This is part of the
Medieval European History Metanode.
The First Crusade lasted from 1095 to 1099. The
Seljuk Turks had captured the
Holy Land and were threatening
the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines called on Pope Urban for help, and he went to
preach all over
Europe, calling for a crusade. There were a total of four armies who left the mainland of Europe and met up in
Constantinople, a journey of about a year. The armies reached
Jerusalem in June of 1099. Jerusalem was well-prepared for a
seige; they had poisoned the wells and gathered their flocks within the city walls. During the seige, the
Christian army dwindled from 50,000 to 13,000 soldiers. Conditions were harsh; the heat of the day caused the
mail armor
knights wore to heat up to the point that they were badly burned. On 6 July, a Bishop had a
vision; he said that the army must do
penance in order to win. One week later, the actual attack on the city began. It lasted one day and one night, and in the end, the Christians took Jerusalem on 16 July 1099.
Quite a variety of people went on this First Crusade. Some just wanted to see the birthplace of
Christ. Others went for
prestige. Still others actually wanted to free the Holy Land from the "infidel"
Moslems. The major leaders were:
Godfrey, Duke of Lorraine, who fought for prestige. He sold his
estates and extorted the
Jews to finance his personal
army.
Baldwin, Count of
Flanders, Godfrey's brother, who fought for profit.
Eustus of Lorraine, another brother, who fought for the religious ideal.
Robert, Duke of
Normandy, son of
William the Conqueror, who "sold" Normandy to his brother, the King of England, to finance the trip.
The Holy Land was carved up into four parts, collectively known as the "Latin Kingdom". Prince Bohemund ruled the Principality of
Antioch, Count Raymond ruled the County of
Tripoli, Count Tancred ruled the County of
Edessa, and Godfrey and Baldwin ruled the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The problem was that these territories were surrounded by Moslems. Crusading
Monastic Orders were created for the sole purpose of defending the Holy Land: the Hospitalers and the Knights Templar. The County of Edessa fell in 1144, precipitating
the Second Crusade.