Exercises on the First Crusade and the Conquest of Jerusalem

(UFC) “(...) Around the year 1010, rumors began to circulate in the West that, at the instigation of the Jews, the Saracens had caused the destruction of the Holy Sepulcher and the patriarch of Jerusalem beheaded (...) Then, in the wake of the crusade proclaimed by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095, an atmosphere of religious hysteria was engendered..." (RICHARDS, Jeffrey. Sex, deviance and damnation:Minorities in the Middle Ages . Rio de Janeiro:Jorge Zahar Ed., 1993. p. 97)

From the text and considering the objectives of the Crusades, mark the alternative that corresponds to the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jews in the Middle Ages:

a) A reciprocal collaboration, as the Jews were considered faithful observers of the Christian faith and rites.

b) A joint action in defense of the Holy Land, since the Jews participated as brave combatants in the First Crusades.

c) A rapprochement between Jews and Christians due to the practice of usury, ardently defended by the medieval Church.

d) Great hostility, as the Church, in the 11th century, sought to Christianize the world and many Jewish communities, under the accusation of worshiping the Devil, were persecuted and exterminated.

e) An economic relationship, as the Holy War was systematically financed by Jewish groups willing to contribute to the expansion of Christianity.

The First Crusade took place between the years 1095 and 1099. One of the main motivations for the conflict came from a confidence of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I to Pope Urban II. This confidence exposed the problem:

a) of the formation of the Jewish state in the Middle East.

b) the formation of the alliance between Turks and Jews against Christians.

c) the formation of an alliance between Turks, Mongols and Chinese against Constantinople.

d) of the pressure that the Persian army offered against Christian dominions in Asia Minor.

e) of the possible Muslim onslaught against Constantinople.

(UNIFOR) "Leave those who used to fight against the faithful in private wars, fight the infidels (...). Leave those who hitherto were thieves become soldiers. Let those who once fought against their brothers and kinsmen now fight the barbarians as they should. Let those who were once mercenaries, at low wages, now receive their eternal reward. (...) since the land you inhabit, closed on all sides by the sea and surrounded by mountain peaks, is too small for your great population:its wealth is not abundant either, it barely supplies the necessary food to its cultivators (...). the way to the Holy Sepulcher; snatch it away from that wicked race and subject it to yourselves."

The text is an excerpt from Pope Urban II's Sermon calling on Christians to organize the Crusade. According to the pope's words, it can be deduced that the Crusades, in addition to the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher, aimed at:

a) contain population growth in Europe and the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.

b) nullify the Church's interest in the union of Christendom and the growth of agricultural production.

c) relieve the internal tensions of Christendom and expand its territory.

d) encourage Christians to fight against infidels and stimulate clergy interest in Eastern commerce.

e) glorify the Church's effort to fight the wars between the nobles and the consequent decrease in population.

The First Crusade was also known as the “Crusade of the Nobles”. About this crusade, it is correct to say that:

a) Christian fighters were defeated at Nicaea.

b) Godofredo de Bulhão founded the first “Crusader State”, in Edessa.

c) Despite their best efforts, the Crusaders were unable to reach Jerusalem.

d) at the head of the crusaders, followed thousands of children, who died along the way.

e) among the combatants were also thousands of women, specialists in wars.

Letter D

In the 11th century, the relationship between Christians and Jews had several obstacles and divergences, mainly due to biased perspectives on the various elements of the tradition they have in common. Thus, on the occasion of the First Crusade (which took place in the aforementioned century), there were many violent episodes against the Jewish communities that inhabited the region of the Holy Land.

Letter E

The Byzantine Emperor Alexios I realized that the Muslim Turks, sooner or later, would end up invading Constantinople, as they had dominated the Middle East, North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula for centuries and had the pretension to extend their dominions to Asia Minor – where the heart of the Byzantine Empire was. The organization of the First Crusade, promoted by Urban II, had this fact, among others, as one of its main motivations.

Letter C

The conquest of the Holy Land and the establishment of dominions over the sacred places of Christianity, such as the Holy Sepulcher, were some of the motivations of the Crusades. Despite the motivations, the fact is that the mobilization of Christian peoples around the Crusades ended up dissipating some of the internal differences that existed between these peoples.

Letter B

The Crusades of the Nobles managed, throughout its incursion, to conquer many places until reaching the Middle East. In the midst of this process, the noble Godofredo de Bulhão managed to erect a “Crusader State” in the region of Edessa, in Southeast Anatolia, where present-day Turkey is located.