Each era in world history carries its own, incomparable, unique charm. But it is difficult to imagine a more attractive period for modern man, in terms of its romance, than the "knightly" Middle Ages. The Middle Ages is the world of classic fairy tales from our childhood. And although a closer acquaintance with history debunks children's ideals, the very concept of chivalry as such is so embedded in our hearts that the image of a knight, almost completely separated from his historical original, remains in our imagination as if woven from light.

And isn't it interesting how the people of the Middle Ages lived, who created such attractive ideals of nobility, dignity, selflessness and selflessness? And the more surprising the latter, the greater the contrast with them was real life, and the more someone really aspired to them and took them seriously. The heyday of medieval chivalry is associated with the era of the Crusades (1096-1270), which had a huge impact on it. And in this work, which is purely overview in nature, which is only possible in such a small volume, we will once again turn to the beginning of these legendary times, equally famous for their rudeness and idealism, to the First Crusade.

Nine centuries ago, in the year 1095 from the birth of Christ, the head of the Universal Church, Pope Urban II, called on the entire Christian world to a holy war to liberate the Holy Land from the dominion of "infidels." There were reasons and conditions for this.
Despite the opinion prevailing in Russian historiography that: "National disasters in the XI century reached the extreme limit in Western Europe; incessant feudal wars, destroying the harvest every now and then, often gave rise to famine years; ruin also affected the feudal lords themselves, which caused a general gloomy mood , from which people sought consolation in religion and religious exploits.", another seems more likely, described, in particular, in "The Crusades" by David Nicol: The 11th century was marked by a major economic boom, and although it was accompanied by ups and downs, it would be a mistake The first Crusade was a product of impoverishment, despair, which led to religious hysteria. It is quite logical that such a grandiose international enterprise required a sufficient material base for its implementation. Of course, religious hysteria is not excluded in itself. And the idea of ​​a holy war has always existed, akin to Muslim jihad, developed by the most prominent theologians. St. Aurelius Augustine in his writings, in particular "On the City of God", carefully examines this problem. "Fair, in his opinion, is the war that is waged in the name of protecting a person from a ferocious aggressor: "Usually, those wars that are waged in order to avenge an insult, to compensate for the damage suffered by one people from another" are usually called fair.
In Palestine in the 11th century there were internecine wars between the Fatimids and the Seljuks, the Sheyit and Sunni branches of Islam. The Seljuks were gaining the upper hand, and in such a difficult situation, Christians living in the Middle East found themselves in a rather unpleasant situation. And since “brothers and sisters in Christ suffered multiple insults and humiliations, sometimes accepting martyrdom,” then the pagan custom of blood vengeance, which has not been outlived among the European peoples, organically turned into the Christian concept of just wars, demanded quick and severe retribution against the offenders, who, moreover, on the other hand, they "illegally" own the main Christian shrine - the Holy Sepulcher - Jerusalem. The Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos directly asked for help against the Turks. At the same time, the danger of direct raids on Western Europe by "wild" peoples such as the Hungarians subsided. Here the pagan danger was over. But in Europe there remained a huge social layer of professional warriors who, in the absence of a common enemy, usually turned their aggressive attention to each other. Turning them to the East was in this case a very useful thing for the economic and cultural life of the West.
From a purely astrological, mystical point of view, a number of all kinds of signs were observed: meteors, lunar eclipses, the coloring of the moon in a bloody color, signs in the sun. And the largest "harvest" of observed comets occurred in the autumn of 1097.
The positions of Eastern Christianity were significantly weakened at this time. "By the end of the 11th century, the Byzantine Empire had lost almost all possessions in Africa and Asia," which is usually explained by "the gradual decay and demoralization of Byzantine society and government." Also, the great Muslim state broke up into three parts: in Spain, the Caliphate of Cordoba was formed, in North Africa - Egypt, in Asia - Baghdad. Soon the latter also broke up into many small possessions, which were in purely nominal dependence on the Baghdad caliph.

Apparently, feudal fragmentation at the beginning of the second millennium of our era was a general trend, and in the West - not in the first place.
The Holy Land - Jerusalem and all of Palestine, was part of the Damascus Sultanate, which from the middle of the 11th century fell into the hands of the Seljuk Turks.
In an atmosphere of constant strife among the new Muslim states and attempts by the Egyptian rulers to take away Syria from the Caliph of Baghdad, Christian rulers were not averse to joining this division, whose lands were also fragmented, but apparently, at war with each other a little less fiercely, and ready to unite for the sake of some common purpose, common ideal. And what goal could be higher and more common for them than the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher, the highest shrine on Earth? In addition, Europe has been fragmenting for almost three centuries since the collapse of the empire of Charlemagne, and managed to adapt to this state. Therefore, the request of the Byzantine emperor for help to Western Christians fell on fertile ground.
"Pope Urban II saw a favorable moment with his authority to excite a religious struggle, which, of course, should have further strengthened papal authority." He preached a campaign for the liberation of Palestine at the cathedrals in Piacenza and Clermont in 1095, promising the expedition members absolution, by virtue of their charitable deed, and hinting at the fabulous riches of the East, for a more practically oriented public. Enthusiasm seized the vast masses of the people, who saw the opportunity to satisfy their spiritual and material needs. At the same time, the majority sincerely believed in the sanctity of the enterprise. "... all those who wished to participate in this campaign sewed a red cross on their shoulder, hence the name of the Crusades." However, in fact, they officially received this name much later. And in those days they were simply called Pilgrimages or Expeditions.
The First Crusade took place from 1096 to 1099. In general, in the period from 1096 to 1270, eight large and several small campaigns were organized and carried out, not counting the so-called Children's Crusades, and campaigns in Europe.
The most famous leaders of the first crusaders were: Duke Godfried of Bouillon, his brother Baldwin, papal legate Bishop Ademar, Duke of Normandy Robert II, Bohemond of Tarentum from Sicily, his nephew Tancred, Raymond of Toulouse and others. The performance of the crusaders was scheduled for August 15, 1096, on the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. However, crowds of excited pilgrims, for the most part from the common people, did not wait for this period and set out on a campaign in the spring of 1096, not without the intention of "wiping the nose" of the upper classes. The "army" consisted mainly of foot "warriors", including women, children and monks, and a few horsemen, armed and dressed in any way.
On March 8, Peter of Amiens (The Hermit) and the knight Walter the Indigent, "accompanied by a great number of Franks on foot from Gaul, and having only eight knights with them, entered Hungary and directed their path to Jerusalem." Other motley detachments from Germany, Flanders and Lorraine set off at the beginning of summer, led by the priests Gottschalk and Volkmar, and Count d "Emico. All these overly enthusiastic hordes, of which the first included, according to legend, 100 thousand people, were not considered necessary take care of their own provision, and therefore lived mainly by robbing the local population. And the irritated inhabitants, of course, tried at every opportunity to take revenge on the offenders, sometimes beating them in hundreds. For example, at Merseburg in Hungary and at Niss in Bulgaria. "In Constantinople the robberies of the crusaders prompted Emperor Alexei to quickly transport this rabble to Asia Minor, where they were soon exterminated by the Turks. "Only three thousand, led by Peter the Hermit, managed to return back to Constantinople.
The main troops of the crusaders, as planned, set out in mid-August from various points in Europe. The total number of participants cannot be determined. According to some sources, it was 100 thousand knights and 600 thousand infantry. according to others, as a whole did not exceed 300 thousand.

The assembly point was Constantinople, to which the crusaders went by four different routes. From Southern France and Northern Italy, under the leadership of Bishop Ademar and Raymond of Toulouse - through Italy, Dalmatia and the Epirus mountains. From Germany and East France - down the Danube, they were led by: Godfried of Bouillon, Baldwin and Renard of Toul. From southern Italy and the Norman possessions in Sicily, led by Bohemond of Tarentum and Tancred, they crossed the Adriatic Sea on ships, and then proceeded through Epirus and Thrace. Detachments from Northern France, their leaders were Hugues de Vermandois (brother of Philip I, whose mother was the famous Russian princess Anna Yaroslavna), Duke Robert of Normandy and others, crossed France and Italy to Brandisi, then repeating the path of Raymond of Toulouse.
These armies, not as hasty as the previous ones, were incomparably better equipped and provided with everything necessary. And they went through Europe much more calmly, without wasting strength and people on robberies. They did not obey a single command, each detachment was independent. But still, Bishop Ademar, the papal legate, and Godfried of Bouillon enjoyed the greatest influence.
The first to arrive at Constantinople was the detachment of Godfried of Bouillon. And then misunderstandings arose between the crusaders and the Byzantine emperor. Emperor Alexei considered the lands to be liberated from the adherents of Mahomet his property, and demanded from the crusaders a fief oath to himself as overlord. But the Duke of Bouillon and his associates were not going to win anything for someone else, believing that the lands should go to the one who would be granted victory by God. And, of course, they refused. Then Alexey Komnen decided to boycott the aliens, forbidding them to sell food. In response, the crusaders took by force what they were not given good, robbing the outskirts of Constantinople.
But such relations were not included in the plans of either side. The crusaders relented and took the required oath. And the emperor, with relief, transported them by ship to Asia Minor, where the first camp was located near the well-fortified Turkish city of Nicaea. The rest of the troops arrived here, including a detachment of the Byzantines.
"In May 1097, all Christian detachments finally concentrated and at the general review there were up to 100 thousand cavalry, 300 thousand infantry and 100 thousand monks, women and children." Further, it is customary to mention the extreme disorganization and lack of discipline of these troops. "At one time, there was even a whole trend in science, which based its research on the indiscipline of first the Germans, and then the knights. At present, such judgments do not inspire much confidence." It's just that their idea of ​​discipline was somewhat different than it is now, and was based on a certain system of military values: love of freedom, courage, neglecting security considerations, a sense of tribal and squad solidarity, the concept of "holy revenge" - for the death of a dead comrade, contempt for fear and death. Their disorganization is quite natural in the setting of a multinational enterprise. Rather, one can be surprised at their, at the same time, cohesion. And as for their own detachments, they were quite disciplined and loyal to their commanders, without which their idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhonor is impossible.
Also, the traditional concept invariably refers to the terrifyingly heavy defensive equipment and weapons of the crusaders, as opposed to the "light and mobile" enemy. This moment is usually described very picturesquely: “The heavy and clumsy knightly cavalry of the West had to fight the light cavalry of the East, which was distinguished by high mobility. solar and heat strokes.When reading, there is an illusion of an incredible abundance of iron, heavy solid metal plates.Fortunately, this is not true.Especially in the first crusade.Solid metal armor appeared much later, and the distribution of their weight over the body and skillful articulation details made them not as bulky and clumsy as it seems at first glance.In addition, wearers of armor, for the most part, learned this skill from an early age, which made their task even easier.And finally, in the 16th century, at the very sunset Middle Ages, special tournament armor appeared (not combat!), In which there were optionally two roam actively without assistance.
In the East, the tradition of truly heavy cavalry was even more developed. Recall at least the famous formidable Persian cataphracts (cataphracts, cataphracts), who were the shock part of the army. Their horses were also covered with armor - the head, neck and chest were well protected. Such a heavy cavalry pierced the enemy's defense line and swept away everything in its path, like an iron-bound ram head. The remnants of the enemy were finished off by other, lighter and more mobile units of the army. So, the manner of shackling yourself and your horses in steel was adopted precisely from the East. And even the method of climbing on a horse with the help of a servant was called "eastern". Among the ancient Germans, for example, it was considered dishonor to defend oneself too much, and this opinion was not suddenly overcome.

In addition, the heavier and more reliable the armor, the more expensive it is. Consequently, not everyone could afford such a luxury. And, therefore, only a small core of the crusader army had a relatively heavy penetrating power. As for the Saracens, according to the same David Nicol, the elite cavalry of the Fatimids was no less heavily armed than the elite cavalry of the crusaders, although their weapons technology was much more developed.
The European armor of the beginning of our millennium was usually a dress made of leather or fabric, covered for strength with scales, plaques, iron circles, sewn in a special way. Tanned leather armor was called curie (cuirie), from cuir - leather. Iron plate armor - cotte maclee. Also known is the so-called mesh shell, which was a network of thin leather belts superimposed on a dress made of leather or thick fabric. The intersections of these belts were fixed with carnations with large convex hats.
"In the XI century, in addition to these two types of armor, there are two others. Their image is preserved on carpets in Bayo, where we see the Normans in such weapons." These are ringed and scaly shells. In the first case, iron rings were sewn onto the skin in rows, in the second, the rings were sewn, overlapping part of the neighboring one. "An improved view of the last shell is represented by armor and chain mail - the main armor of knights until the middle of the Middle Ages, when they began to make solid iron armor."
Armor - all on the same leather base, rows of iron rings are sewn on, strung on belts and covering part of the neighboring one. Each of these rings was firmly sewn to the base. Chain mail consists of iron rings fastened together in various ways. The base is missing. There is a theory, which, in particular, is followed by P.P. von Winkler, a prominent historian of the end of the last century, that chain mail is of purely eastern origin and appears in Europe only as a result of the Crusades, not earlier than the 12th century. “In fact, chain mail was known and made in Europe since antiquity and throughout the first millennium of our era,” writes a no less significant connoisseur of ancient weapons, our contemporary M.V. Gorelik, whom we fully trust in this matter.
In the 11th century, "... lorica is no longer just a cloth or leather jacket sheathed with metal plates, but a real iron chain mail up to the knees, with sleeves and a hood, .." . This is an elite and expensive type of military clothing. Not too common yet - lamellar and scaly shells are not only cheaper, but also more reliable. A gambizon, a thick quilted dress, was usually worn under chain mail. In addition, chain mail needed additional protection, which became large almond-shaped shields. Wooden, usually covered with thick bovine skin and reinforced with an iron pommel - umbon. A particularly insidious detail was the skin, elastic, dense, absorbing the blow, and often tightly grasping the weapon that pierced it. Since the 11th century, hauberk - chain mail, equipped with sleeves, mittens, a hood and stockings, has really begun to come into fashion. "The French called her halberc, hauberc, haubert - most likely from the German halsberg, that is," covering the neck "".
Helmets until the 11th century were mostly made of copper. The usual was a riveted, domed helmet, with a pointed top, without a visor, invented later, with a wide nosepiece (Norman helmet). "... a coverlet was attached to the helmet, falling on the back, the purpose of which was to protect the helmet from the sun's rays, as well as to somewhat weaken the force of the blow."
Horse armor appeared in the 12th century, being so far only a thick cloth or felt blanket. Iron, starting with chain mail, began to protect the horse as early as the 13th century. "The very idea of ​​booking a horse came to Europe from the East - from Muslim countries or from the Tatar-Mongols - through Russia."
The timing of the arrival of the first crusaders favored them. "The Fatimids, in fact, had just taken Jerusalem from the Turks, a few months before the appearance of the crusaders." The former parts of the caliphate were constantly at enmity with each other, being in a weakened state. The Iconic sultan Kilij-Arslan came out against the Crusaders, who managed to gather a significant number of his subjects and allies from all over Asia Minor and Persia (up to 100 thousand are mentioned), strengthen and supply the fortress city of Nicaea with everything necessary, from the siege of which military operations of the First Crusade open. Nicaea was conquered on June 20, 1097, or rather, it recognized the power of the Byzantine emperor over itself, thus avoiding severe destruction.
On June 27, the crusader army moved on to Antioch, through Phrygia and Cilicia. Two days later, the troops split up: Godfried of Bouillon and Bishop Ademar led the first column, marching along the Dorilei valley, Bohemond of Tarentum and Robert of Normandy, the second, heading east, inland, along the Gorgoni valley. Literally on the same day, the second column was attacked by Sultan Suliman of Nicaea, who gathered troops from Antioch, Tarsus, Aleppo and other cities. "Sending for help to Godfrid, Bohemond gathered everything that was possible and put up a desperate resistance to the attackers." The resistance was successful - the Turks fled. The crusaders, after a three-day rest, decided not to separate anymore and went on in a single column. With great difficulty and considerable losses, they managed to cross the desert and reach Cilicia, where they were warmly welcomed by friendly Armenians who were striving to get rid of the Turkish yoke.
Most of the crusaders sought to reach Jerusalem as soon as possible. But their leaders "dragged out the movement and took advantage of every opportunity to secure some kind of landed property for themselves." But was it just profit? Or a completely justified desire to strengthen the position of Christianity in the East? The second seems to be preferable, and besides, it does not exclude the first. Let us not follow the pernicious theory that the Crusaders were distinguished not only by unscrupulousness, but by a small consideration, which accuses them of both greed and carelessness in relation to strengthening their rear and establishing bases. So, Tancred and Baldwin of Flanders separated from the main army and captured together the seaside city of Tarsus. However, in some ways their views diverged and it even came to an open battle, in which Baldwin emerged victorious. Later, he went to Armenia, where he soon conquered a considerable territory for himself and proclaimed himself the count of Edessa, overthrowing the previous ruler. So, in 1098, the first Latin state arose in the East. In the same year, Antioch, Marra and Acre were captured. And on July 15, 1099, after a long siege and a bloody assault, Jerusalem itself was finally taken. The most prominent figure in the crusading movement, Godfried of Bouillon, became the head of the new - Jerusalem state. Initially, his title sounded - Baron of the Holy Sepulcher.
The wars between the cross and the crescent did not stop. But the Crusaders managed to defend the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and held it for a long time. So, the main task of the Christians was completed. And with this victory, the sacred significance of which for medieval Europe can hardly be overestimated, the history of the First Crusade ends.
Considering the significant successes of Christians in the East, it is impossible to agree with the contemptuous remarks found in fairly authoritative literature about the stupidity, mediocrity and complete professional unsuitability of European generals. In the First Crusade, they managed to show their best side, waging war, albeit according to the "old German school" (also, of course, not everywhere and not always), but quite unitedly, consistently and purposefully, with rare devotion to the idea. Subsequently, when the strength of the idea weakened, no progressive military reforms and tactics saved the position of Christian states in the East, and did not stop internal strife. And the strength of the Spirit of the first crusaders truly deserves all the songs sung in their honor, and not just epigrams and ditties, albeit no less deserved.

First crusade was organized in 1095 at the initiative of Pope Urban II with the aim of liberating the holy city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslims. Initially, the appeal of the Pope was addressed only to the French chivalry, but later the campaign turned into a full-scale military campaign, and his idea covered all the Christian states of Western Europe and even found a warm response in Poland and the principalities of Kievan Rus. The feudal lords and common people of all nationalities advanced to the East by land and sea, on the way liberating the western part of Asia Minor from the power of the Seljuk Turks and eliminating the Muslim threat to Byzantium, and in July 1099 conquered Jerusalem. During the 1st Crusade, the Kingdom of Jerusalem and other Christian states were founded, which are united under the name of the Latin East.

Background to the conflict

One of the reasons for the crusade was a call for help from the Pope of Rome by the Byzantine emperor Alexei I. For hundreds of years, Byzantium was a stronghold of Christianity against militant Islam, but in 1071, after the defeat at Manzikert, it lost most of Asia Minor Turkey), which has always been a vital source of manpower and funds. In the face of mortal danger, proud Byzantium was forced to ask for help.

The winners in the battle of Manzikert were not the Arabs, but the Seljuk Turks - ferocious nomads who converted to Islam and became the main force in the Middle East. While the Arabs were relatively tolerant of Christian pilgrims, the new rulers immediately began to obstruct them. This was another reason for the call for a crusade, which was made in 1095 in Clermont by Pope Urban II. Aid to the Byzantines took a backseat to the return of the Holy Land, where, as Urban declared, murder, plunder and the seizure of new possessions would be acceptable, since the victims would be "infidels" who had nothing more to hope for.

The appeals of the Pope, the frantic sermons of Peter the Hermit and other religious fanatics caused an unprecedented upsurge. Campaigns were hastily equipped in various places in France, Germany and Italy. In addition, thousands of people spontaneously gathered in detachments and moved forward, robbing, killing Jews and wreaking havoc on their way.

During the second half of the 1st millennium, Muslims conquered most of North Africa, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Spain and many other territories.

However, by the time of the Crusades, the Muslim world was divided internally, there were constant internecine wars between the rulers of various territorial entities, and even the religion itself was split into several currents and sects. External enemies did not fail to take advantage of this - the Christian states in the West and the Mongols in the East.

Thus, the Reconquista in Spain, the Norman conquest of Sicily and the attacks of the Normans on the North African coast, the conquests of Pisa, Genoa and Aragon in Majorca and Sardinia, and the military operations of Christian rulers against Muslims at sea clearly demonstrated the direction of Western European foreign policy at the end of the 11th century.

Western Europe

The idea of ​​the first crusade in particular and the entire crusading movement as a whole originates in the situation that developed in Western Europe at the end of the Early Middle Ages. After the division of the Carolingian empire and the conversion of the warlike Hungarians and Vikings to Christianity, relative stability set in. However, over the previous few centuries, a whole class of warriors had formed in Europe, who now, when the borders of states were no longer in serious danger from outside, had to use their forces in internecine conflicts and pacify peasant revolts.

The ongoing military conflicts with the Muslims allowed the idea of ​​a Holy War against Islam to flourish. When Muslims occupied Jerusalem - the heart of the Christian religion - Pope Gregory VII in 1074 called the soldiers of Christ (lat. milites Christi) go to the East and help Byzantium, which three years earlier suffered a serious defeat in the battle of Manzikert, to recapture the sacred lands. The pope's appeal was ignored by chivalry, but nevertheless drew attention to events in the East and provoked a wave of pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Reports soon began to come in of abuse and persecution of Muslim pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and other holy cities. The news of the persecution of the pilgrims caused a wave of indignation among Christians.

At the beginning of March 1095, an embassy of Emperor Alexei Comnenus arrived at the cathedral in Piacenza with a request to help Byzantium in the fight against the Seljuks.

On November 26, 1095, a cathedral was held in the French city of Clermont, at which Pope Urban II delivered an impassioned speech in the face of the nobility and clergy, urging the audience to go to the East and liberate Jerusalem from Muslim rule. This call fell on fertile ground, since the ideas of the Crusade were already popular among the people of Western European states, and the campaign could be organized at any moment. The pope's speech only indicated the aspirations of a large group of Catholics in Western European states.

Byzantium

The Byzantine Empire had many enemies on its borders. So, in 1090 - 1091, the Pechenegs threatened her, but their onslaught was repulsed with the help of the Polovtsians and Slavs. At the same time, the Turkic pirate Chakha, dominating the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Bosphorus, disturbed the coast near Constantinople with his raids. Considering that by this time most of Anatolia had been captured by the Seljuk Turks, and the Byzantine army suffered a serious defeat from them in 1071 at the Battle of Manzikert, then the Byzantine Empire was in a crisis state, and there was a threat of its complete destruction. The peak of the crisis came in the winter of 1090/1091, when the pressure of the Pechenegs on the one hand and the kindred Turks on the other threatened to cut off Constantinople from the outside world.

In this situation, Emperor Alexei Comnenus carried on diplomatic correspondence with the rulers of Western European countries (the most famous correspondence was with Robert of Flanders), calling on them for help and showing the plight of the empire. A number of steps have also been outlined to bring the Orthodox and Catholic churches closer together. These circumstances aroused interest in the West. By the time the Crusade began, however, Byzantium had already overcome a deep political and military crisis and had been in a period of relative stability since about 1092. The Pecheneg horde was defeated, the Seljuks did not conduct active campaigns against the Byzantines, and on the contrary, the emperor often resorted to the help of mercenary detachments, consisting of Turks and Pechenegs, to pacify his enemies. But in Europe they believed that the state of the empire was disastrous, counting on the humiliating position of the emperor. This calculation turned out to be incorrect, which subsequently led to many contradictions in Byzantine-Western European relations.

Muslim world

Most of Anatolia on the eve of the Crusade was in the hands of the nomadic tribes of the Seljuk Turks and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, who adhered to the Sunni trend in Islam. Some tribes in many cases did not recognize even the nominal authority of the Sultan over themselves, or enjoyed wide autonomy. By the end of the 11th century, the Seljuks pushed Byzantium within its borders, occupying almost all of Anatolia after defeating the Byzantines in the decisive battle of Manzikert in 1071. However, the Turks were more concerned with solving internal problems than with the war with the Christians. The constantly renewed conflict with the Shiites and the civil war that broke out over the rights of succession to the sultan's title attracted much more attention of the Seljuk rulers.

On the territory of Syria and Lebanon, Muslim semi-autonomous city-states pursued a relatively independent policy from empires, guided primarily by their regional rather than general Muslim interests.

Egypt and most of Palestine were controlled by Shiites from the Fatimid dynasty. A significant part of their empire was lost after the arrival of the Seljuks, and therefore Alexei Komnenos advised the crusaders to conclude an alliance with the Fatimids against a common enemy. In 1076, under Caliph al-Mustali, the Seljuks captured Jerusalem, but in 1098, when the crusaders had already advanced to the East, the Fatimids retook the city. The Fatimids hoped to see in the person of the crusaders a force that would influence the course of policy in the Middle East against the interests of the Seljuks, the eternal enemy of the Shiites, and from the very beginning of the campaign they played a subtle diplomatic game.

In general, Muslim countries have experienced a period of deep political vacuum after the death of almost all the leading leaders at about the same time. In 1092 the Seljuk vazir Nizam al-Mulk and Sultan Malik-shah died, then in 1094 the Abbasid caliph al-Muktadi and the Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir. Both in the east and in Egypt, a fierce struggle for power began. The civil war among the Seljuks led to the complete decentralization of Syria and the formation of small, hostile city-states there. The Fatimid Empire also had internal problems.

Timeline of campaign events

Peasant crusade

Urban II determined the beginning of the crusade on August 15 (the feast of the Ascension of the Virgin) in 1096. However, long before that, an army of peasants and petty chivalry, led by the Amiens monk Peter the Hermit, a talented orator and preacher, independently advanced to Jerusalem. The scale of this spontaneous popular movement was enormous. While the Pope (Patriarch of Rome) expected to attract only a few thousand knights to the campaign, Peter the Hermit in March 1096 led a crowd of many thousands - which consisted, however, for the most part of unarmed poor people who set off on the road with their wives and children .

This is a huge (according to objective estimates, several tens of thousands (~ 50-60 thousand) poor people marched on the Campaign with several "armies", of which more than 35 thousand people concentrated in Constantinople, and up to 30 thousand crossed to Asia Minor) unorganized the horde encountered its first difficulties in Eastern Europe. Leaving their native lands, people did not have time (and many simply could not because of their poverty) stock up on provisions, as they set off too early and did not catch the rich harvest of 1096, which was born in Western Europe for the first time after several years of drought and famine. Therefore, they expected that the Christian cities of Eastern Europe would provide them with free food and everything they needed (as was always the case in the Middle Ages for pilgrims going to the Holy Land), or they would release provisions at a reasonable price. However, Bulgaria, Hungary and other countries through which the route of the poor ran did not always agree to such conditions, and therefore conflicts broke out between the locals and the rampant militias who took food from them by force.

Descending along the Danube, the participants of the campaign plundered and devastated the Hungarian lands, for which, not far from Nis, they were attacked by the combined army of the Bulgarians, Hungarians and Byzantines. About a quarter of the militias were killed, but the rest almost without loss reached Constantinople by August. There, the followers of Peter the Hermit were joined by armies that advanced from Italy and France. Soon, the crusading poor who flooded the city began to arrange riots and pogroms in Constantinople, and Emperor Alexei had no choice but to transport them across the Bosphorus.

Once in Asia Minor, the participants of the campaign quarreled and split into two separate armies. On the side of the Seljuks who attacked them, there was a significant advantage - they were more experienced and organized warriors, and besides, unlike the Christians, they knew the area very well, so soon almost all the militias, many of whom had never held weapons in their hands and did not have serious weapons, were killed. This 1st battle in the northwest of Asia Minor at Dorileum, "in the valley of the Dragon", can hardly be called a battle: the Seljuk cavalry attacked and destroyed the first smaller group of poor crusaders, and then fell upon their main forces. Almost all the pilgrims died from the arrows or sabers of the Seljuk Turks, the Muslims did not spare anyone - neither women, nor children, nor the elderly, who were many among the "unfortunate crusaders" and for whom it was impossible to get good money when sold on the market as slaves. This terrible massacre (since the Muslims killed an essentially peaceful pilgrimage, the "poor peasants' campaign" did not set goals to conquer anything other than Jerusalem) laid the foundation for atrocities, many examples of which we find in the history of the Crusades on both sides. Of the approximately 30 thousand participants in the "Campaign of the Beggars", only a few dozen people managed to reach the possessions of the Byzantines, approximately 25-27 thousand were killed, and 3-4 thousand, mostly young girls and boys, were captured and sold to Muslim markets of Asia Minor. The military leader of the "Campaign of the Poor" knight Walter Golyak died in the battle at Dorileum. The spiritual leader of the "unfortunate crusaders" Peter Hermit, who managed to escape, later joined the main army of the 1st Crusade. Soon the approaching Byzantine corps could only lay down a hill up to 30 meters high from the bodies of the fallen Christians and perform the funeral ceremony for the fallen ...

german crusade

Although anti-Semitic sentiments have reigned in Europe for many centuries, it was during the 1st Crusade that the first mass persecution of Jews took place. In May 1096, a German army of about 10,000 men, led by the petty French knight Gauthier the Beggar, Count Emicho of Leiningen, and the knight Volkmar, traveled north across the Rhine valley—in the direction opposite to Jerusalem—and massacred Jews in Mainz, Cologne, Bamberg, and other cities in Germany.

The preachers of the crusade only fueled anti-Semitic sentiment. Calls to fight Jews and Muslims - the main, according to churchmen, enemies of Christianity - people perceived as a direct guide to violence and pogroms. In France and Germany, the Jews were considered the main culprits of the crucifixion of Christ, and since they were incomparably closer than the distant Muslims, people wondered why they should go on a dangerous journey to the East, if they could punish the enemy at home.

Often the Crusaders gave the Jews the choice of converting to Christianity or dying. Most preferred death to renunciation, in addition, in the Jewish communities, which reached the news of the arbitrariness of the crusaders, there were frequent cases of mass suicides. According to the chronicle of Solomon bar Simeon, “one killed his brother, the other his parents, wife and children, the suitors killed their brides, mothers killed their children.” Despite attempts by the local clergy and secular authorities to prevent the violence, thousands of Jews were killed. To justify their actions, the crusaders cited the words of Pope Urban II, who at the Clermont Cathedral called for the sword to be punished not only by Muslims, but also by all who professed any other religion other than Christianity. Outbreaks of aggression against Jews were observed throughout the history of the crusades, despite the fact that the church officially condemned the massacres of civilians and advised not to destroy the Gentiles, but to convert them to Christianity. The Jews of Europe, for their part, also tried to resist the crusaders - they organized self-defense units, or hired mercenaries to protect their quarters, tried to negotiate protection with the local hierarchs of the Catholic Church. The Jews also warned about the advance of the next groups of crusaders of their brothers and even Muslims in Asia Minor and North Africa, and even collected funds that were sent through the Jewish communities to increase the economic power of the Muslim emirs, who actively fought against the invasions of Christian Europeans.

Crusade of the nobility

After the defeat of the army of the poor and the massacre of Jews in August 1096, the chivalry finally advanced under the leadership of powerful nobles from different regions of Europe. Count Raymond of Toulouse, together with the papal legate Adémar of Monteil, Bishop of Le Puy, led the knights of Provence. The Normans of Southern Italy were led by Prince Bohemond of Tarentum and his nephew Tancred. The brothers Gottfried of Bouillon, Eustache of Boulogne and Baldwin of Boulogne were commanders of the Lorraine, and the soldiers of Northern France were led by Count Robert of Flanders, Robert of Normandy (the eldest son of William the Conqueror and brother of William the Red, King of England), Count Stefan of Blois and Hugh of Vermandois (son of Anna of Kyiv and younger brother of Philip I, King of France).

Road to Jerusalem

Crossing Asia at the height of summer, the warriors suffered from heat, lack of water and provisions. Some, unable to withstand the hardships of the campaign, died, many horses fell. From time to time, the crusaders received help in money and food from brothers in faith - both from local Christians and from those who remained in Europe - but for the most part they had to earn their own food, devastating the lands through which their path lay. The warlords of the crusade continued to challenge each other for supremacy, but none of them had sufficient authority to assume the role of a full leader. The spiritual leader of the campaign was, of course, Ademar Monteilsky, Bishop of Le Puy.

When the crusaders passed the Cilician gates, Baldwin of Boulogne left the army. With a small detachment of warriors, he set out on his own route through Cilicia and arrived in Edessa at the beginning of 1098, where he won the confidence of the local ruler Toros and was appointed his successor. In the same year, Thoros was killed by the townspeople, and Baldwin became the ruler of the first crusader state in the East - the county of Edessa.

Siege of Nicaea

Main article: Siege of Nicaea (1097)

Siege of Antioch

In autumn, the crusader army reached Antioch, which stood halfway between Constantinople and Jerusalem, and on October 21, 1097, besieged the city.

historical sources

1. F.I. Uspensky. HISTORY OF THE CRUSSIONS St. Petersburg, 1900-1901.


2. Zaborov Mikhail Abramovich. Crusaders in the East. M.: The main editorial office of oriental literature of the publishing house "Nauka". 1980. - 320 p.


3. Vasiliev A.A. History of Byzantium. Byzantium and the Crusaders. M., 1923.


4. Vasiliev A.A. History of Byzantium. From the Beginning of the Crusades to the Fall of Constantinople. M., 1989.


5. Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaya O.A. The era of the Crusades. Pg., 1918.


6. Zaborov M.A. The Papacy and the Crusades. M., 1960.


7. History of the Crusades / Under. ed. J. Riley-Smith. M., 1998.


8. Kugler B. History of the Crusades. Rostov n / D., 1998.


9. Le Goff J. Civilization of the Medieval West. M., 1992.


10. Luchitskaya S.I. Muslim idols // Other Middle Ages: to the 75th anniversary of A.Ya. Gurevich / Comp.: I.V. Dubovsky and others. M.; St. Petersburg, 2000.


11. Luchitskaya S.I. The Image of the "Other": Muslims in the Chronicles of the Crusades. SPb., 2001.


12. Wright J.K. Geographical representations in the era of the Crusades. M., 1988.


13. The Age of the Crusades / Under. ed. E. Lavissa, A. Rambaud. Smolensk, 2001.


14. From the chronicle of Robert of Reims "Jerusalem history" // Medieval Europe through the eyes of contemporaries and historians / Ed. ed. A.L. Yastrebitskaya. M., 1995. Part II. pp. 179-182.


15. Stories of the Middle Ages: Reader / Comp.: V.E. Stepanova, A.Ya. Shevelenko. M., 1969. Part I. S. 259-262.


16. Micho G. History of the Crusades. - M.: Aleteya, 2001. - 368 p.:

Crusades Nesterov Vadim

First crusade (1096–1099)

First crusade

The history of the First, the most successful of the Crusades, is well known, since the campaign itself is described in detail by the participants in the events in such documents as the chronicle “Acts of the Franks and other Jerusalemites”, compiled around 1100 by an unknown Italo-Norman knight, or “History Franks who took Jerusalem" by the Provencal priest Raymond of Agil, who was in the retinue of Count Raymond of Toulouse.

Not only the poor went on the Crusade. In the spring of 1096, knights began to gather on a pilgrimage across the sea, and the First Crusade began at the scheduled time. The knightly army, supplemented by peasants, townspeople and representatives of the clergy, amounted, according to various estimates, from 100 to 300 thousand people. It was a well-equipped, professional army, but it did not have a general leadership, route and permanent staff.

The knights moved in four squads:

- the largest detachment was led by the Duke of Lorraine Gottfried (Godfroy) IV of Bouillon. In his detachment were knights from Lorraine and the Rhine lands;

- from the Norman possessions in southern Italy moved by sea to Constantinople Bohemond, Prince of Tarentum;

- from Southern France through Dalmatia, he went to Constantinople along the ancient road Via Egnatia (“Egnatian Road”) built by the Romans, Count Raymond IV of Toulouse (Raymond of Saint-Gilles). With his army was the papal legate (envoy) - Bishop Ademar de Puy (Aymar de Monteil);

- From Northern France and England, troops were led through Italy by Duke Robert of Normandy (Robert III Kurtges), Count Robert II of Flanders, Etienne II de Blois, Count of Blois and Chartres.

In addition to the main leaders of the crusading detachments, there were many noble people from all over Europe in the army. On December 6, 1096, the crusading army arrived in Constantinople.

The arrival of detachments of "liberators" in late 1096 - early 1097. under the walls of Constantinople did not cause joy in the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Komnenos. The immediate threat from the Pechenegs and Turks had been eliminated by this time. Meanwhile, Western aid assumed alarmingly large proportions.

Having achieved with the help of gifts, bribery, and where with the use of military force the vassal oath (with the exception of Raymond of Saint-Gilles), Alexei Comnenus in the spring of 1097 transported the crusading army across the Bosphorus, from where they, together with the Byzantines, set out on a campaign for the Holy Sepulcher.

The first battle took place in May 1097. It was the battle for Nicaea, which ended in the victory of the Crusaders and Byzantium and betrayal by the latter. Byzantine units entered the city, after which Byzantine flags were raised on the towers. The city went to the Eastern Roman Empire, and the crusaders were satisfied with a monetary reward.

Massacre during the assault on Jerusalem in 1099. Unknown Western European artist of the 13th century.

The soldiers of Christ made a long and difficult campaign through Syria and Palestine in the summer of 1097. In the autumn of this year, the city of Edessa was captured, and the following year, the first crusader state, the county of Edessa, was founded. Also in 1098, the second crusader state, the Principality of Antioch, was created after the "pilgrims" took one of the largest and most fortified cities in the Mediterranean - Antioch.

The greatest achievement of this campaign was the capture of Jerusalem, which took place on July 15, 1099. The army gathered from all over Europe achieved its main goal - the Holy Sepulcher and the holy lands were liberated.

It happened like this. On June 7, 1099, the crusaders reached Jerusalem. The first unprepared attempt to take the city on June 13 failed - before the assault, the beginning of the fast was announced, and the crusaders, who were counting on the help of the Almighty and confident that a miracle was about to happen, did not even prepare the stairs for the assault. The city was conquered only a month later, after the Genoese and English ships brought food and materials for the construction of siege weapons.

The Holy Land of Jerusalem was covered in blood. About 10 thousand inhabitants fell just next to the main mosque. At the temple of Solomon, according to the testimony of the author of the anonymous Italo-Norman chronicle “The Acts of the Franks and other Jerusalemites”, “there was such a massacre that ours stood ankle-deep in blood ... Ours grabbed many men and women in the temple and killed as many as they wanted, and left as many as they wanted alive ... The crusaders scattered throughout the city, grabbing gold and silver, horses and mules, taking [for themselves] houses full of all kinds of goods.

A break was made to worship the holy relics, after which the robbery of the city and the killing of the inhabitants continued. Looting and killing lasted two days. Those few of the Jews who managed to survive were sold into slavery, some Muslims managed to escape to Damascus.

After the capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders in 1099, the Kingdom of Jerusalem was created.

To hold Jerusalem, it was necessary to conquer the surrounding territories, which led to the creation of western colonies in the Levant (they were called the Latin East). The colonies immediately became the target of Turkish raids, and therefore there was a need for military measures to protect them. In particular, military-monastic (spiritual-knightly) orders began to appear to help these settlements.

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The first crusade of 1096 and the conquest of the Balkans and Asia Minor as its main goal Let us dwell on the events of the era of the First Crusade in more detail.

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From the book The Crusades. Under the shadow of the cross author Domanin Alexander Anatolievich

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From the book The Crusades the author Nesterov Vadim

The First Crusade (1096-1099) The history of the First, the most successful of the Crusades, is well known, since the crusade itself is described in detail by the participants in the events in such documents as the chronicle "Acts of the Franks and other Jerusalemites", compiled around 1100.

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The Crusades to the Holy Land are a 200-year epic of military campaigns and endless battles between Christians and Muslims. And the beginning of this was laid by the First Crusade (1096-1099), thanks to which the soldiers of Christ entrenched themselves in the lands of Palestine and formed states there. All these newly emerged Christian lands began to be called the Latin East. And it was a narrow coastal strip of land, reaching a length of 1200 km. Castles were built in these places, which became a stronghold of the resistance of Christians to Muslims.

The beginning of these historical events was laid by the conflict between the Byzantine Empire and the Turks. The situation for the Byzantines became so difficult that their emperor Alexei Komnenos turned to Pope Urban II for help. He did not refuse to help, guided by his own interests. The head of the Catholic Church hoped in this way to unite the Christian Church that had disintegrated in 1054 and lead it.

Urban II turned to the flock with a sermon. It happened on November 24, 1095 in the city of Clermont in France. The servant of God called on Christians to go to the Holy Land and free the Holy Sepulcher. Listening to the pope, the sense screamed: “So God wants!”. Many immediately began to tear their scarves into strips, fold them in a cross and sew them onto their clothes. And the most exalted ones burned crosses on their bodies. All these events became the preludes of the First Crusade.

I must say that this military company did not have any clear organization, since there was no unified command. The basis of everything was the enthusiasm of the people, but at the same time everyone put their personal interests and goals at the forefront. Someone went to distant lands out of curiosity to see new countries. Someone was driven by the need that reigned in the house. Some went to escape from debt or to escape punishment for some crime.

The newly minted crusaders moved into the Holy Land in two waves. The first wave, also called the Peasants' Crusade, appeared on the outskirts of Constantinople in the early summer of 1096. This army consisted of impoverished peasants and townspeople. It was somehow armed and consisted not only of men, but also of women and children. Some went to conquer Palestine with their whole families, and therefore one can easily imagine the level of military training of these crusaders.

At the head of this crowd, since it cannot be called an army, were the monk Peter the Hermit and the French priest Gauthier Saint-Avoire. Heading towards Constantinople, these half-impoverished crusaders hunted for alms, robberies and robbery. And when the Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos saw this army, he was horrified. He surrounded the unorganized crowd with detachments of hired Pechenegs and tried to transport it to the lands of Asia Minor as quickly as possible.

There were about 50 thousand of these people, and most of them were destroyed by the Seljuk Turks. They spared neither children, nor women, nor the elderly. Only young boys and girls were taken prisoner to be sold into slavery in Muslim bazaars. From the first wave of crusaders, only a few dozen people returned to Byzantium. Peter the Hermit also escaped, but the priest Gauthier Saint-Avoir died, pierced by arrows.

After the complete defeat of the poor, the second wave of crusaders, consisting of professional warriors - knights, set off on a campaign. These were separate combat units, each of which was subordinate to its commander. The most authoritative in this army were the youngest son of the French king Hugh of Vermandois, the powerful nobleman from the south of France, Raymond of Saint Gilles, the Norman from Italy, Prince Bohemond of Tarentum, and some other no less noble nobles. But not a single European monarch took part in this campaign, since they were all under excommunication.

Noble knights in the amount of 60 thousand people arrived in Constantinople in the early autumn of 1096. They swore allegiance to the Byzantine emperor, crossed over to Asia Minor and set off to conquer the Holy Land. This turned out to be a very difficult task, as the constant heat, lack of water, lack of food for horses, unexpected attacks by the Turks exhausted the crusaders.

Crusaders in Jerusalem

But, despite all the hardships and hardships, the fighting detachments of Christians passed through Asia Minor and in 1098 captured Antioch, and on July 15, 1099 they stormed Jerusalem. However, for the victory had to pay a huge amount of human lives. In continuous battles, at least 40 thousand knights fell, and only 20 thousand reached the final goal. But those who survived became the owners of vast lands and castles. These people, who were poor in Europe, became rich in the East.

After the capture of Jerusalem, the third wave of crusaders moved into the Holy Land. But she arrived in Palestine in the summer of 1101, when the First Crusade had already ended. They were from Lombardy, France and Bavaria. They joined the main knightly contingent and strengthened its position in the conquered lands.

Having defeated the Muslims, the crusaders created their own states in Palestine. Chief among them was Kingdom of Jerusalem, which lasted until 1291. He had several vassal territories under his control, which were counties and principalities.

Crusader states on the map

In addition to the kingdom arose Edessa county. It is considered the first state of the crusaders, which arose in 1098. It lasted until 1146. Also in 1098 was founded Principality of Antioch, which ceased to exist in 1268. The youngest public entity was County of Tripoli. It was founded in 1105, and ceased to exist in 1289 before the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Thus, thanks to the First Crusade, the Latin East arose on the lands of Palestine. But this Christian world found itself in a very difficult political situation, as it was surrounded on all sides by hostile Muslims. Very soon, he asked for help from Europe, which led to new crusades. And it all ended in 1291, when the last stronghold of Christians, the fortress of Acre, was captured by the Turks..

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 grand titles, but no landed property, 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 firstCrusade 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.
The military organization also differed. 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 historical march through Asia Minor began, in the battle of Dorilea (1097), which was 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 colleague, 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 the chronicler Raimund Azhilsky, “the Lord bowed to show us the 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 Christian 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:
. The County of Edessa was 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;
. The Principality of Antioch was founded by Bohemond I of Tarentum in 1098 after the capture of Antioch. The principality lasted until 1268;
>. The 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