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The First Crusade Summary, 1096-1099 (In the summer of 1095, 5 months…
The First Crusade Summary, 1096-1099
In the summer of 1095, 5 months after hearing the appeal for help from Emperor Alexius I, Pope Urban II had left Italy and crossed the Alps, and in November he was at Clermont.
At a great gathering outside the eastern gate of the city, he preached the momentous sermon that was to launch the Frist Crusade
From December 1095 until July 1096, Urban toured France, and in a letter to the people of Flanders he gave reasons for the crusade
On his return to Italy in August 1096, the pope spread the word there, in September he wrote to the people of Bologna, taking a more cautious tone than earlier
'We know you have already heard from the testimony of many that the frenzy of the barbarians has devastated the Churches of God in the east, and has even - shame to say - seized into slavery the holy city of Christ, Jerusalem.'
'We have heard some of you desire to go to Jerusalem, because you know that this would greatly please us. Know, then, that anyone who sets out on that journey, not out of lust for worldly advantage but only for the salvation of his soul and for the liberation of the Church, is remitted in entirety all penance for his sins.'
In 1096, Robert, Duke of Normandy, suddenly decided to go to Jerusalem at the prompting of Pope Urban II, he pawned his duchy to his brother William Rufus, King of England, for the sum of 10,000 marks
Hugh of Vermandois, brother of Phillip I, King of France, was the first to cross the Adriatic sea in August 1096, he then made for Durazzo in Bulgaria and he was captured by the citizens there and taken to Alexius I of Constantinople.
Hugh was followed by the Norman Bohemund of Taranto, Count of Apulia, son of Robert Guiscard - he followed the same path with his army
Then, Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lower Loraine, went through Hungary with a large following
Next, Raymond of St. Gilles, Count of Tolouse, crossed over through Dalmatia with his Provencaux and Gascons, together with Adhemar, Bishop of Le Puy, the leader of the whole expedition
First of all to make his way through Hungary was Peter the Hermit, he was accompanied by many foot-soldiers but few knights, this group was later led by Walter, called the Penniless, a fine soldier, who was eventually killed by the Turks
In October 1096, Robert, Duke of Normandy began the journey, after having gathered for himself a large army of Normans, English and British. With him went Stephen, the Count of Blois (brother in-law) and Robert, Count of Flanders; and many other noble companions
While the crusaders were attempting to cross Italy, a very different expedition headed east, ispired by the crusading fervour of the French popular preacher, Peter the Hermit, Peter and his great rabble left cologne in April 1096 and, having robbed and pillage their way through Hungary reached Constantinople in August
The emperor Alexius I advised Peter to await the other Christian forces, however he did not, and crossed the Bosphorus
Peter's rabble was followed by other, less reputable bands, some of whom could not wait to reach Jerusalem before they began killing the 'infidel', thus leading to a cruel slaughter of Jews in the Rhineland
Pope Urban had called on the princes to join forces at Constantinople, before proceeding across Anatolia towards Palestine, one of the last to arrive in April 1097, was Bohemund of Taranto
By the end of April 1097 most of the crusaders had crossed the Bosphorus, their army headed south to Nicea, only 50 miles from Constantinople, yet the capital of the Seljuk Sultan, Kilij Arslan
On 26th June 1097 the crusade left Nicea in triumph and headed across the Anatolian plateau, it had split into two sections, one of which, the Norman contingent met Kilij Arslan's forces on the 30th June 1097 at the Battle of Dorylaeum, which led to a Frankish Victory, and opened the route to Antioch
From Dorylaeum, the army marched on across the plateau to Antioch, the crusaders suffered from extremes of heat and cold
The army rested at Konya, then headed towards Antioch. But Baldwin of Boulogne's wife died, and with Bohemund's nephew Tancred, headed east into Cilicia, in search of land and money - thus creating the first crusader state of Edessa
On 2nd June 1098, Count Stephen of Blois left the siege of Antioch and went on to Alexandretta, on his way home to France over the sea
The siege of Antioch lasted 9 months, most of the Franks died there but Antioch finally surrendered in 1098 due to treachery and betrayl
At the lowest ebb of their fortunes, the crusaders were heartened by the discovery of the Holy Lance, allegedly used to pierce Christ's side at the crucifixion, It was discovered by a man called Peter Bartholomew who had 'visions' enabling him to find it
Despite doubts as to the authenticity of the Holy Lance, it inspired the crusaders to victory over Kerbogha
To allow the army to recover after its tribulations, Raymond of Toulouse and other leaders set a date for 1st November 1098 for departure for Jerusalem under the leadership of Bohemond and Raymond of Toulouse
After the travails and hardships if the journey through Anatolia and at the siege of Antioch, the army of the First Crusade had a relatively easy passage through Lebanon and Palestine to Jerusalem in 1099
On the 7th June 1099, the crusader army camped outside Jerusalem, one of the strongest cities in the world, an attempt to storm the walls on June 13 failed, and the army, tortured by thirst in the baking heat, settled into a hard siege
Siege engines were so important in the assault of Jerusalem that the Franks were forced to build them with the timbers of their own vessels
By the middle of July the crusaders were ready for an all-out attack
Jerusalem fell on the 15th July 1099
Godfrey of Bouillon was crowned king of Jerusalem