Think of this course as a librarian detailing the books and articles you will need to start your own research on the First Crusade.
Historical background to the First Crusade and why it happened
Through primary sources learn how western Europeans as well as Islamic, Byzantine, and Jewish chroniclers viewed the First Crusade.
Explore how modern historians view the First Crusade today.
Our first lesson will focus on two important questions: Why did this event actually happen, and why did Europeans want to take part in this Crusade? Some of the topics to be covered include what was happening in the Middle East and Byzantine Empire, the importance of pilgraimage to Roman Catholics, proto-Crusades, and the long debate over why people went on Crusade.
The First Crusade was an event widely covered by Europeans. Here we will go through the main chronicles and accounts, ranging from those who were eyewitnesses to those who looked back at the campaign in the decades after. We will also cover the letters written by crusaders and how new scholarship is changing our views of them.
Western Europeans were not the only group to write about the First Crusade. Here we look at the perspectives within the Islamic, Byzantine and Jewish communities. We will look at Crusader attacks against Jewish communities in Europe, the importance of Anna Komnene's writings to the depictions of the crusaders, and why we don't have much reaction in Arabic accounts to the crusade.
How do historians explain the success of the First Crusade? This video will focus on the books and articles written about the First Crusade, including what's new when it comes to Crusader Studies.
A look at how the First Crusade is viewed today, including in the media, movies and politics. It is still a topic that generates a lot of passion!
