New Perspectives on the First Crusade: Impact and Legacies between Medieval and Modern

As Christianity had spread across Europe, Islam had spread across the Middle East. At the end of the eleventh century the relationship between the Muslim leader of Jerusalem and the Christian communities and travellers to the city fractured. Along with other key relationships across Europe, the Middle East and around the Mediterranean region tensions rose leading to calls for a European Crusader force to retake Jerusalem for the Christian world. What ensued over the following years set the tone for relations across Christendom and amongst the Islamic worlds. Images, writings, and tales of the events feed into legend as well as history.

In this self-guided online short course, the Historical Association has brought together some of the UK's leading experts on this subject. They provide their expert insight into the period, detail the reality of what occurred, and discuss the legacy of the First Crusade, both at the time and in the following centuries. They also explain its symbolic importance today. The course includes eight recorded talks.

How is the course structured? 

This self-guided short course is 100% online. The resources are structured but can be dipped into at any time, so you can work through them at your own pace and convenience. Through this unit you can access:

• 8 recorded lectures by historical experts 
• Access to our curated resource unit 
• A recorded workshop and discussion session 

These materials were originally compiled and produced as part of our live short course on New Perspectives on the First Crusade which ran from July to November 2023.