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Summary AQA History A-Level: The Crusades 1071–1204 Revision Guide + Essay Arguments

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Complete AQA A-Level History revision guide for The Crusades 1071–1204. These notes are designed for students preparing for AQA exam essays and include: Detailed coverage of the full course Key events, individuals and developments from 1071–1204 Essay-focused arguments and evaluations Key factors and competing explanations for major events Judgement lines to help develop higher-level analysis Revision organised around common A-level themes and questions Topics covered include: Origins and causes of the First Crusade The First Crusade and the capture of Jerusalem The establishment and survival of the Crusader States Relations between Christians and Muslims The Second Crusade The rise of Muslim counter-crusading Saladin and the fall of Jerusalem The Third Crusade The Fourth Crusade Ideal for students looking to move beyond basic factual revision and develop the analytical arguments required for high-mark AQA essays.

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Exam Technique

- Extracts- main argument, why convincing, why less convincing, conclusion
- 25 Markers- 2-3 factors depending on the question, evidence and how it links to the actual
question + strong judgement in both into and conclusion

Topic 1- Origins of Conflict for the First Crusade, 1071-99

Factor Key Points / Evidence Evaluation / Judgement
Political Urban’s desire to assert power Crusade was highly risky, better
over HRE (weak position in ways to increase political power
1088), Investiture Controversy than to call Crusade to
(1075), unite Christendom Jerusalem
Fear of Muslim expansion Manzikert (1071), Jerusalem lost Why was Crusade called in 1095
(1073), massacre (1077) + if threat existed since 1070s and
Nicaea (1081) 1080s
Religion Remission of sins, People’s Pope Gregory’s call rejected in
Crusade (1096) 1074, able to assert political
superiority through religion
Socio- economic Primogeniture / Younger Son High cost of Crusading, 4-5x of
Theory, Feudal System, yearly income, if focus was
Ergotism (push + pull factors) economics why Jerusalem?


Topic 2: The foundation of new states and the Second Crusade, 1099-1149

Course of the First Crusade

Location Key Points Evaluation
Nicaea (1097) General Taticius, catapults built Evidence of Muslim disunity-
and heavy cavalry charge led by Kilij Arslan off fighting
Godfrey of Bouillon Danishmend + Byzantine issue
Dorylaeum (1097) Faced Seljuk military horseback Effective leadership- Bohemund
tactics held back cavalry charge for 5
hours
Antioch (1097-98) Siege- faced key issues, Siege- desertations from
fortifications + geographical Stephen of Blois + Taticius
challenge, Firouz, Genoese and
English fleet, Muslim disunity Battle- disagreements over who
should take Antioch
Battle- Kerbogha, Ridwan +
Duqaq, Adhemar- Holy Lance
Siege of Jerusalem (1099) Siege towers constructed using Difficult terrain and lack of
Genoese timber + religious water
processions led around walls
Battle of Ascalon (1099) Godfrey + Robert of Flanders Muslims fought in more
placed infantry in front of traditional / orthodox manner +
cavalry to act as shield discovered True Cross


Key Factors (1100-44)

Factor Key Points Evaluation
Muslim Disunity Events in 1105, death of key Decreased over time as Zengi
factional leaders in 1120s- gave united Muslims through Jihad
rise to Zengi, Jihad and territorial gain

, Christian Leadership Baldwin I- coastline strategy, Baldwin I- annulment of
survival, won battles when marriage to Sicilian wife in 1117,
outnumbered dependence on Muslim disunity
Baldwin II- less able to gain to succeed
success when conditions were
less favourable to him Baldwin II- Battle of Field of
Blood (1119), lack of heir
Fulk- castle building- Beaufort
(1139), Kerak (1142) Fulk- factionalism, distrust of
Angevin nobles, Hugh of Jaffa
arrested for treason in 1134
Western Assistance King Sigurd of Norway, 1109-10, Resolved critical manpower
Beirut + Sidon, Venetian issues, increased trade, BUT-
Crusade 1123-24- Tyre Pactum Warmundi +
inconsistent


Second Crusade- Causes

Factor Key Points Evaluation
Quantum Praedecessores Official Crusading bull for Launched year after Fall of
Second Crusade, issued by Edessa, issued twice due to lack
Eugenius, mention of honouring of response
forefathers (1145)
Fall of Edessa (1144) Panic- decline of Christendom Edessa was an opportunistic
and culmination of the rise of strike, Zengi died in 1146 +
Zengi Edessa not crucial to the
functioning of Outremer
Crusading traditions Desire to honour forefathers, Germans didn’t possess
start of Crusading honour, eg: Crusading traditions, and if they
Louis – Hugh of Vermandois existed since 1100s, why did
they wait until the 1140s to be
called
Religion Penance, remission of sin, eg: Lack of focus on Jerusalem,
Louis- Vitry 1142, Humbert of diversion- Iberian + Baltic
Beaujeu Crusades in 1147
Material gain Escape poverty from Western High cost of going on Crusading,
Europe, Annalist of Wurzburg 3-4x yearly income


Second Crusade- Key Events

Location Key Points
Anatolia (1147) Conrad ignored Manuel’s advice to wait for
French, split army at Nikomedia, defeated by
Seljuks at Dorylaeum, Conrad heavily injured
Diversion (1147) Diversion to Portugal / Iberian Peninsula and
Baltic Crusade
Cadmus (1148) Louis lost control of his arm, removed himself
from control of the army, giving Templars control
instead
Damascus (1148) Council of Palmarea- agreed upon Damascus as a
target for the Crusaders, initially attacked from
the west, but mistakenly switched to east


Second Crusade- Reasons for Failure

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