It is November 1095. Pope Urban II stands before a huge crowd at Clermont, France, and delivers one of the most consequential speeches in medieval history. He describes how Muslim Turks have seized the holy city of Jerusalem, desecrated Christian shrines, and attacked pilgrims. He urges the knights of Europe: leave your petty wars at home, take up the cross, and march to free the Holy Land. The crowd roars back: "Deus vult!" — God wills it.
Within months, thousands of people — knights, foot soldiers, priests, women, children — are stitching crosses onto their cloaks and preparing to march 3,000 miles across Europe and Asia to fight for a city most of them had never seen. Three years later, on 15 July 1099, they would tear down Jerusalem's walls and capture the city.
How did this happen? Why did it succeed? And what did it mean for the world?
This introduction covers Setting the Scene: The Road to Jerusalem within The First Crusade, c.1070-1100 for GCSE History. Revise The First Crusade, c.1070-1100 in Component Group 5 — World Depth Studies for GCSE History with 14 exam-style questions and 18 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 1 of 14 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for The First Crusade, c.1070-1100
Describe two features of the People's Crusade (1096).
Describe two features of Pope Urban II's speech at Clermont in November 1095.