Background to the Crusades: the Seljuk Empire | History

Starter quiz

______ was the form of Christianity practised in the Byzantine Empire.
- 'Eastern Orthodox ' ✓
The destruction of holy images is known as ______.
- 'iconoclasm' ✓
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into the order in which they happened. Use numbers to show the correct order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  City founded as a Greek colony
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  Constantine converts to Christianity
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  City renamed Constantinople
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Roman Empire splits into East and West
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  Western Roman Empire collapses
Why was Justinian I known as ‘the emperor who never sleeps’?
- He struggled to sleep at night.
- He had an impressive work ethic. ✓
- He enjoyed attending parties.
Which two of the following weakened the Byzantine Empire from within?
- conflicts over religion ✓
- invasions by Germanic tribes
- violent changes of rulers ✓
- loss of territory in wars
Which group posed a new major threat to the Byzantine Empire in the 11th century?
- Arabic Muslims
- Germanic tribes
- Seljuk Turks ✓
- Slavic tribes

An Islamic state ruled by a single religious and political leader is known as a ______.
- 'caliphate' ✓
This keyword is a person who has no permanent home but moves from one place to another.
- 'nomad' ✓
To which religion did the Seljuk Turks convert in 985 CE?
- Christianity
- Islam ✓
- Judaism
Which of the following were similarities between the fighting style of desert and steppe nomads?
- They were both amazing horse riders. ✓
- They both delivered fast-ranged attacks with their bows and arrows. ✓
- They fought with their cattle.
- They fought only in warmer conditions.
Into which area was the Seljuk Empire expanding by the 11th century?
- Byzantine ✓
- The Western Roman Empire
- Umayyad Caliphate
- Persian Empire
Which battle in 1071 opened the way for the Seljuks to advance into Byzantine lands?
- Battle of Civetot
- Battle of Hattin
- Battle of Manzikert ✓

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Islamic caliphates existed in the Middle East during this period.
The Seljuk Empire was a powerful Islamic state in the 11th century.
Desert and steppe nomads fought in a similar style, which was effective against sedentary civilisations.
By the 11th century, the Seljuk Empire was expanding into Byzantium's territory.

The medieval Islamic world was a single entity.

The Islamic Empire started as a single entity, but by the 11th century had fragmented into several competing nations.

Islam - Islam is the religion of Muslims
Caliphate - a caliphate is an Islamic state ruled by a single religious and political leader
Nomad - a nomad is a person who has no permanent home but moves from one place to another
Pastoral - pastoral refers to the raising of cattle and other grazing animals