“Religious belief was the main reason for participation in the Crusades.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the view that religious belief was the main reason for participation in the Crusades. Reasons may predate the timeframe but they must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may refer to the Christian tradition of pilgrimage and the promise of personal salvation extended to all Crusaders, as well as the focus on the holy city of Jerusalem. Other factors such as a desire for land, personal wealth and position by individual Crusaders, as well as the tendency for monarchs to expand their power and prestige by taking part in Crusades may be discussed. Crusades were a method used by rulers and the Church to extract taxes, loans and other financial support from the populace. There were considerable commercial reasons for participation as demonstrated by the Italian city states. The Fourth Crusade showed that commercial not religious devotion was a crucial motive. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

This question on motivation for the Crusades produced some good responses but many limited themselves to the First Crusade and too many indulged in more narrative than analysis. The question required more of an overview of the Crusading period than many students produced.