Islamic Golden Age and the Crusades

A crusade was a what?

• Holy War

• Stitching on a heraldric cloth

• Pilgrimage

• Adventure

Answer explanation

While named after Croisade the act of stitching on heraldic cloth, and while being sold as a pilgrimage in practice a crusade was a war declared for religious reasons.

As the Islamic world was reaching its height, Christian realms were....

• Sharing in the success

• Growing steadily

• Collapsing

• Declining

Answer explanation

Christian world had declined and seen the Roman Empire diminish and thus were a little worried when they lost so much ground to a foreign religion.

The Golden Age of Islam took place between....

• 7th century to 10th century

• 8th century to 13th century

• 14th century to 17th century

• 20th to 21st century

Answer explanation

The Golden Age is commonly held to be between the 8th and 13th century

Islamic Golden Age is referred to as such because it was...

• an era where Islam was its territorial height

• An era where the Caliphate's military was dominant

• An era where law, art and learning flourished

Answer explanation

Its true that the term began to describe the military success and prominence of the Caliphate but it has come to refer predominately to the many cultural and educational achievements.

The Church of the holy Sepulchre.....

• Was said to be the site of Jesus' execution and tomb

• Was demolished by the Mad Caliph but restored by his son

• Was an important concern for Pope Urban II

• Became a symbol for the first crusade

Answer explanation

All are correct.

Despite the restoration over a century earlier, retaking the Holy Sepulchre was still on the mind of Christendom and Prince Godfrey of Bouillon is said to have styled himself as Protector of the Holy Sepulchre upon taking the throne of Jerusalem.

Before the First Crusade what conflicts were happening between Christians and Muslims?

• Reconquista

• Normans in Sicily

• Seljuqs in Anatolia

• Moors in England

Answer explanation

Three of those conflicts were happening.

England had relatively little contact with North Africa though.

Christians believed the Crusades started when:

• Alexios I Komnenos wrote to the Pope

• The Reconquista began

• The Church of the Holy Sepulchre fell from Christian hands

• Pope Urban II declared a crusade for Jerusalem

Answer explanation

You could make arguments for all of them but the common sentiment of Christians was that it was when the Pope declared the crusade for the city of Jerusalem.

For Muslims the Crusades were:

• A continuation of conflicts such as the Reconquista

• A threat to their very existence

• A war between ideologies

• An attempt of the Christians to secure Christian holy sites

Answer explanation

Again, this question is not so clear cut requiring to pick the 'most fitting' answer.

The chroniclers in the video mostly saw the Christian invasions as part of a longer series of aggression.

Abu Al-Fida observed an event at Acre, what happened?

• Christians captured the city and allowed the Muslims to leave safely.

• Christians killed men and enslaved women and children

• Muslims killed men and enslaved women and children.

• Muslims captured the city and allowed the Christians to leave safely.

Answer explanation

This is notable because it showed a Muslim Chronicler giving attention to massacres committed not just by Christian armies.

The Reconquista had....

• Full Papal support

• Partial Papal support

• No Papal support

• no religious element

Answer explanation

Initially the Papacy was apathetic to the Reconquista but the successes got a lot of notice and by the time of the 'Crusades' the Pope was endorsing campaigns within Iberia.