VECPIEBALGA SECONDARY SCHOOL
10.TH CLASS STUDENT’S
JĒKABS ZOMMERS
INDEPENDENTLY MADE LESSON
IN WORLDS HISTORY
THEME: “CRUSADES FROM 11TH TO 13 TH CENTURY”
Lessons goal: Rate Crusades meaning in worlds history development.
Tasks:
1. Find information about Crusades in books, on Internet and different other
materials which can be found in library.
2. Craete sumup about cause of Crusades and most important fights for job in the
class with other students .
3. Craete PowerPoint presentation about Crusades.
4. Craete a worksheet for classmates about Crusades consequences.
5. Group work – separate most important positive and negative Crusades
consequences.
Lesson process:
1. Lesson teacher (pupil) hands out sumup about Crusades.
2. Pupils write out from sumup cause of Crusades and most important fights. (15
min)
3. Lesson teacher shows PowerPoint presentation about Crusades and students write
down and add more information about Crusades. (5 – 7 min)
4. Questions and answers about presentation. (3 min)
5. Students work on their own with worksheet about Crusades consequences. (15
min)
6. Students work in groups and compare results and add more positive and negative
benefits that gain Europe and Latvia. (15 min)
7. Class is divided in to two groups positive and negative and each group tries to
prove that Crusadeshad more gains or more losses. (For each group
argumentation 5 min )
8. On the board - positive and negative consequences.
9. Discussion about Crusades meaning in worlds medieval history.
This lesson plan is translated into English by 12th class student of Vecpiebalga Secondary
school Jēkabs Brauers
Crusades in 11th-13th century
The Crusades were military campaigns sanctioned by the Latin Roman Catholic Church
during the High Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages. In 1095, Pope Urban II proclaimed the
First Crusade with the stated goal of restoring Christian access to holy places in and near
Jerusalem. The Crusades can be named like military caimpaigns in name of ChristianityReconquest Spain and North Crusades in North Europe, that goal was to get in Christianity
other pagan countries in Europe.
The beggining idea about Crusades came not from Pope of Rome, but from Byzantine
Empire. Byzantine Empire couldn’t fight with Turkish prepotency, so they asked some help
from Pope of Rome.Although schism in Religion was already happening, West-Europe to
Byzantine Empire’s appeals answered with the Crusades thad were going on from 1095 to
1270.In First Crusades (1095.-1099.) Byzantine Empire with Crusader’s help reconquered a
few territories from muslims in Malaysia. But further Byzantine’s condition got even
unsafer.Not because of enemies, but because of two-faced East-Europe politics and not
rarely- because of two-faced Crusaders. While Crusaders had goals. For example, feudal lords
wanted more wealth,manufacturers- to get to know new roads for selling, but farmers wanted
to break free.
During Second Cruasades, that main reason was turkish expancy in Mesopotamia and Ancient
Edess city conquering in 1144, Crusaders activity wasn’t successful. On their way to Edess,
German Crusader Army was attacked by Turkish and Edess was destroyed. Many Crusaders
and pilgrims who stayed alive were scared and went back. And second- French Crusader
Army with Louis VII that went to Byzantine Empire a month later, came to destination in lack
of soldiers.Instead of releasing Edess, Crusaders changed their minds- they went to Siberia
and in 1148 surrounded Damansk, but they couldn’t conquire it and soon returned in Europe.
After Crusader’s stepping bak, in hands of Catolic-Christians wasso-called Latin Kingdomvery small peace of land near Mediterranean Sea. Soon from 3 directions- Anatoly Peninsula,
Arabic and Egyptian Peninsula- were covering the lands of muslims. So Latin enclave getting
under muslim pressure wasn’t surprising and it was only a matter of time.
In 1187 muslims with sultan Saladine conquired Jerusalem and soon other Christian places.It
was the beggining of the Third Crusades. Crusaders didn’t reconquer Jerusalem back.Only
bonus was to make Latin Kingdom last longer period of time.
And the Fourth Crusades only ,,luck’’ was that Crusaders ,when they were in financial
difficulties, agreed with vetenians about financial support if Crusaders would conquire
Constantinople. Like that Venetian manufacturers hoped to get more in Byzantine Empire. As
the result, Constantinople was conquired by Crusaders and here were established Catolic
churches to support Latin Empire, which lasted to 1261.But that didn’t solve neither Europe
nor Byzantian problems.Even worse- Byzantian Empire even more weakened, but the gap
between Catolic and Ortodox church was forever uncrossable.
North Crusades in history is a meaning when North-Europe nations were baptize by force
from 12 to 14 century.Pope Euvgenie III in 1147 on 13th April gave a Crusade Bull against
Vends.In 1171 Pope of Rome named Alexander III wrote to Bishop of Upsala to begin
spreading Catolicism in Finland. In 1193 Pope of Rome Celestine III announced the war
against livones that was the beggining of Livonia’s Crusades. During Third Crusades with
help from Bremen and Lübeck’s manufacturers and German monks, in 1198 on 5th March
German Order was created that in 13th and 14th century were taking part in the Baltic State
Catolism spreading and in fights with other countries. North Crusades only ended in 1387after baptizing of Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
The Crusades was one of the reasons why European people confidence was rising in the
Middle Ages. Many centuries Wed-Europe was under the shadow of islam world, but
Crusaders went even until the middle of islam world. Because of Christian victory in the First
Crusades and conquiring of Jerusalem, 12th century always will be remembered as optimism
and happiness century.
The Crusades made European world wider mentally. Some of them learned Arabic and started
to use it . Because of the Crusades, exchange of goods was getting bigger. During the
Crusades, Europeans got to know East goods- sugar, rice, silk, fruits, spices, cotton, parfume,
nuts, mirrors and collors. Demand after those goods was making trade better between West
and East.
The Crusades was the number 1 event in the Middle Ages. Until then, the centres of
civilization were in Byzantian Empire and Arabic lands.From then, Europe is number 1 leader
in the whole World. The Crusodes gave a chance to West to get in touch with a culture from
another level like in Arabic lands.The first time Europeans got to know different world,
people with different traditions and culture. In East countries and markets Europeans saw silk
and carpets, goods from elephant bones, porcelain and dishes from glass. A part from these
wondeful things soldiers brang to Europe.
As the result of the Crusades, formed a monasteries and many people started to believe in
God by Christianity. Never before Christianity had united so many people with religion.
During the Crusades, many people died. Even childer and women was dying because of war,
hunger and illnesses. During the Crusades, hunger, suffering, scourge were spread by humans.
The Crusades brang failure, because didn’t provide soldiers lands and wealth they thought
they would receive. Destinanion of the Crusades- Christianity spreading- didn’t succseed.
The Crusades made srifes between the leaders from different countries. Crusaders were doing
awful things to those jews and muslims who didn’t believe in God in conquired lands. The
greed of Crusaders in East lands only spread hatred against Christians.
As the result of the Crusades, people had to pay more taxes to Christian church and the pope
who used the Crusoades as the reason to make himself richer and to show his power.
Only a few Crusaders got back home wealthy. The most part of them, lost property and even
battle of life. Many of them died during battles, some got in debts to pay for weapons and the
long way to Saint land.
Ttranslated into English by 12th class student of Vecpiebalga Secondary school Elīna Zivtiņa