The First Crusade

The First Crusade

The First Crusade
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 5 to 7
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	7.93

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		persuasive, unofficial, victorious, monk, bloody, papal, sins, medieval, supposedly, series, towers, affected, stab, power, equipment, battle
	content words:		Holy Land, Middle Ages, First Crusade, Pope Urban II, Turkish Muslims, Byzantine Empire, European Christians, Mediterranean Sea, Middle East

Print The First Crusade
edHelper.com subscriber options:

	Print The First Crusade (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
	Quickly print reading comprehension
	Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on The First Crusade

Leave your feedback on The First Crusade (use this link if you found an error in the story)

The First Crusade
By Sharon Fabian

¹     Palestine, sometimes called the Holy Land, has seen more than its share of troubles. It has been at the center of many fights over the centuries. In the Middle Ages, it was the scene of the First Crusade.

²     The First Crusade began in 1095 when Pope Urban II made a speech in France. In his speech, he described attacks by Turkish Muslims on Christians of the Byzantine Empire. He called on European Christians to rush to defend the Holy Land from the Turks.

³     The offer of a papal indulgence, or forgiveness of all of a person's sins, encouraged many people to join the crusade. Serfs were allowed to leave the land they worked on to join the crusade. Crusaders were also excused from paying taxes. People from all walks of life, and from several nations, joined for a variety of reasons. Some people joined because of religious enthusiasm. Some joined with the hope of gaining land, wealth, or power.

⁴     Soon, thousands of crusaders had joined, each wearing the red crusader's cross and shouting the battle cry, "God wills it!"

Paragraphs 5 to 14:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

Copyright © 2008 edHelper