OCR GCSE History B (J411) — The First Crusade (c.1070–1100)
When we think of medieval knights going to war, we often assume they were simply greedy for treasure, but joining the First Crusade actually cost a knight up to six times their annual income. This massive financial burden meant that many crusaders bankrupted their families or mortgaged their lands to local monasteries just to participate.
In November 1095, Pope Urban II held the Council of Clermont and called upon Western Christians to aid the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I against the Seljuk Turks. The crowd responded with cries of "Deus Vult" (God wills it).
People from all social classes took a formal vow and sewed a red cloth cross onto their clothing, an act known as Taking the Cross. Historians use the G.O.L.D. mnemonic to explain their complex, multi-causal motivations:
The First Crusade was originally framed as a devotional act of pilgrimage rather than a traditional war. Pope Urban II used Just War Theory to argue that fighting to defend Christians in the East was an act of Christian love and a holy duty.
The most powerful religious motivator was the offer of a Plenary Indulgence. This was a specific grant from the Pope offering the Remission of Sins, promising that anyone who died on the journey or in battle would receive immediate entry to Heaven.
For the warrior class, this solved the "Knight’s Dilemma". Previously, knights worried that their violent lifestyles and local "unrighteous" conflicts would doom them to Hell. The Crusade allowed them to continue fighting while actually securing their spiritual salvation.
Unlike the poorer classes, the official crusading force was led by wealthy and pious nobles in what became known as the Princes' Crusade. Leaders included Raymond IV of Toulouse and Robert of Normandy, who famously pawned his entire Duchy to his brother for 10,000 marks to fund his journey.
A major economic driver for the nobility was the strict inheritance system of Primogeniture. Because the eldest son inherited the entire family estate, younger sons like Bohemond of Taranto were left essentially landless. The Crusade offered these younger sons the chance to conquer new territories, directly leading to the creation of Crusader States like the Principality of Antioch.
For ordinary knights, social expectations played a massive role. Knights were tied to their lords through Feudal obligation and vows of Fealty. Under the system of Vassalage, if a powerful lord decided to take the cross, his knights were legally and socially expected to accompany him.
While piety was paramount, the promise of plunder still motivated men in battle. During the Battle of Dorylaeum in 1097, commanders rallied their struggling troops by promising that they would be rewarded with the enemy's riches.
Months before the official Princes' Crusade was ready, a massive wave of roughly 30,000 to 100,000 commoners departed in April 1096. Known as the Peasants' Crusade, this movement was led by charismatic figures like Walter the Penniless and Peter the Hermit, a preacher famous for his extreme Asceticism.
These ordinary people were driven by desperate social and economic push factors. Western Europe had suffered a severe cycle of famine and drought between 1086 and 1095. Disease was rampant, including outbreaks of Ergotism, and participating in the crusade offered a chance to escape a lifetime of brutal toil and Serfdom.
Their religious zeal was often apocalyptic, as they believed they were living in the "end times" and marching toward a land flowing with milk and honey. This extreme fervor sometimes turned violent at home; in 1096, crusaders led by Count Emicho committed the Rhineland Massacres, slaughtering Jewish communities in cities like Worms and Cologne to eliminate perceived "enemies of Christ" and steal supplies.
Ultimately, the Peasants' Crusade was a disastrous failure. Lacking military discipline and tactical awareness, they ignored Byzantine advice to wait and were annihilated by the Seljuk Turks under Kilij Arslan at the Battle of Civetot in October 1096.
Despite this early failure, peasant devotion continued to shape the wider crusade. For example, during the starving Siege of Antioch in 1098, a peasant named Peter Bartholomew discovered what he claimed was the Holy Lance, providing a massive psychological boost to the surviving Christian army.
Students often describe crusaders as purely "greedy", but the immense financial cost (up to six times a knight's annual income) shows that piety was usually the primary driving force.
In 8-mark or 10-mark 'Explain' questions, examiners expect you to explicitly distinguish between internal spiritual drivers (desire for salvation) and external material drivers (famine, land hunger).
Always use the exact phrase "Remission of sins" when discussing religious motivations, as this is the specific term examiners look for on the mark scheme.
Make sure you can clearly differentiate between the catastrophic failure of the unofficial Peasants' Crusade and the later success of the official Princes' Crusade.
Taking the Cross
The formal vow to join the crusade, physically signified by sewing a red cloth cross onto one's clothing.
Piety
Deep religious devotion and a sincere desire to serve God, acting as a primary driver across all social classes.
Just War Theory
The theological and legal concept (also known as Bellum Iustum) used to justify the crusade as a defensive, righteous conflict fought out of Christian love.
Plenary Indulgence
A specific grant from the Pope offering the full remission of all temporal punishment for sins already confessed, viewed by many as a ticket to heaven.
Remission of Sins
The formal promise that all crusaders who died in battle or on the journey would have their sins forgiven and receive immediate entry to Heaven.
Primogeniture
A medieval inheritance system where the eldest son inherited the entire family estate, often leaving younger sons without land or wealth.
Feudal obligation
The military and social duty a vassal owed to their lord, usually requiring a set number of days of military service in exchange for land.
Fealty
A formal, binding pledge of allegiance and loyalty made by a vassal to their lord.
Vassalage
The state of being a person who held land from a superior lord in return for military service and loyalty.
Peasants' Crusade
An unofficial, poorly disciplined crusade of roughly 30,000 to 100,000 ordinary people that departed for the Holy Land in April 1096.
Asceticism
A severe lifestyle characterized by strict abstinence from worldly and sensual pleasures for spiritual goals.
Ergotism
A painful disease (also called St. Anthony's Fire) caused by eating fungal-infected rye, common during the famine years before the crusade.
Serfdom
A rigid social and economic system where peasants were legally bound to live and work on a specific lord's estate.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for History B
Taking the Cross
The formal vow to join the crusade, physically signified by sewing a red cloth cross onto one's clothing.
Piety
Deep religious devotion and a sincere desire to serve God, acting as a primary driver across all social classes.
Just War Theory
The theological and legal concept (also known as Bellum Iustum) used to justify the crusade as a defensive, righteous conflict fought out of Christian love.
Plenary Indulgence
A specific grant from the Pope offering the full remission of all temporal punishment for sins already confessed, viewed by many as a ticket to heaven.
Remission of Sins
The formal promise that all crusaders who died in battle or on the journey would have their sins forgiven and receive immediate entry to Heaven.
Primogeniture
A medieval inheritance system where the eldest son inherited the entire family estate, often leaving younger sons without land or wealth.
Feudal obligation
The military and social duty a vassal owed to their lord, usually requiring a set number of days of military service in exchange for land.
Fealty
A formal, binding pledge of allegiance and loyalty made by a vassal to their lord.
Vassalage
The state of being a person who held land from a superior lord in return for military service and loyalty.
Peasants' Crusade
An unofficial, poorly disciplined crusade of roughly 30,000 to 100,000 ordinary people that departed for the Holy Land in April 1096.
Asceticism
A severe lifestyle characterized by strict abstinence from worldly and sensual pleasures for spiritual goals.
Ergotism
A painful disease (also called St. Anthony's Fire) caused by eating fungal-infected rye, common during the famine years before the crusade.
Serfdom
A rigid social and economic system where peasants were legally bound to live and work on a specific lord's estate.
