The Crusades:

 

Wars of Offense

Or

A Response to Invasion and Conquest?

 

Ms.  Niewiadomski

A.E. Stevenson HS

 

 

Introduction:

 

In the past decade or so, the history of the Crusades has generally been taught, and shown in the media as a war of aggression, where European Christians were suddenly inspired to go to war against Muslim countries to gain wealth and territory.  While some Crusaders may have had these dreams, overall, this is not accurate.   Misunderstanding of this period of history has critical effects on current events and American foreign policy.   Today, radical Muslims refer to Americans as “Crusaders,” though there was no United States at the time of the Crusades.   In fact, except for a few traders, most of the world was not aware that what we call the Americas existed.    

By bringing war to the Middle East, the Crusades kept Muslims from conquering Europe though Muslim armies continued to invade for over 1,000 years.   Two of Europe’s major epic poems, the Chanson d’ Roland and Le Cid, immortalize the European resistance to Muslim invasions.   In contrast, Europeans only briefly occupied the “Crusader kingdoms”   If anyone could be said to have “won” the Crusades, it was the Muslims who kept control of all the originally Christian North African and Middle Eastern lands they had conquered.  The Europeans kept no territory.   The only wealth most Europeans brought back was exposure to different cultures and ideas and a taste for exotic goods.   For Europeans, the Crusades were, at best, a draw.

 

Task

 

You will complete the research and worksheets as a group.   Individually you will write a five page research paper according to the following guidelines:.  

 

1.                   Neatly typed in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect.   Spelling,

grammar, and organization should be reviewed by your team,

and corrected before you submit your final product.

2.                 Your Introduction should Define the Problem, examine the

circumstances that led to the Crusades, i.e.,  invasions and

conquest of Christian lands by Muslims beginning from the 8th

to the 18h centuries.

3.                Your first section should Gather the Evidence and Determine

The Causes for the Crusades, and determine whether the

Crusades were unprovoked wars of aggression, or a response to

Muslim invasion and conquest of Christian lands.   What other

factors were involved in the call for Crusades?  What other

policies could have been pursued in response to Muslim

conquests of Christian lands?  Were Medieval Europeans

truly capable of succeeding in wars so far from home?     

4,       Evaluate the Policy.   Did the Crusades achieve their objectives? 

(Note:  Objectives can include the prevention of full scale invasion

and conquest of Europe by Muslim armies.)  Who won?

          5.       Do A Comparative Analysis.   Using the information obtained from

classwork and research about life in Muslim lands, and the social and legal

position of Christians (dhimmi) in Muslim lands,   Explain how the Crusades

changed life in Europe.   Use this to project what, logically, might have

happened in Europe had the Crusades not been undertaken?

 

As a group, you will help edit and revise each other’s papers.   

You will receive a guided worksheet in order to make comments and suggestions to your teammates.

 

As a follow up task, you will determine what present American policy should be regarding: 

Immigration, particularly from Muslim and/or “hostile” countries,

(this would include student & tourist visas,  green cards, naturalization, etc);

Military action,  political action, (negotiations, sanctions, etc.)  

 

Process

 

                  Click on the links in the Task; download and print the      

                 Worksheets  to use as an outline to develop your paper.   

 

Go to Resources and follow the links to the documents.   Make notes on the worksheets to answer the questions of the task.       Use your worksheets as an outline to develop your research paper.

         

Worksheet I.  Identify the Problem  In your introduction, show evidence that Muslim conquests of Christian lands were a problem.   How likely were Muslim invasions of Europe?  What were the causes of this problem? (You must give evidence of the concept of Jihad.)   How did Europeans respond to this problem?   What else might they have done?   What were the results of the Crusades?  

 

Worksheet II & III.   Gather Evidence and Determine the Causes.

How did Europeans get involved in the Crusades?

What alternatives to the Crusades did Europeans have?

What is Islam’s view of non-Muslims?

What happened when the Muslims took over what were once Christian lands?

 

Worksheet IV.   Evaluate the Policy.

Did the Crusades achieve their objectives? 

(Note:  Objectives can include the prevention of full scale invasion

and conquest of Europe by Muslim armies.) 

What other policy Europeans might have pursued, or how they could have improved on the policy of

                                              choice—wars to liberate Jerusalem.

       Who won?

 

Worksheet V.  Do A Comparative Analysis.

What is present American immigration policy toward immigrants/tourists from Islamic countries?

What policies should the U.S. government have in regard to Muslims here and abroad?  Be sure to address political, military, legal, and immigration issues including student, tourist and business visas, immigration and citizenship.  

 

Resources:

 

Islam’s View of non-Muslims

 

 www.safeplace.net/Members/mer/MER_a040.htm

 

From this site, select quotes that show the Muslim attitude toward non-Muslims.   How do Muslims define equality?   What are the relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims to be?

 

The Muslim Invasions of Europe

                                                                                               

Three accounts of the Battle of Tours, 732

www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/732tours.html

 

Accounts of the Arab Conquest of Egypt, 642

www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/642Egypt-Conq2.html

 

Ibn Abd-el-Hakem:  The Islamic Conquest of Spain

www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/conqspain.html

 

These are primary source documents from both sides describing the battles.

 

The Muslim Conquest

www.jewishgates.com/file.asp?File_ID=85

Background information and Muslim treatment of Jews in conquered areas.

 

The Call for the Crusades

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/urban2-5vers.html

 

What reasons did Pope Urban give for the Crusades?

 

A history of the Crusades

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-madden110201.shtml

 

Brief article from a scholarly author on the History of the Crusades, showing the the

Crusades were a defensive war.

 

The Real History of the Crusades

http://www.crisismagazine.com/april2002/cover.htm

 

An article from a Crusades historian, showing how the Crusades have been mistaught

and misunderstood in modern times. 

 

Muslim Treatment of Christians and Jews

 

The Massacres of the Khilafah (Caliphate)

www.debate.org.uk/topics/history-xstnc-6.html

 

Discrimination between a Muslim and a Non-Muslim

www.answering-islam.org/BehindVeil/btv4.html

 

 

Modern Jihad

The Roots of Muslim Rage

www.theatlantic.com/issues/90sep/rage.htm

 

U.S. Congressional Briefing (Open) Human Rights Caucus

www.mypage.bluewin.ch/ameland/LectureE3.html

 

Islam and the Quest for Empire

www.home.interlog.com/~girbe/New%20Jihad.html

 

Excellent article outlining the differences between Western and Islamic culture.

Cites essential Islamic principles directly from the Koran.

 

Bin Laden’s Rage:  Why He and His Followers Hate the United States

www.citizensunited.org/bin_laden.html

 

An historical overview of Islam from its inception to Bin Laden.

See teacher for a hard copy if Board of Ed filters refuse access. 

 

US Immigration Policy

http://www.immigrationagency.org/visa_f1.html

 

Official US Immigration site, follow the links on the site to find general information

on obtaining visas and immigration.   Does the site suggest any limitation on Muslims

or people from any particular country?

 

Useful Books for Further Reading

A Concise History of the Crusades- Thomas Madden

The Sword of Islam – Serge Trifkovic

What Went Wrong – Bernard Lewis

Islam from the Prophet Muhammed to the Capture of Constantinople: Politics and War  – Bernard Lewis

 

Evaluation

 

 

A

 

B

 

C

 

D

 

F

Group GHPPA worksheets complete, neatly written, include thoughtful answers

 

 

 

 

 

Individual Report Format  Typed using Arial font, size 12, grammar and spelling are accurate, paragraphs have a topic sentence and develop logically.   Length is appropriate to the task.

 

 

 

 

 

Individual Report Content  Introduction accurately explains and sets up the problem.  

 

 

 

 

 

Gives a full range of evidence for the problem, accurately using the given resources and additional sources (classwork, outside reading, additional links, etc.)

 

 

 

 

 

Analysis of policies and historical background uses historical evidence; demonstrates critical thinking.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion and inferences follow logically from the evidence.  

 

 

 

 

 

Initiative and innovation.  Use of graphics or other innovative techniques to highlight key points.   Original thinking developed from the research.

 

 

 

 

 

Group comments on individual research papers are helpful and accurate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Exceeds requirements on all aspects.

B Meets minimum requirements, exceeds requirements on several aspects. 

C Meets minimum requirements. 

D Meets some requirements, does not meet some requirements.   

    Reasonable effort demonstrated. 

F Does not meet minimum requirements, little or no effort demonstrated. 

 

Conclusion:

 

After you have examined the sources, you should be able to:  

a)                explain the reasons for the Crusades, and decide whether the Crusades were unprovoked acts of aggression or a defensive response to Muslim threats and invasions;

b)               discuss possible responses the Europeans could have

made to the Muslim takeover of Jerusalem, North Africa, the Levant, France, Spain, etc. 

c)                Document, from the Koran, the Muslim view of non-Muslims

d)               Evaluate contemporary American political, military, and immigration policies and suggest policies in these categories that would protect the U.S. from Islamic terrorism.

 

 

Curriculum Standards

Social Studies - World History

2:1 The study of world history requires an understanding of world cultures and civilizations, including an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions. This study also examines the human condition and the connections and interactions of people across time and space and the ways different people view the same event or issue from a variety of perspectives.

2:2 Establishing timeframes, exploring different periodizations, examining themes across time and within cultures, and focusing on important turning points in world history help organize the study of world cultures and civilizations.

 

2:3 Study of the major social, political, cultural, and religious developments in world history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.

 

English Language Arts

 

1 Listening & Reading to acquire information and understanding involves collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written, and electronic sources.