The Crusades


The Crusades that occurred throughout the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries were military campaigns that were inspired by a desire to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim rule. There were numerous crusades over the three hundred-year period, the majority of which involved journeys to the Holy Land. This map shows five different crusade routes in order to highlight the diverse regions that were affected by these waves of military expeditions.

1			What were the crusades and what are the different possible reasons for why the crusades occurred?
2			Why were there different destinations for the various crusades?
3			What was happening in Europe that made military campaigns like the crusades possible?
4			Although this map is concerned with the crusades that occurred in the Middle East, there were other crusades at this time. Who were the targets of these other movements? Where did these events occur?