Historians have learned a great deal about the Crusades from chroniclers like William of Tyre and Ibn al-Qalanisi. Today, reporters and newscasters travel all over the world to report on international events, including conflicts. Reporters and world leaders use social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook to connect with the public. Imagine what we might know had there been access to television, cell phones, and social media in the 13th century.
Time to imagine there was social media during the Crusades! Your assignment is to write posts that certain important figures could have written had social media existed. You will write one post for each of the following: Pope Urban II, Peter the Hermit, William of Tyre, Saladin, and Richard the Lionheart. Each post will tell about events of the Crusades from the point of view of each figure. Organize your posts in this chart. As you prepare each post, keep the following points in mind:
Pope Innocent III | 1204 – When I called for a new Crusade back in 1198, I didn’t think it would turn out this way. The monarchs have not joined the cause and the French knights who did have attacked the Christian city of Constantinople instead of retaking the Holy Land! This Crusade hasn’t accomplished much but a weakening of our Christian Empire.
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