur ad-Din's unification of Syria, the use of jihad as a political language, and his rift with Saladin.	9
The power of Saladin, 1169–92	Recall questions on his seizure of Egypt and Damascus, the campaign that ended at Hattin, the fall of Jerusalem, and how he kept the city in 1192.	18
Innocent III's plans for the Fourth Crusade	Recall questions on the plan to attack Egypt, the clerical income tax, the absence of the kings, and the pope's response once the crusade went to Zara.	10
The size and leadership of the crusading forces	Recall questions on the Venetian contract and the shortfall of men, the death of Thibaut of Champagne, and why a coalition without a king could be pushed off course.	9
Venice and the Doge Enrico Dandolo	Recall questions on the terms of the fleet contract, the debt that took the crusade to Zara, Venetian grievances against Byzantium, and what the republic gained.	10
Prince Alexius and the sack of Constantinople	Recall questions on the promises made by Alexius, why they could not be kept, his murder, and the three days of plunder that followed in April 1204.	10

The Crusades, c1095-1204 is 177 of the 6,832 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £9

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.