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Year 7 - History

Pope Urban II's call to crusade

The Crusades: did Europeans go on crusade to capture the 'holy land'?

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils develop a deep understanding of the First Crusade's background. They learn how the interplay of events across Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Seljuk Empire led to this significant campaign.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain why Urban II encouraged Christians to go on crusade.

Key Notes

  • Pope Urban II led the Roman Church in the late 11th century.
  • Urban II faced a number of challenges whilst he was pope.
  • Urban II called a Church council to Clermont in 1095, partly to discuss the Seljuk invasion into the Byzantine Empire.
  • Urban II called upon Western European Christians to go on crusade against the Seljuk Empire.
  • Many people were eager to go on crusade.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • pope: the pope is the head of the Catholic Church
  • Church: the Church is the organisation of the Christian religion
  • crusade: a crusade is a military expedition against a group considered by the papacy to be an enemy of the Church

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Records of speeches from previous time periods are accurate representations of what these people actually said.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

Pope Urban II led the Roman Church in the late 11th century. Urban II faced a number of challenges whilst he was pope.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'pope'

the pope is the head of the Catholic Church.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: Records of speeches from previous time periods are accurate representations of what these people actually said. Correction: Accurate recording of speeches was not a priority for many historians or record keepers up until fairly recently. It was seen as acceptable to put words into the mouths of past people based on what happened after or to reflect present sensibilities.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 7 History guide library.