Topic: The Era of Crusades

Target group

5th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

5th‑grade students of elementary school

II. Byzantium and the world of Islam. Pupil:

1. places the extent of Arab expansion in time and space and explains the influence of Muslim civilization on Europe.

III. Medieval Europe. Pupil:

4. characterizes the causes and effects of the crusades.

General aim of education

Students learn why there were crusades and what their consequences were.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• what was the history of Palestine;

• who threatened the Byzantine Empire and the pilgrims to the Holy Land;

• how was the crusade movement born;

• why did the chivalric orders come into being and what was their role.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. Students should remember the Arab conquests.

Introduction

1. The teacher gives the pupils the subject, the purpose of the lesson and the criteria for success.

2. The teacher asks students what they associate with the slogan CRUSADE. Then, the students' answers are written on the board. There may be slogans whose connotation is associated with the present day, e.g. an anti‑alcohol crusade or a crusade against some behavior.

Realization

1. The teacher explains to the students why the crusades took place - characterizes the political situation in Palestine, the struggle within the Muslim world and the influence of Byzantium.

2. Then he explains that the idea of defending Christianity and fighting infidels was nothing new in the 11th century Europe. As an example, he gives the Reconquista, the battle of the German mighty with the pagans in Pomerania or the Polish princes with Prussia.

3. Explaining why the Crusade movement took place, the teacher gives and explains the most important religious and political reasons. Students see the map of the division of the world into Muslim and Christian (Task 1), read the source text and perform Exercise 1.

4. Then the teacher asks pupils to search for the most important information about crusades when divided into pairs or small groups. He asks them to pay attention not only to when the crusades took place and who took part in them, but also to the consequences they led to. At this time, a map „Wyprawy krzyżowe” from Task 2 should be displayed.

5. While discussing the history of the crusades with the students, the teacher displays the SWOT table on the board, and then completes it with the students, answering the question: Did the crusades meet the hopes set in them? Strengths or everything that was the advantage. Weaknesses, that is everything that was weakness and disadvantage. Chances, that is all that gave the chance for success and a favorable change. Threat, that is all that was a failure and created a danger.

6. The students get acquainted with the interactive illustration (Task 3) and perform Exercise 2 (read the text and complete the table on its basis). Then the teacher asks pupils to tell what life was like in Christian countries in the Holy Land. The teacher makes sure that the instructions have been correctly implemented and gives verbal feedback to the students.

Summary

1. The students together with the teacher reflect on the consequences of crusades, both direct and those who repent over the years / ages. Students perform Exercise 3. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly performed and provides feedback.

2. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. Tells students feedback on their work.

Homework

1. The teacher sets homework (it is not an obligatory part of the script): The history of knightly orders is also connected with the history of the crusades. One of the most famous and most powerful was the Knights Templar order. It survived the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and continued its activities in Europe until the fourteenth century. Look for information about how it happened that it ended its activity..

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

The Era of Crusades

Ever since the beginning of Christianity, the Holy Land was an unique place to the believers. Pilgrimages to the holy sites took place as early as in the first centuries of Christianity, but, unfortunately, ever since the Arabs conquered those territories in the seventh century, this movement was put to an end. It was reborn only three centuries later, when the Caliphate of Egypt was taken over by the Musilm dynasty of Fatimids that maintained friendly relations with Constantinople and was exhibited tolerance for Christians. The situation underwent a drastical change in the middle of the eleventh century, when the Asian portion of the former Arab Empire was taken over by the Seljuq Turks, who subdued the Baghdad Caliphate. Their policy on Christians was completely different from that of their predecessors. It became one of the reasons for the beginning of the Crusades, whose aim was to retake the holy sites from the Muslims.

During the synod of Clermont in 1095, the Pope called for every Christian in Western Europe to fulfill the duty of defending Christianity, provide support to the Byzantine Empire against the Turkish threat, and liberate the holy sites in Palestine from the hands of the Muslims. In 1096, masses of people answered the Pope’s call and marched through Europe. The People’s Crusade, as it was called, could have involved as much as 200 thousand people, according to some researchers. However, the crowd, unprepared and lacking the support of the knights, was easily defeated by the Turkish military in Anatolia.

In the same year, the first knights’ Crusade, known as the Princes’ Crusade, was organized. As many as 60 thousand knights, coming mainly from the Romance‑language countries, took part in it. It was headed by many notable magnates, such as Raymond of Toulouse, Godfrey of Bouillon, and Hugo, Count of Vermandois and son of the King of France. During the First Crusade, they not only defeated the Turks in Asia Minor, but also gained numerous territories from Syria and Palestine to Sinai, recapturing Jerusalem in 1099. The idea of chivalric orders was born, three of which – the Templars, the Joannites, and the Teutonic Order – came into being in Palestine. Despite their initial success, the Crusaders did not manage to keep the conquered territories for long. The incessant Muslim attacks led to the fall of the first Christian state on those territories – the County of Edessa (1144). The subsequent Crusade called in order to reclaim them, led by Conrad III of Germany and Louis VII of France, was unsuccessful. It only reinforced the Byzantines’ negative attitudes towards Crusaders, leading to tragic consequences – the Crusaders looted Constantinople in 1204. The new state established on its territory that was meant to reuinte the divided Christian community, the Latin Empire, not only failed to achieve its goals, but also furthered the Byzantine citizens’ aversion towards the Catholics. After numerous clashes and Byzantine raids, the Latin Empire fell a few decades later in 1261.

In the second half of the twelfth century, Sultan Saladin became the leader of the Muslims, uniting the Arabs and Turks and leading them to victory over the Christian armies in the Battle of Hattin in 1187. He conquered nearly the whole Kingdom of Jerusalem. In response, the Third Crusade was called in Europe, a joint endeavor by the rulers of France, England, and the German Reich. It was, however, unsuccessful and did not manage to recapture Jerusalem or defeat Saladin’s armies. The next expeditions only delayed the final loss. It happened with the fall of the last Christian stronghold – Acre – in 1291.