Medieval history

Even if you know little else about Medieval history, you have likely heard of the Crusades, a series of major military struggles between the European kingdoms and the rising Islamic powers for the control over the Holy
Land (modern-day Israel, and especially, Jerusalem). But were the Crusades entirely about religion? And what
was the impact of the Crusades on Europe, the Byzantine World, and the Islamic World both in the short term
and in the long term? This essay is an opportunity for you to consider the origins of the First Crusade and its subsequent development in more detail through the eyes of eye-witnesses and subsequent medieval
historians.

https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/sbook1k.asp#The%20First%20Crusade
Based on your sources and their chosen topics of focus, please write an essay considering 1-2 of the following
questions:
What were the causes of the First Crusade? What was the role of Pope Urban II in causing the Crusade?
Who attacked the Jews living in Europe during this period, and why? How were these attacks connected to the
Crusade?
According to the different historians, what were the aims and motivations of the Crusaders? Were their
motivations entirely religious?
How do different historians present the events of the First Crusade? Do they see the events as praise-worthy
or problematic, and why?
How do the European historians of the First Crusade describe their Muslim opponents?