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🛡️ The Crusades

Find out why European armies marched to the Holy Land, what happened when two worlds met, and what Europeans brought home from the Islamic world.

3
lessons
~15 min
to learn
🏛️ History
subject
Ages 6–12
level
Start the course →

What you’ll learn

  1. Journey to the Holy LandExplain in simple terms why European armies travelled to the Holy Land.About a thousand years ago, large armies set out from Europe on a very long journey to the Holy Land, the region around Jerusalem. These journeys, called the Crusades, happened over about 200 years. Jerusalem was sacred to Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and Christian leaders in Europe called on people to travel there. The trip covered thousands of miles across mountains, deserts, and seas, and was one of the hardest journeys medieval people ever made.
  2. Two Worlds MeetDescribe what the crusaders found when they met the advanced Islamic world.When crusaders reached the Holy Land they met the Islamic world, a rich and advanced civilization with grand cities, libraries, skilled doctors, and beautiful buildings. At first the two sides fought, but they also lived near each other, traded, and learned from one another. Europeans discovered new goods like sugar, spices, and silk, and clever ideas in medicine and mathematics, and trade between the two worlds grew.
  3. What They Brought HomeDescribe at least one thing Europeans learned from the Islamic world during the Crusades.When crusaders returned to Europe they brought new foods, goods, and ideas. Muslim scholars had made great advances in mathematics, medicine, and astronomy, and had preserved ancient knowledge in their libraries. As this learning spread into Europe, it helped European knowledge grow. The Crusades were often violent, but they also opened a lasting connection of trade and ideas between Europe and the wider world.

Questions this course answers

Where were the Crusaders trying to travel to?

Crusaders traveled to the Holy Land, the region around the city of Jerusalem.

Why did so many people join the Crusades?

Jerusalem and the Holy Land were sacred to several religions, and Christian leaders in Europe called on people to make the journey.

What did the crusaders find in the Islamic world?

The Islamic world had grand cities, huge libraries, skilled doctors, and beautiful buildings — in many ways more advanced than Europe at the time.

Which of these was a new GOOD that Europeans discovered from the East?

Sugar was one of the sweet new goods, along with spices and silk, that Europeans discovered during the Crusades.

What is one important thing Europeans learned from the Islamic world during the Crusades?

Muslim scholars had made great advances in mathematics, medicine, and astronomy, and this knowledge helped European learning grow.

Besides fighting, what lasting effect did the Crusades have?

The Crusades opened a lasting connection between Europe and the wider world, with new foods, goods, and ideas flowing for centuries.

Grounded in trusted sources

  • British Museum
  • Britannica Kids
  • BBC Bitesize
  • National Geographic Kids
  • DK findout!

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