The first crusade of 1096-1099 subsequently developed into a new direction foreign policy Western European states. What prompted the emergence of such a large-scale movement? What events happened during the years of the First Crusade? You can find answers to these and many other questions in this article.

Europe at the end of the 11th century

During the years of the First Crusade, as you will learn later, many changes took place. But what caused such a surge of popular activity, which is comparable in scale only to the Great Migration of Nations? Let's take a closer look.

The history of the First Crusade begins in the last five years of the eleventh century. Although it officially ended with the capture of Jerusalem in 1099, the consequences lasted for several centuries.

Why did it actually start? A little later, we will consider separately the motives of the knights, the Byzantines and the position of Muslims in the east during this period. In the meantime, it is worth talking about the state of affairs in Western Europe.

After centuries of forced Christianization of Hungarians and Scandinavians, a stratum of professional soldiers formed in European states. Peaceful professions were not to their liking. They only wanted to fight, so they were happy to become mercenaries. But there were very few offers. Such sentiments were in the lower strata of society.

The nobles also acted as participants in the First Crusade. The table of their campaigns is often studied in history lessons. After reading our article, you will easily navigate these issues.

So, the tops pursued their goals. The kings led offensives against the Saracens in Spain and North Africa, the nobility tried to join the robberies, but it did not always work out.

Therefore, the First Crusade, in short, became an outlet where the aggressive moods of most of the masses of Western Europe escaped.
Let's now talk about the motives of each side.

European goals

The end of the eleventh century was a difficult period for Western Europe. As mentioned above, over the previous centuries, a powerful layer of professional warriors had formed, who could not do anything else and did not want to do anything else.
Noble knights and ordinary foot soldiers, beggars and priests, merchants and peasants - all these are participants in the First Crusade. The table of the beginning of their movement to the east is often given at home at school. You can easily do it based on the material in this article.

So, the participants in the first crusades were a heterogeneous social mass. Did they immediately go to help the Christian brothers? Of course not. They were more busy with internal squabbles, the struggle for power in hundreds of lands and principalities.

The decision was made in two stages. In 1074, the Pope called for help to the Byzantine emperor. But no military assistance came. Only a massive movement of pilgrims to the Middle East began.

But soon there were rumors about the oppression of Christian pilgrims by Muslims. This caused a wave of indignation, but there was still no active action. The last straw was the appeal of the new Pope, Urban II, who spoke no longer about helping the brothers, but about the personal benefit of all participants in the campaign: "For whoever is poor here will become king in the promised land."

Period from 1096 to 1099 years of the First Crusade. Grade 6 at school studies them as part of the history of the Middle Ages. Let's talk further about the situation in the east at this time.

Byzantine motives

The Byzantine Empire was in a very interesting position during the years of the first crusades. Until 1091, there was a political and economic crisis in the country.

The state suffered attacks from three sides. The Pechenegs, who dominated the southern Ukrainian steppes, threatened from the north. The Seljuk Turks pressed in from the south and inflicted several defeats on the emperor's army. The Turkish pirate fleet dominated the Sea of ​​Marmara.

It was at this time that Alexei Komnenos engaged in diplomatic correspondence with the rulers of Western European states. He talks about the plight of the empire and asks for help. Over time, even the rapprochement of the Orthodox and Catholic churches began to take shape. This fact was very pleasing to the Pope, and became one of the factors that influenced the beginning of calls for a crusade.

But by the fall of 1092, the situation in the Byzantine Empire was improving significantly. The Pechenegs were defeated in alliance with the Slavs. The Turks are more concerned about internal strife and stop disturbing the borders of the Christian state. The empire enters a period of stability and gradual rise.

But in the West they didn’t even know about it, so the goal of the first European crusades was radically different from the motives of the Byzantines. In the future, this became a ground for contention in the process of negotiations between the emperor and the crusaders.

The situation in the Muslim world

During the years of the first crusades, the territory of the entire Islamic world was engulfed in civil strife. Almost at the same time, last decade eleventh century, the rulers of the Seljuks, Abbasids and Fatimids die. A civil war between Shiites and Sunnis for power begins in the Middle East.

The Shiite state of the Fatimids, which was located on the territory of modern Egypt, hoped to receive support from the crusaders. Alexei Komnenos, the Byzantine emperor, also advised the European knights to make an alliance with them against the Sunni Seljuks.

In fact, the south of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, part of Armenia were in the hands of the Turks. A number of independent city-states appeared on the territory of modern Syria and Lebanon. And Egypt and southern Palestine fell into the hands of the Fatimids.

It was internal strife that prevented the Muslims from acting as a united force against the crusaders. In this matter, the warring parties turned out to be equal, since the Europeans also could not agree.

Such strife turned out to be beneficial only to the emperor of Byzantium, who was able, though by cunning, to regain part of the lost lands.

Christians in the Middle East

The participants of the First Crusades firmly believed that they were going not only to win back the “Holy Sepulcher”, but also to protect the Christian brothers from the infidel Saracens. This moment is especially well shown in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven".

But Western Europe was largely mistaken. In fact, the situation in the Middle East turned out to be radically opposite.

In Muslim states, Christians and Jews were rarely oppressed, since the Koran forbids forcibly converting the People of the Book to the "true" faith. They are simply considered deluded. Therefore, in the Islamic cities of the eastern Mediterranean, non-Muslims paid a certain tax to the state and that's it.

The oppression began after the "disinterested" help of the fraternal peoples. When the Turks and Arabs saw what the Europeans were doing, they began to expel Christians from the cities, fearing that they would help fellow believers from within.

Thus, the purpose of the first crusades was sharply adjusted after the entry of European soldiers to the promised land. They saw with their own eyes the peaceful attitude of local residents, as well as prosperity, wealth and the presence of no man's land. After that, the crusaders were mainly guided only by greed.

Events of the peasant campaign

The participants in the first crusades were people from a wide variety of walks of life. Therefore, in the article we will actually talk about three movements of the masses, which in history are called the First Campaign.

A few months before Pope Urban II officially announced the start of the First Crusade, a huge "army of the poor" advanced from many European lands. They were led by Peter the Hermit, a monk from Amiens. He ignited the people with the idea of ​​prosperity and satiety in the new lands.

The year of the beginning of the First Crusade coincided in Western Europe with the first rich harvest after many years of drought. But the bulk of the poor did not see him, as they set off with their whole families on the road in early spring. They believed that "Christian brothers" would help them with provisions. Such a practice did exist, but for a few pilgrims.

Here was a hungry crowd of men, women, old people and children. They gradually became embittered and began to plunder the settlements that came across on the way. They were rebuffed by local organized troops. The impoverished participants of the First Crusades made up the bulk of the dead, since they did not have weapons, strength for battles and skills to fight.

With great difficulty, he reached Constantinople, losing about fifteen thousand people, a quarter of the original number. In the capital, they staged atrocities, which forced the Byzantine emperor to send them to Asia Minor.

There, the peasant army was met by armed detachments of the Seljuks.

The result of the First Crusade for Poverty was disastrous. According to researchers of this period, about ten thousand young boys and girls were sold into slavery. More than fifty thousand old people, children and people of mature age fell from disease and sabers of regular armies.

Judging by the surviving sources, only about a hundred people out of sixty thousand reached the Byzantine Christian cities.

German campaign

The next stream was the movement in the German and French lands, which was organized by one small knight, nicknamed Gauthier the Beggar.

The motives that inspired the 10,000-strong trained army on this campaign were simply unique. They are fully consistent with the thinking and worldview of the European burghers of that time.

Pope Urban II called everyone to arms in order to protect Christianity from the Gentiles, as well as to recapture the Holy Sepulcher. But these knights heard only the first part of the appeal. The Germans decided that it was not worth going to the other end of the world, because here they live prosperously, and they need to defend their faith.

Therefore, ten thousand armed Germans and French simply went on a "hunt", engaged in Jewish pogroms. It is noteworthy that they moved to the northwest, in a completely opposite direction from Jerusalem.

Although the Catholic Church tried to condemn such behavior, no obvious measures were taken. The Jews tried to organize the defense themselves or hired soldiers for protection. But nothing helped. For several years, the forced conversion of non-Christians to Christianity continued. Those who refused faced certain death.

Thus, the result of the First Crusade for European Jews became deplorable. But such actions of the knights only increased the hatred of Jews and Muslims towards them. From Semitic communities different countries thousands of gold coins begin to flow in to help the Muslims of Africa and the Middle East, who opposed the crusaders.

Nobles in the First Crusade

The greatest success during the years of the First Crusade was achieved by the army led by the nobles. Although they did not form a single whole, they had many well-trained warriors, men at arms, crossbowmen and cavalrymen.

Unlike the helpless peasant army, these were able to repulse the regular Turkish and Arab troops.

The nobles advanced in detachments of various sizes from their possessions, gradually joining the sprawling convoy of many thousands. So, according to various estimates, from fifty to one hundred thousand soldiers approached Constantinople.

But this movement began only after the death of the peasant army and the Jewish pogroms in Europe. Noble people did not want to lose a rich harvest. On the way, in contrast to poverty, they set off with provisions, weapons and other necessary things. Each detachment formed an independent combat unit.

The reasons for the First Crusade for these gentlemen were obvious. “The landless at home will become the owner of servants and fabulous riches in the Kingdom of Heaven in Jerusalem.”

All the events that took place in the Middle East from 1096 to 1099 can be divided into several periods. The border between them will be the most significant sieges in which the participants of the First Crusade were involved.

A table of these events is often given as homework in sixth grade history lessons. Let's look at them in more detail to help students.

The course of events in 1096-1099

In fact, the crusade itself began only after the withdrawal of the armies from Constantinople. There, European nobles enlisted the support of the Byzantine emperor. In return, they promised to transfer to him all the occupied lands that once belonged to the Byzantine Empire.

The first test of the oath was the siege of the Turkish city of Nicaea. It began in 1097. The assault was unsuccessful because the crusader army was unable to continue the offensive after defeating the Turkish sultan. The oblog lasted several months.

Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos rightly suspected the leaders of the knightly army of wanting to violate the treaty. Therefore, at a critical moment, when it was already clear that the city would fall in the coming days, he sent his truce to the townspeople. The latter agreed on the surrender of the city to the Byzantine troops, in order to avoid robbery by the crusaders.

That's how it all happened. Reluctantly, the knights had to keep their oath and move on. Antioch was next. A city that was half way to Jerusalem.

The siege lasted from October 1097 to June 1098. Bohemond of Tarentum, a Norman prince from southern Italy, managed to bribe an officer from the besieged city. He promised to lower the ladders on one section of the wall and help in the capture of the fortress.

For a similar service for the European armies, Bohemond demanded, after the capture, that Antioch be transferred to his possession. It was possible to partially convince the rest of the knights, only by threatening defeat in the event of much thought. On the way was the multi-thousand Kerbogi.

After the capture of the fortress in the city, almost all the inhabitants were killed. A few days after the capture of Antioch by the crusaders, she again found herself under siege. Turkish troops arrived. The siege was endured by the Europeans hard, as there was very little food left.

Bohemond decided to give an open battle to the Turks. But before that, by cunning (according to many researchers), he raised the morale of the army. One morning it was told about a vision that happened to a peasant. According to him, in the walls of Antioch, near one of the churches, a spear was buried with which they killed Christ. Indeed, it was dug up.

The armies "led by the hand of the Lord" were able to defeat Kerboga's soldiers.
Jerusalem was the next step. It was only captured at the cost of many thousands of lives. I had to fill up a moat around the city in order to approach the walls. After the capture of the city, according to the chronicles, a massacre began in it, and after a robbery. According to chroniclers, more than seventy thousand citizens were killed in Jerusalem in a few days.

Thus, the outcome of the First Crusade was ambiguous and divided the history of the Middle East and Europe into periods "before" and "after".

Consequences of the campaign

We can name the following results of the First Crusade.
Firstly, this is the only time when the goals set initially were fully achieved.

Secondly, having become acquainted with oriental culture, having received property, land, servants, many soldiers did not want to return to their homeland. They settled and gradually adopted the culture of the local population.

But the main event that took place during the years of the First Crusade was the founding of four new Christian states. They were scattered throughout the Levant (the region that included the south of modern Turkey and the Middle East), were ruled by various feudal lords and lasted for about a century.

So, the county of Edessa was the first to be formed. Actually, it got its name from the name of the capital. It was founded by Baldwin of Boulogne, one of the three brothers - Lorraine knights. He separated from the army of the crusaders as early as 1098, on his way to Antioch, and went east. There he conquered this territory and created his own state, which lasted for about half a century.

In the same year, the Principality of Antioch was formed. Its founder and ruler was Bohemond of Tarentum, whom we mentioned earlier. The state lasted one hundred and seventy years.

After the capture of Jerusalem, in 1099, the first ruler was Gottfried of Bouillon, brother of Baldwin, who settled in Edessa. The territories of the four lords were also in the possession of the king. The monarchy lasted until the Third Crusade, and fell in 1291, after the capture of Acre.

The fourth crusader state was founded in 1105 by the count of Toulouse. Raymond IV, its first ruler, named the area the County of Tripoli. It lasted until 1289.

Thus, in this article, we learned about the prerequisites, goals and events of the First Crusade, and also talked about its consequences.

During the XI century. Christian society has changed. The church has risen from its decline; the pope, freed from the influence of the emperor, was recognized as the head of the entire Christian world; monasteries remodeled after Cluny, ascetics, leading life ancient hermits, contributed to the restoration of piety and respect for the church in Europe. The Christian warriors, the knights, had organized themselves: they had adopted monotonous tactics and were now able to work together. So far they have mostly fought each other; the pope inspired them with the idea of ​​uniting against the enemies of Christianity. The Crusades were the result of an alliance between chivalry and the papacy.

This is what God wants. First Crusade

Meanwhile, the Fatimid caliph of Cairo, taking advantage of the difficult situation of the Seljuks, took Jerusalem from them (1098); he invited the participants of the first crusade to come to the veneration of St. places, but not otherwise than in small groups and without weapons. Initially, the Crusaders tried to ally with the Fatimids against the Seljuks; but they did not want to leave St. The coffin is in the hands of Muslims. They walked along the coast, avoiding the cities, and then turned towards Jerusalem. There were 25 thousand of them left.

Approaching the city, they dispersed and, having climbed in groups to the heights from which the walls were visible, according to the custom of that time, they prostrated themselves on the ground, thanking God for leading them to St. city. But Jerusalem was surrounded by strong walls; the crusaders could not take them by storm; had to start a proper siege.

The capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders in 1099. Miniature of the XIV or XV centuries.

In the barren country that surrounds Jerusalem, these soldiers of the first crusade found neither food nor wood for building machines; The brook of Kidron dried up, the cisterns were filled up; in the unbearable heat, nothing could be found to quench one's thirst, except puddles of foul-smelling water. The Genoese galleys that landed on Jaffa supplied them with food and tools. The crusaders cut down trees a few miles from the city and built two wooden towers and stairs. Before going on the attack, barefoot and armed, they made a procession around the city (as the legate Ademar, who appeared in a dream to a Provencal priest, ordered them to). The assault lasted a day and a half. Finally, the soldiers of the first crusade managed to throw several beams from one tower, which formed a bridge between the tower and the wall. The first to cross it were two Flemish knights, then Gottfried of Bouillon and his brother; shortly thereafter, the Normans from the other side penetrated the city, breaking a breach in the wall. The crusaders killed everyone they found in the city. In the mosque of Omar, where the Muslims hid, "the blood reached the knees of a knight sitting on a horse." They interrupted the massacre for a moment to go barefoot to worship the Holy Sepulcher, and then again began to kill and rob (July 15, 1099).

Founding of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

After the main goal of the first crusade was carried out, it was necessary to think about who to hand over power over Jerusalem. The clergy wanted the patriarch to be at the head of the administration, the knights demanded that power over the city be given to one of them. In the end, Gottfried of Bouillon was chosen, who received the title protector of the Holy Sepulcher.

Shortly thereafter, an army of 20,000 men sent from Egypt approached Jerusalem from Ascalon. This haste saved the Christians. The Crusaders had not yet left the city; Gottfried led them against the Muslims, who were put to flight (August 12). But he did not take Ascalon for fear that Raymond would not keep him behind him.

Ascalon battle. From an engraving by Gustave Doré

Subsequently, it was said that Gottfried was unanimously elected Jerusalem king, but that he rejected this election of the crusaders, not wanting to wear a golden crown where the King of kings wore a crown of thorns. This saying belongs to the Count of Toulouse or Baldwin.

Truly First Crusade(1095 - 1099) in holy land began on August 15, 1096, when the troops knights and soldiers under the command of noble warriors, such as Raymond of Toulouse, Gottfried of Bouillon and Bohemond of Tarentum, by sea and land reached Constantinople.
It is important to remember that many of them had sonorous titles, but not land holdings, and therefore were determined to get them in the East.
Among those who led the campaign, it should also be noted the French bishop Ademar du Puy - a brave and prudent warrior-priest, appointed by the papal legate and often mediating disputes between intractable military leaders. 7
armies hosts of the cross marching east presented a mixed picture, including representatives of all Western European states and all walks of life, but not all countries were equally well represented. AT first Crusade most of the participants were residents of France, West Germany, including the modern territory of the Benelux, as well as the Norman states of southern Italy.

Differed and military organization. In northern France and in the Norman states of southern Italy, the process of feudalization had already been completed. In these states, the feudal lords stood out as a class representing the military elite.
Feudalization was coming to an end in Flanders and southern France, but in Germany the military feudal elite was only just beginning to take shape, and in many areas of Italy the task of armed defense was taken over by the people's militia. 2

Byzantine Emperor Alexei was not too happy about this "motley" the host of the cross, because he was hoping for the arrival of obedient mercenaries, and not these independent, unpredictable and probably dangerous "barbarians".
The weak point of this enterprise was in the mistrust that quickly arose between the Greeks and the "Franks" - the name that both Greeks and Muslims called crusaders regardless of their nationality. one
Thanks to subtle maneuvering, Alexey persuaded crusaders swear that they will recognize him as emperor of all the lands that previously belonged to Byzantium, which they will be able to win back from the Seljuks. crusaders by cunning they were forced to keep their word during the siege of Nicaea, but everything was quickly forgotten when the historic march through Asia Minor began, in the battle of Dorilea (1097), crowned with the first victory.
Although the armor knights - crusaders was a heavy burden, especially in a hot climate, but it gave the attacking cavalry the strength and power of an iron fist. True, the light cavalry of the Turks avoided a direct collision, preferring to circle and dodge, keeping their distance and firing crusaders from bows.
But this balance was precarious, since the arrows of the Turks could only do limited damage, while among crusaders there were many professional crossbowmen whose weapons had a much greater range and destructive power.
Consequently, the outcome of any clash depended on strategy, the time factor, and also strict unity of command - things in which the feudal army of Europeans usually conceded, since their leaders treated each other with jealousy, and knights more concerned with personal glory than with the success of the entire army. one
With time factor first crusaders especially lucky - they appeared when there was no unity in the possessions of the Seljuks.
After a major victory of the Turks over the Byzantines at Manzikert in 1071, the Seljuks of Rum (Anatolia) had not yet had time to completely master Turkey.
The Seljuk Empire, spread over the territory of Iraq and Iran, was rapidly falling apart. There was no central authority over southeastern Turkey and Syria. Here, several Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish and Arab rulers argued among themselves, seizing cities and castles from each other.
In the desert and in the valley of the Euphrates, the Bedouin Arab tribes maintained complete independence and participated in the general war of all against all for fertile lands.
The Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt was also in decline, although it was not so noticeable. The Fatimids dreamed of conquering all Islamic lands, but these dreams were abandoned when the power of the Shiite caliphs actually passed into the hands of more realistic viziers.

The position of vizier was taken by an Armenian family, which managed to restore order in Cairo, which had been lost during several civil wars and political upheavals. Trade on the Red Sea and ports on the Syrian coast were taken under control. Palestine was seen by the Fatimids as a buffer against impending Turkish aggression.
This situation arose only once, because the successes that have been achieved during First Crusade, could not be achieved. Moreover, the strengthening of the Muslims followed, which, despite episodic failures and defeats, ended in the exile crusaders from Palestine two centuries later...
First goal knightly troops was Nicaea (now the city of Iznik in northwestern Turkey), once the site of large church cathedrals, and now the capital of the Seljuk Sultan Kilich-Arslan (Kilij-Arslan or "Lion's Saber"). The city stood on the eastern shore of Lake Askan, which favored the development of trade relations with its neighbors. On the other hand, it was protected by mountains - a natural obstacle in the way of possible invaders. The fertile surroundings were rich in forests.
In addition, Nicaea, whose walls, according to the testimony of Stephen of Blois, were guarded by about three hundred towers, was well fortified: “... the city is protected by fortress walls, in front of which moats always filled with water were dug, which comes there from streams and small streams, which are a significant obstacle to all those who intended to besiege the city. Further, the city had a large and warlike population; thick walls, high towers, located very close to each other, interconnected by strong fortifications, gave the city the glory of an impregnable fortress.
Sultan Kylych-Arslan hoped to defeat the Franks in the same way as the peasant army, and therefore did not take seriously the approach of the enemy. But he was destined to be severely disappointed. His light cavalry and infantry armed with bows and arrows were defeated by the western cavalry in open battle.
However, Nicaea was located in such a way that it was impossible to take it without military support from the Ascanian Lake. It was possible to cut off Nicaea from the side of the water only after Emperor Alexei Komnenos sent to help crusaders fleet, accompanied by a detachment under the command of the military leaders Manuel Vutumit and Tatikiy.
Manuel Vutumit, on the orders of Alexei Komnenos, agreed with the besieged on the surrender of the city and kept this agreement a secret from crusaders. The emperor did not trust the leaders of the campaign and rightly suspected that it would be difficult for them to resist the temptation to break the promise given to him in Constantinople to transfer the conquered cities to Byzantium.
June 19, when, according to the plan of the emperor, Tatikiy and Manuel, together with crusaders stormed the walls of Nicaea, the besieged suddenly stopped resistance and surrendered, letting the detachments of Manuel Vutumit into the city - from the side it seemed that the victory was won only thanks to the efforts of the Byzantine army.
Having learned that the Byzantines occupied the city and took the citizens under the protection of the emperor, crusaders they were indignant, as they expected to plunder Nicaea and thereby replenish stocks of money and food. 3
But the fall of Nicaea lifted morale crusaders. Encouraged by the victory, Stephen of Blois wrote to his wife Adele that he expected to be at the walls of Jerusalem in five weeks.
And the main army crusaders moved further along the sun-hot land of Anatolia.
1 July 1097 crusaders managed to defeat the Seljuks in the former Byzantine territory near Dorilea (now Eskisehir, Turkey).

Using the traditional tactics of horse archers, the Turks (according to some reports, their number exceeded 50 thousand people) inflicted heavy damage on the column crusaders, who not only found themselves in a clear minority, but also could not engage in close combat with an elusive, mobile enemy.
The situation was critical. But Bohemond, fighting in the forefront, managed to inspire his people to fight. eight
Bohemond's column was about to break formation when the heavy cavalry of the second column crashed into the left flank of the Turks from the rear. warriors of the cross, headed by Gottfried of Bouillon and Raymond of Toulouse.
Kilij-Arslan failed to provide cover from the south. The Turkish army was squeezed in a vise and lost 23 thousand people killed; the rest fled in panic.
Total losses crusaders amounted to about 4 thousand people. 7
A little further to the southeast the army crusaders divided, most moved to Caesarea (now Kayseri, Turkey) towards the Syrian city of Antioch (now Antakya, Turkey).
Antioch was one of the largest cities in the eastern Mediterranean. over her 450 towers towered with powerful fortress walls. The fortress fence was strengthened by the river, mountains, sea and swamp. At the head of the garrison was Baghasian (Baggi-Ziyan), known for his fearlessness.
Emir Bagasian skillfully set up the defense of the city. Shortly after the start of the siege, the Turks made a successful sortie, which led to heavy losses among the disorganized crusaders, and subsequently often resorted to this kind of tactics.
From Syria, the Turkish armies came to the aid of the besieged twice, but both times they were repulsed in the battles of Kharenk (December 31, 1097 and February 9, 1098). For a while among crusaders famine raged, because they did not take care of the delivery of provisions, and the stocks quickly melted away.
The besiegers were saved by the extremely timely arrival of small English and Pisan fleets, which captured Laodikeia (the modern city of Latakia, Syria) and Saint-Simeon (the modern city of Samandagv, Turkey) and delivered provisions.
During the seven months of the siege, relations between the commanders of the troops crusaders heated up to the limit, especially between Bohemond of Tarentum and Raymond of Toulouse.
In the end, on June 3, 1098, after a seven-month siege - mainly thanks to Bohemond and the betrayal of one of the Turkish officers - Antioch was captured. 7
Bohemond of Tarentum managed to enter into a secret agreement with a certain Firuz, who commanded a detachment of Antiochians defending a site of three towers. He agreed to pass "through himself" knights to the city, but, of course, not free of charge.
At the council of war, Bohemond of Tarentum outlined his plan for the capture of Antioch. But, like Firuz, also not free of charge - he demanded that Antioch become his personal possession.
The other members of the council were initially indignant at such frank greed of their comrade-in-arms, but Bohemond scared them: the army of Emir Kerboga was already close.

On the night of June 3, 1098, Bohemond of Tarentum was the first to climb the leather stairs lowered from above to the fortress wall. He was followed by 60 knights his squad.
crusaders, suddenly breaking into the city, staged a terrible massacre there, killing more than 10 thousand citizens. Buggy-Ziyan also fell in the night battle. But his son succeeded with several thousand soldiers in seclusion in the city citadel, which Christians could not take. eight
Byzantines and Armenians helped crusaders take the city.
On June 5, the army of the Emir of Mosul Kerbogi approached Antioch. Now crusaders from the besiegers became the besieged. Soon a famine began in Antioch, and every night more and more warriors of the cross descended on ropes from the fortress walls and ran away to the saving mountains. Among these "rope fugitives" were very noble people, such as, for example, the French Count Stephen of Blois.
Nevertheless, the newly-made owner of the Principality of Antioch saved the participants for the second time First crusade. First, Bohemond of Tarentum established among knights the strictest discipline, ordering the houses of those who refused to fight to be set on fire. It was an effective measure.
Probably the most important event First crusade there was a miraculous finding in Antioch of the holy spear (> Spear of Destiny), with which, according to the gospel myth, the warrior Longinus pierced the rib of Christ.
The Apostle Andrew, visiting the Provencal peasant Peter Bartholomew in visions, showed him the location of the spear. As a result of excavations in the church of St. Petra's precious relic has been discovered.
It should be noted that few historians or theologians believe that the spear> was exactly that (in fact, among themselves crusaders even then many doubted), but the effect it had was truly miraculous. 7
“By the piety of his people,” writes chronicler Raimund Azhilsky, “the Lord bowed to show us a spear.”
This happened on June 14, 1098, when, being surrounded by the Muslim troops of Mosul Kerbogi, crusaders have already lost hope for a successful outcome of the protracted siege of Antioch. By this miracle, as contemporaries believed, the Lord sent a message of his support to the people.
Indeed, on June 28, 1098, the army of Atabek Mosul Kerbogi was defeated warriors of the cross. 6
June 28 Bohemond of Tarentum led crusaders on the way out of the fortress. The attack on the Sultan's army, which, despite its large number, was weakened by internal strife, turned out to be victorious: the Mosuls fled.
Bohemond of Tarentum, now Prince of Antioch, won a brilliant victory over Emir Kerboga. eight
In July - August 1098, an epidemic of plague broke out in Antioch. One of the victims of the epidemic was Bishop Ademar du Puy. After his death, relations between the commanders of the campaign heated up even more, especially between Bohemond (who was determined to keep control of Antioch) and Raymond of Toulouse (who insisted that crusaders are obliged to return the city to Byzantium, according to the oath given to Alexei).
After a long quarrel with Raymond, Antioch was taken over by Bohemond, who managed to force her from the rest even before the fall. Crusader leaders consent to the transfer of this important city to him.
While disputes were going on over Antioch, an unrest occurred in the army, dissatisfied with the delay, which forced the princes, ending the strife, to move on. The same thing happened later: while the army was rushing towards Jerusalem, the leaders were arguing over each city taken. 3
Among the simple people, calling to continue crusade, the position of the Ebionites (members of a heretical Christian sect) was popular, whose preachers declared that deprivation was a condition of Salvation.
They formed a whole group that became the shock troop of the Christian army, terrifying the Muslims. The detachment was poorly armed, they had neither spears nor shields, only sticks, and even the confidence that Providence would help them. The cruelty of the Ebionites kept in fear not only Muslims, but also themselves crusaders: this group not only killed Muslims, but sometimes after the battle, its members became real cannibals and devoured their victims.
December 1098. crusaders captured Maarat al-Numan in Syria. To prevent the barons from giving in to their greed, the Ebionites exterminated the inhabitants and completely destroyed the city. In this way, they forced the barons to take the road to Jerusalem again ... 9
After the capture of Antioch warriors of the cross without any special obstacles they moved along the coast to the south and along the way took possession of several port cities. Through Beirut, Sidon, Tire, Akkon, they came to Haifa and Jaffa, and then turned east.
In the city of Ramla, abandoned by the inhabitants, they left a Roman Catholic bishop.
On June 6, 1098, Tancred, nephew of Bohemond of Tarentum, finally entered Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, with his army. From the top of a nearby mountain, crusaders opened the panorama of Jerusalem. They called this mountain Montjoie - "mountain of joy".
Jerusalem was a well-fortified city, defended by a strong Fatimid army, far outnumbering the besiegers.
Christians> and Jews lived here in relative peace and harmony with the Muslims. For several centuries the city was ruled by Muslims. Islam showed great tolerance towards other religions, however, Muslim rulers levied special taxes on Christians, but never forced them to convert to Islam.
However, having learned about the approach of the Christian army, they did not hesitate to drive all Christians out of the city. The Muslims feared that they would betray them to their Western co-religionists.
Jerusalem thoroughly prepared for the siege, food supplies were plentiful. And in order to leave the enemy without water, all the wells around the city were rendered unusable. Crusaders there were not enough ladders, battering rams and siege engines to storm the city. They themselves had to extract wood in the vicinity of the city and build military equipment. It took a lot of time.
By the time of the storming of Jerusalem, almost all crusaders recognized the commander of Gottfried of Bouillon; Raymond of Toulouse and Tancred helped him.
To completely block the city, the troops crusaders was not enough, and it was not necessary to expect that the besieged could be starved to death. Despite severe water shortages, crusaders began to resolutely prepare for the assault: to build a high wooden siege tower and a battering ram.
Showered with arrows from the city fortifications, they rolled the tower against the wall, threw over a wooden bridge, and Gottfried led the troops to attack (part of the army climbed the walls along the assault ladders). Apparently, this was the only operation in the entire two-year campaign coordinated from start to finish. 7
As a result crusaders managed to take Jerusalem. Tankred immediately occupied the al-Aqsa Mosque, an important Muslim shrine.
The capture of Jerusalem was a great achievement for the Christians, which they marked with a massacre. With the exception of the Egyptian commandant of Jerusalem and his inner circle, almost no one managed to escape, be it a Muslim or a Jew, a man, a woman or a child.
According to the chronicles, up to 70 thousand people died in the massacre ...
About the events of those days, the chronicler writes as follows:
“Having entered the city, our pilgrims drove and killed the Saracens (as the Europeans called all the Muslims of the Middle East) to the very temple of Solomon, gathering in which they gave us the most fierce battle of the whole day, so that their blood flowed throughout the temple.
Finally, having defeated the pagans, ours seized many men and women in the temple and killed as many as they wanted, and as many as they wanted, they left alive. (...)
crusaders quickly scattered throughout the city, seizing gold and silver, horses and mules, taking away houses full of all kinds of goods. After that, completely happy, weeping with joy, our people went to the tomb of our Savior Jesus Christ and made amends for their guilt before Him. 5
The senseless and cruel massacre in Jerusalem remained for a long time in the memory of Muslims and Jews.

The goal of the campaign was achieved and many crusaders came back home. The rest continued to fight along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, where, in the end, four states were founded. crusaders:
County of Edessa - the first state founded crusaders and in the East. It was founded in 1098 by Baldwin I of Boulogne after the conquest of Jerusalem and the establishment of the kingdom. It existed until 1146. Its capital was the city of Edessa;
Principality of Antioch - was founded by Bohemond I of Tarentum in 1098 after the capture of Antioch. The principality lasted until 1268;
> Kingdom of Jerusalem, lasted until the fall of Acre in 1291. The kingdom had several vassal lords under its control, including the four largest ones: the principality of Galilee, the county of Jaffa and Ascalon, Transjordan and the lordship of Sidon.
The county of Tripoli is the last of the states founded during First crusade. It was founded in 1105 by Count Raymond IV of Toulouse. The county lasted until 1289. 3
Gottfried of Bouillon, who called himself "the defender of the Holy Sepulcher", was elected the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. At the height of its glory, it reached Aqaba on the Red Sea; in addition, he became the de facto ruler of other conquered territories.
The Roman Catholic Church spread its influence in holy land: after the death of Gottfried, Daimbert, the newly proclaimed patriarch of Jerusalem, the successor of Ademar, who died in Antioch, on Christmas Day 1100 crowned Gottfried's brother Baldwin I, who received the title of king of Jerusalem, and appointed a number of archbishops and bishops.
Jerusalem was the most important state crusaders, and all the settlements founded by them earlier or later were subordinate to him. Many crusaders and their descendants settled in the East, settling mainly in the cities.
In the East, there was an ancient urban culture, and even though the houses looked old and shabby on the outside, inside they often struck with luxury, comfort and coziness. As for the external facilities, such as sewerage, street lighting or running water, everything was much better than at home. crusaders.
Christians lived very freely in the East. They began to dress in an oriental way: wearing turbans, long light clothes. They quickly got used to Arabic dishes flavored with ginger, pepper and cloves, began to drink wine and fruit juices.
Many aliens from the West they even began to learn to read and write, which was quite common for Muslims. When sick, Christians willingly turned to local doctors and allowed themselves to be treated with natural remedies.
Fulcherius of Chartres writes:
“In the past people of the West, we have now become people of the East; a man from Reims or Chartres became a Tyrian or an Antiochene.
We have already forgotten the places where we were born; their names have already become unfamiliar or never heard words for many of us. Many now have their own houses and servants, as if inherited from their fathers. (...)
Whoever was poor in his homeland, God made him a rich man here. 5
States crusaders never been safe. Even in their heyday, they failed to push their borders to the natural division, the desert, which would facilitate the defense of the territories. There was a constant threat from the Turks, who held control of key cities such as Aleppo and Damascus.
Even in their own lands crusaders remained a small and dispersed class of feudal lords who ruled over the Muslim population, whose loyalty was highly questionable.
crusaders they would hardly have held out for a long time without the help of two specially formed military monastic orders - the Knights of the Temple (Templars) and the Johnites (Hospitallers). Like monks, members of the orders took a vow to live in poverty, chastity and humility; at the same time, they were warriors obliged to defend holy land and fight the "infidels".
In the late 1120s, the Turks, under the leadership of Zengi from Mosul, managed to achieve some unity and stop the advance crusaders.
In 1144 crusaders lost Edessa - the most remote and open to attack state. All this prompted the Europeans to start a new campaign.
The number of warriors who took part in first crusade, is given by different chroniclers in different ways, from 100 thousand people from Raymond of Aquiler to 600 thousand from Fulcherius of Chartres.
Both of these chroniclers themselves took part in the campaign.
A letter written to the pope after the capture of Jerusalem, reporting on the state of the army, speaks of 5,000 cavalry soldiers and 15,000 foot soldiers.
The number of those participating in individual battles could be much less; in victory crusaders in the battle of Antioch, the entire force is said to have consisted of only 700 cavalry, due to a shortage of horses. ten
fantastic success First crusade forced crusaders continue the war. If initially the main task First crusade was to "liberate" the holy places, then even before the end of the campaign crusaders became more and more aware of their missionary task.
Barely crusaders entered Jerusalem, as proposals began to be put forward to destroy the Islamic world in general.
Meanwhile, Muslims were changing their attitude towards Christians>. The former indifference was replaced by hatred.
A jihad began, which eventually resulted in the aggressive plans of the Ottoman Empire... 2

Information sources:
one. " Crusades"(magazine "Tree of Knowledge" No. 21 / 2002)
2. military-historical almanac "Soldier" No. 7
3. Wikipedia site
4. "Saladin and the Saracens 1071-1291" (Almanac "New Soldier" No. 70)
5. Vazol M. " crusaders»
6. Luchitskaya S. “The idea of ​​the conversion of Gentiles in the chronicles First crusade »
7. "All the wars of world history" (according to the Harper Encyclopedia military history Dupuy)
8. Shishov A. "100 Great Generals of the Middle Ages"
9. Tat J. Crusades »
10. Norman A. Medieval Warrior. Armament of the times of Charlemagne and

The history of mankind is, unfortunately, not always a world of discoveries and achievements, but often a chain of a myriad of wars. These include those committed from the 11th to the 13th centuries. This article will help you understand the reasons and reasons, as well as trace the chronology. It is accompanied by a table compiled on the theme of "Crusades", containing the most important dates, names and events.

Definition of the concepts of "crusade" and "crusader"

The crusade is an armed offensive of the army of Christians to the Muslim East, which lasted a total of more than 200 years (1096-1270) and was expressed in at least eight organized performances by troops from Western European countries. In a later period, this was the name of any military campaign with the aim of converting to Christianity and expanding the influence of the medieval Catholic Church.

The crusader is a participant in such a campaign. On the right shoulder he had a stripe in the form of the same image was applied to the helmet and flags.

Reasons, reasons, goals of campaigns

Military performances were organized. The formal reason was the fight against the Muslims in order to liberate the Holy Sepulcher, located in the Holy Land (Palestine). In the modern sense, this territory includes such states as Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Gaza Strip, Jordan and a number of others.

Nobody doubted the success. At that time, it was believed that anyone who became a crusader would receive the forgiveness of all sins. Therefore, joining these ranks was popular with both knights and urban residents, peasants. The latter, in exchange for participation in the crusade, received liberation from serfdom. In addition, for European kings, the crusade was an opportunity to get rid of powerful feudal lords, whose power grew as their holdings increased. Wealthy merchants and townspeople saw economic opportunities in military conquest. And the very highest clergy, led by the popes, considered the crusades as a way to strengthen the power of the church.

Beginning and end of the Crusader era

The 1st Crusade began on August 15, 1096, when an unorganized crowd of 50,000 peasants and urban poor set out on a campaign without supplies or training. Basically, they were engaged in looting (because they considered themselves the soldiers of God, who own everything in this world) and attacked the Jews (who were considered the descendants of the murderers of Christ). But within a year this army was destroyed by the Hungarians who met along the way, and then by the Turks. Following the crowd of the poor, well-trained knights went on a crusade. Already by 1099 they reached Jerusalem, capturing the city and killing big number residents. These events and the formation of a territory called the Kingdom of Jerusalem ended the active period of the first campaign. Further conquests (until 1101) were aimed at strengthening the conquered borders.

The last crusade (eighth) began on June 18, 1270 with the landing of the army of the French ruler Louis IX in Tunisia. However, this performance ended unsuccessfully: even before the start of the battles, the king died of pestilence, which forced the crusaders to return home. During this period, the influence of Christianity in Palestine was minimal, and Muslims, on the contrary, strengthened their positions. As a result, they captured the city of Acre, which put an end to the era of the Crusades.

1st-4th crusades (table)

5th-8th Crusades (table)

Results

How successful the numerous crusades were, the table clearly demonstrates. Among historians, there is no unequivocal opinion on how these events influenced the life of Western European peoples.

Some experts believe that the Crusades opened the way to the East, establishing new economic and cultural ties. Others point out that it could have been done more successfully peacefully. Moreover, the last crusade ended in an outright defeat.

One way or another, significant changes took place in Western Europe itself: the strengthening of the influence of the popes, as well as the power of kings; the impoverishment of the nobility and the rise of urban communities; the emergence of a class of free farmers from former serfs who gained freedom through participation in the crusades.

Briefly about the first crusade 1096-1099 we can say that it was the beginning of a cycle of European military campaigns in the Middle East. Its participants, aiming at the liberation of the Holy Land, aggravated relations between Christians and Muslims, but at the same time contributed to the revival of international trade.

Reason for starting the first trip

At the end of the XI century. Islamic influence has increased in the Middle East. In 1071 the Christians were severely defeated by the Muslims in Eastern Anatolia. The wrath of the Pope was also caused by the news from the Holy Land that pious Christian pilgrims were allegedly subjected to bullying by "non-Christians". This was the reason for the "armed pilgrimage" to Jerusalem and the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher.

Rice. 1. Clermont Cathedral.

Pope Urban II at the Clermont Church Council in November 1095 did not skimp on words, vividly describing all the horrors of the unfortunate Christians in Palestine. Obviously, he exaggerated a little. It is a fact that the Muslim rulers of Jerusalem charged a fee "to enter" the city. This seemed humiliating to Christian pilgrims. Moreover, in Jerusalem the holy places were really destroyed and the monuments of Christianity were destroyed. Putting an end to this is the goal of the first crusade.

Participants of the campaign

Representatives of all segments of the population of Europe participated in the military campaign. These were:

• large and medium feudal lords;
• small knights;
• peasants and urban poor;
• artisans and merchants;
• Catholic Church.

Each group had its own reasons and goals for participating in the crusades.

The rulers and secular feudal lords saw in them an opportunity to enrich themselves, expand their possessions or get new ones, and lead states. Merchants and artisans believed that as a result of the Crusades they would be able to enrich themselves by opening up new trade routes and markets. Peasants, the urban poor, small artisans sought to gain freedom, land, or start a business. The Catholic Church saw campaigns as a way to spread influence to the East.

Course of events

Date 1096 - performance of Western European knights to the East. The direction of the first crusade took to the Holy Land. Pope Urban II tried to support the fighting spirit of the participants by promising to forgive all sins - both those that were committed in the past and those that will be committed in the future.

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In the spring of 1096, thousands of peasants, sometimes joined by groups of small knights and townspeople, united in detachments and moved to the East. Before reaching Nicaea in Asia Minor, they were defeated by the Seljuks. The knightly army set off in several columns later, in August 1096, under the leadership of Gottfried IV, Duke of Bouillon.

During the years of the campaign, the crusaders (they were so nicknamed for the crosses sewn on their cloaks) more than once came across ambushes, fought off robbers, and suffered from heat. In July 1099 the crusaders approached Jerusalem. Christian knights shouting "So God wants!" broke into the city and staged a bloody massacre there.

Rice. 2. The capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders.

The result and consequences of the campaign

The results and consequences of the campaign of 1096-1099 were ambiguous.
They can be presented in the form of a table.

As a result of the campaign in the Middle East and Asia Minor, a number of crusader states arose. They did not last long. Several spiritual and knightly orders also appeared: the Templars, the Teutons, the Hospitallers and others.