First Crusade
1096 · Medieval
In 1095, Pope Urban II called for an armed pilgrimage to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim control, responding to Byzantine Emperor Alexios I's request for military aid against the Seljuk Turks. Beginning in 1096, approximately 60,000 soldiers from across Western Europe marched east through Anatolia. After capturing Antioch in June 1098, the Crusader armies besieged and stormed Jerusalem on July 15, 1099, killing a large portion of the city's inhabitants. The campaign resulted in the establishment of four Crusader states: the Kingdom of Jerusalem, County of Edessa, Principality of Antioch, and County of Tripoli.
Key Figures
Pope Urban IIGodfrey of BouillonBohemond of TarantoRaymond of Saint-Gilles
Locations
JerusalemAntiochNicaeaClermont
Topics
Religious WarsLatin ChurchFirst CrusadeMedieval PeriodHoly LandIslamic Rule
Connected Events — 2 Connections
Reversed the Islamic defeat that began with the First Crusade 88 years earlier Saladin Recaptures Jerusalem from the Crusaders
Capetian consolidation of French royal authority enabled significant French participation in the First Crusade called during the reign of Philip I Hugh Capet Elected King of France, Founding the Capetian Dynasty
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