The foundation of the latin kingdom

Raymond of Toulouse, as the oldest and richest of the leaders, was expected to become Jerusalem’s ruler, but refused the honour, which fell to Godfrey of Bouillon. Godfrey would not call himself king, preferring instead the title Defender of the Holy Sepulchre.Two of the great leaders were not present at the thanksgiving service of 1099. Godfrey’s brother Baldwin of Boulogne had diverted at Antioch and made himself Count of Edessa, while Bohemund – after a quarrel with Raymond – had remained at Antioch and established his independent principality. In Constantinople the news of Jerusalem’s recovery was greeted with delight, although Alexius did not expect to receive the ancient patriarchy into his hands. Still, it had been in Muslim hands for almost four centuries and was distant enough not be concerned about. Antioch, however, was another matter.

The city, having been retaken from the Arabs in 969, had been an integral part of the empire, and its inhabitants were overwhelmingly Greekspeaking Orthodox Christians. Now it was in the hands of a Norman adventurer who, despite his oath, clearly had no intention of surrendering it to Byzantine authority. Bohemund’s immediate enemies, however, were the Turks, and on one of his several raids into the surrounding regions, he was captured in the summer of 1100 and his nephew Tancred became regent.

In July of the same year, Godfrey died to be succeeded by his brother Baldwin, who handed the County of Edessa to his cousin, Baldwin of Le Bourg. Unlike Godfrey, Baldwin had no qualms about taking the title King of Jerusalem. He then negotiated the ransom of Bohemund from the Turks. In the intervening period between his capture and ransom in 1103, Byzantine forces managed to retake several coastal cities including Adana and Tarsus, and from Latakia down to Tripoli.This, plus a crushing defeat by the Turks at Harran in 1104, decided Bohemund to leave Tancred in charge of the principality while he returned to Italy to raise reinforcements.

This he did, but after having succeeded in persuading Pope Paschal II that the real enemy of the Crusader States was not the infidel Turk but Alexius Comnenus, Bohemund turned his new army towards the Adriatic and another invasion of the empire.This started in 1107, but Bohemund was not to succeed. Greatly strengthened, the mighty fortress of Durazzo held out against him, and while a Byzantine fleet blockaded the Normans from the Adriatic, Alexius brought his army up and surrounded them. His forces reduced by famine and disease, Bohemund surrendered in September on the banks of the River Devol. By treaty, he acknowledged the emperor’s suzerainty over the Principality of Antioch and retired to obscurity in Apulia.There, he died three years later and his three-year-old son Bohemund II succeeded him.

Arms of the crusaders, swords, bows, etc..

The first crusade

Pope Urban II

First crusade (successful of the main army)

Alexius was under no delusion about the crusaders.They were now engaged against his enemies the Seljuk Turks, but their long-term ambitions were not so certain.They had made clear their dislike of the Byzantines and the feeling was mutual. It was one matter to allow a foreign – if ostensibly friendly – army into the empire, it would be a great deal harder to get it out again.

To Sultan Kilij Arslan, the crusaders were no more a threat than the rabble of the People’s Crusade.This fatal error was based on assumptions that the Ifranj (derived from ‘Varangian’, the word came to cover all ‘foreigners’ as well as the Franks) were still the primitives who had made up isolated bands of mercenaries in the region for some time.The crusaders quickly laid siege to the Turkish regional capital Nicaea, and Arslan brought up his army, intent on defeating the besiegers. But the Seljuks had no troops capable of defeating heavily armoured knights in close combat.

Since one face of Nicaea was protected by Lake Iznik, Alexius assisted the siege by supplying several boats, which were transported overland and then floated on the lake, completely cutting off the city. He also sneaked a diplomatic embassy into Nicaea by water to persuade the defenders of their hopeless position, and on 19 June 1097 the garrison surrendered. Alexius lavished gifts on the crusaders for returning western Asia Minor to Byzantine control.

On 1 July the combined forces of Bohemund and Raymond of Toulouse smashed Arslan’s army at Dorylaeum.The cost of the victory was high – almost 4,000 crusaders killed or wounded; Turkish losses were significantly higher. However, the battle of Dorylaeum broke Seljuk resolve and the crusaders faced no further serious opposition as they marched through the rest of Anatolia.

On 3 June 1098 Antioch fell after a bitter siege that lasted seven months, and finally on 15 July 1099, amid scenes of unbelievable carnage, the crusaders fought their way into Jerusalem. Muslims were cut down, irrespective of gender or age.The Jewish population took refuge in the city’s principal synagogues, but the victorious Christians had little time for religious niceties. The synagogues were burned to the ground and those inside were immolated in the fires.The slaughter continued until only Christians remained alive in Jerusalem. Bishop Daimbert of Pisa wrote to the pope, saying: ‘If you desire to know what was done with the enemy who were found there, know that in Solomon’s Porch and in his Temple our men rode in the blood of Saracens up to the knees of their horses.’

Arms of the crusaders, swords, bows, etc..

The first crusade

Pope Urban II

Speech of pope Urban II at Clermont 1095 (Account of Fulcher of Chartres)

From Krey, "The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants", Princeton: 1921

"Let hatred therefore depart from among you, let your quarrels end, let wars cease, and let all dissensions and controversies slumber. Enter upon the road to the Holy Sepulcher-, wrest that land from the wicked race, and subject it to yourselves. That land which, as the Scripture says, `floweth with milk and honey' was given by God into the power of the children of Israel. Jerusalem is the center of the earth ; the land is fruitful above all others, like another paradise of delights. This spot the Redeemer of mankind has made illustrious by his advent, has beautified by his sojourn, has consecrated by his passion, has redeemed by his death, has glorified by his burial.

"This royal city, however, situated at the center of the earth, is now held captive by the enemies of Christ and is subjected, by those who do not know God, to the worship the heathen. She seeks, therefore, and desires to be liberated and ceases not to implore you to come to her aid. From you especially she asks succor, because as we have already said, God has conferred upon you above all other nations great glory in arms. Accordingly, undertake this journey eagerly for the remission of your sins, with the assurance of the reward of imperishable glory in the kingdon of heaven.."

When Pope Urban had urbanely said thes and very similar things, he so centered in one purpose the desires all who were present that all cried out, " It is the will of God! I It is the. will of God 1 " When the venerable Roman pontiff heard that, with eyes uplifted to heaven, he gave thanks to God and, commanding silence with his hand, said:

"Most beloved brethren, today is manifest in you what the Lord says in the Gospel, `Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them'; for unless God had been present in your spirits, all of you would not have uttered the same cry; since, although the cry issued from numerous mouths, yet the origin of the cry as one. Therefore I say to you that God, who implanted is in your breasts, has drawn it forth from you. Let that then be your war cry in combats, because it is given to you by God. When an armed attack is made upon the enemy, this one cry be raised by all the soldiers of God: 'It is the will of God! It is the will of God!' [Deus vult! Deus Vult!]

"And ee neither command nor advise that the old or those incapable of bearing arms, undertake this journey. Nor ought women to set out at all without their husbands, or brother, or legal guardians. For such are more of a hindrance than aid, more of a burden than an advantage. Let the rich aid the needy and according to their wealth let them take with them experienced soldiers. The priests and other clerks, whether secular or regulars are not to go without the consent of their bishop; for this journey would profit them nothing if they went without permission. Also, it is not fitting that laymen should enter upon the pilgrimage without the blessing of their priests.

"Whoever, therefore, shall determine upon this holy pilgrimage, and shall make his vow to God to that effect, and shall offer himself to him for sacrifice, as a living victim, holy and acceptable to God, shall wear the sign of the cross of the Lord on his forehead or on his breast. When, indeed, he shall return from his journey, having fulfilled his vow, let him place the cross on his back between his shoulders. Thus shall ye, indeed, by this twofold action, fulfill the precept of the Lord, as lie commands in the Gospel, 'he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."'

Arms of the crusaders, swords, bows, etc..

The first crusade

Pope Urban II

Speech of pope Urban II at Clermont 1095 (Account of Robert the Monk)

From Krey, "The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants", Princeton: 1921

In the year of our Lord's Incarnation one thousand and ninety-five, a great council was celebrated within the bounds of Gaul, in Auvergne, in the city which is called Clermont. Over this Pope Urban II presided, with the Roman bishops and cardinals. This council was a famous one on account of the concourse of both French and German bishops, and of princes as well. Having arranged the matters relating to the Church, the lord pope went forth into a certain spacious plain, for no building was large enough to hold all the people. The pope-then, with sweet and persuasive eloquence, addressed those present in words something like the following, saying:

"Oh, race of Franks, race from across the mountains, race beloved and chosen by God, - as is clear from many of your works,- set apart from all other nations by the situation of your country as well as by your Catholic faith and the honor which you render to the holy Church: to you our discourse is addressed, and for you our exhortations are intended. We wish you to know what a grievous cause has led us to your country, for it is the imminent peril threatening you and all the faithful which has brought us hither.

From the confines of Jerusalem and from the city of Constantinople a grievous report has gone forth and has -repeatedly been brought to our ears; namely, that a race from the kingdom of the Persians, an accursed race, a race wholly alienated from God, `a generation that set not their heart aright and whose spirit was not steadfast with God,' violently invaded the lands of those Christians and has depopulated them by pillage and fire. They have led away ap art of the captives into their own country, and a part have they have killed by cruel tortures. They have either destroyed the churches of God or appropriated them for the rites of their own religion. They destroy the altars, after having defiled them with their uncleanness....The kingdom of the Greeks is now dismembered by them and has been deprived of territory so vast in extent that it could be traversed in two months' time.

"On whom, therefore, is the labor of avenging these wrongs and of recovering this territory incumbent, if not upon you, you upon whom, above all other nations, God has conferred remarkable glory in arms, great courage, bodily activity, and strength to humble the heads of those who resist you ? Let the deeds of your ancestors encourage you and incite your minds to manly achievements:-the greatness of King Charlemagne, and of his son Louis, and of your other monarchs, who have destroyed the kingdoms of the Turks and have extended the sway of Church over lands previously possessed by the pagan. Let the holy sepulcher of our Lord and Saviour, which is possessed by unclean nations, especially arouse you, and the holy places which are now treated, with ignominy and irreverently polluted with the filth of the unclean. Oh, most valiant soldiers and descendants of invincible ancestors, do not degenerate; our progenitors., but recall the valor of your progenitors.

"But if you are hindered by love of children, parents, or of wife, remember what the Lord says in the Gospel, `He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me', 'Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.' Let none of your possessions retain you, nor solicitude for you, family affairs. For this land which you inhabit, shut in on all sides by the seas and surrounded by the mountain peaks, is too narrow for your large population; nor does it abound in wealth; and it furnishes scarcely food enough for its cultivators. Hence it is that you murder and devour one another, that you wage war, and that very many among you perish in intestine strife.'

Arms of the crusaders, swords, bows, etc..

The first crusade

Pope Urban II