Name ______Period _____
Perspectives on the Crusades
DUE: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1ST
Overview: Between 1096 and 1291, Christians and Muslims fought a series of religious wars for control of the Holy Land. You need to create a historically accurate account of a real person’s experience in the Crusades. The writing should be full of specific historical details drawn from the textbook and your own research. You can write in diary entries or letters. The writing must address these questions:
· How and why did the Crusades begin? What is your opinion of Pope Urban II’s speech?
· What are your reasons for being involved in the Crusades?
· Why is Jerusalem important to different religions? Who should control Jerusalem?
· What was your personal experience of the Crusades? Did you gain or lose from your involvement with the Crusades?
· What were the impacts of the Crusades on Western Europe? On the Middle East? What were the impacts on your life?
Here are some of the historical figures that you could choose to write as:
· Godfrey of Bouillon: A Christian knight, fought in the first Crusade, became the first ruler of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem
· Peter the Hermit: A French priest who organized the People’s Crusade. Some of the men following him massacred Jews in Germany.
· Eliezer ben Nathan: A German Jew and poet who chronicled the persecution of the Jews during the First Crusade.
· Eleanor of Aquitaine: A French Queen who participated in the Second Crusade.
· King Richard the Lion-Hearted: An English king who fought in the Third Crusade and agreed to a truce with Saladin in 1192.
· Nūr al-Dīn: Muslim leader who recaptured territory from the Crusaders after the First Crusade
· Saladin: a Kurdish warrior and Muslim leader who successfully defended Jerusalem in the Third Crusade.
· Shajar al-Durr: A Muslim woman who was the leader of Egypt during the Seventh Crusade and helped defend it against attack.
Design and Creativity
· Find a creative way to present the project. You can make a cover with a title and image. You could add illustrations to the journal entries. You could create a website for the project using Google Sites (just go to https://sites.google.com).
Plagiarism Reminder
· Though you are required to use research for this project, the writing needs to be in your own words. It is not acceptable to copy sentences or even parts of sentences from other sources. If any of your project is copied, you will receive a 45 and be asked to do it again.
Rubric
Strong(90 – 100) / Good
(80 – 89) / Needs Work
(65 – 79)
· At least 6 – 8 paragraphs long.
· Each paragraph is a 5 – 6 sentences long.
· Written neatly or typed.
· Follows rules of capitalization, punctuation, and grammar.
· Handed in on time
· Shows extra effort and creativity
Includes the following:
· multiple specific historical details, including names, places, dates, types of armor worn, types of weapons used, etc.
· an explanation of the causes of the Crusades
· an explanation of the importance of Jerusalem to different religions
· a description of the experience of the Crusades (travel, a battle, etc.)
· an analysis of how the Crusades changed your life and the lives of others. / · 5 paragraphs long.
· Paragraphs are at least 4 sentences long.
· Written mostly neatly or typed with a few mistakes.
· May need more specific historical details.
· Includes a description of the causes, experience, and effects of the crusades.
· Shows some creativity / · Fewer than 5 paragraphs long or paragraphs are fewer than 4 sentences.
· Difficult to read or typed with multiple mistakes.
· Vague, general writing without many details.
· May be missing a description of the causes, experience, or impacts of the crusades.
· Missing reflection.