Period 3: Expansion of Religion and Empire

Question 1

What caused the First Crusade to be initiated?

Answer 1

• the Islamic Empire conquered much of Spain, threatening Christians
• in 1096 Pope Urban II initiated the First Crusade in response to the success of the Seljuk Turks, who took control of the Holy Land (present-day Israel and Palestine)

Question 2

Who was Pope Urban II?

Answer 2

Pope Urban II initiated the First Crusade. He wanted Jerusalem to be in the hands of Christians and wanted to unite the Catholic Church with the Eastern Orthodox Church, which had split apart 50 years before the start of the crusades.

Question 3

What was the First Crusade?

Answer 3

Crusaders set out to conquer the Holy Land, and initially captured several cities including Antioch and Jerusalem. However, both cities quickly fell back to the hands of the Arabs.

Question 4

What was the Fourth Crusade?

Answer 4

The Catholic Church sacked Constantinople and established a short-lived Latin Empire there.

Question 5

How did the Crusades impact the Holy Land?

Answer 5

Most of the Holy Land remained in the hands of the Muslim Arabs, and the Crusades led to centuries of mistrust between Christians and Muslims.

Question 6

How did the Crusades impact Europe?

Answer 6

• put Europe back into the sphere of the Eastern Mediterranean for centuries
• fueled trade and an exchange of ideas, leading to western Europe’s rediscovery of new aspects of its ancient past preserved by the Byzantine and Islamic Empires