ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Women in the Crusades

Okay kiddo, so a really long time ago, there were big wars called the Crusades. These wars were fought by people who believed in a religion called Christianity and wanted to take back Jerusalem, which they thought was a really important place for their religion.

Now, you might think that only men fought in these wars, but actually, women also played a big role! Some women stayed home and took care of things while the men were away, but others actually traveled with the army and helped in different ways.

Some women were wives of the soldiers or knights, and they would help take care of them, cook for them, and mend their clothes. But some women were really strong and brave and wanted to fight too! They might dress up like men and join the army, or they might stay behind and help with medical care.

There was a woman named Eleanor of Aquitaine who was a really important queen during the Crusades. She went on the Crusades with her husband and helped raise an army of women to fight too! She was also really rich and powerful, which helped her do a lot of good things for the people back home.

So, even though it was a long time ago and things were different back then, women still made a big impact during the Crusades, both at home and on the battlefield.