Essay On First Crusade

The First Crusade was one of eight other Crusades. It was aimed at Jerusalem in the hope of taking back the Holy City from Muslim power. Strangely, it was the only crusade to ever be fully successful. The fact that the First Crusade was victorious most likely because of help from other people and good war strategy is proven by historical evidence. If there had not been so many people that went on the Crusade, the Crusade might not have succeeded. In July 1095, Pope Urban II returned to his home in France to recruit men, sending them on a journey to conquer the Holy Land for Christian rule. A half-million men, women, and children, led by the valiant leaders Peter the Hermit and Sir Walter the Penniless, left Europe in August, 1096. Fifty-thousand of the people survived the Crusade; if the Crusade had had less people than they had had from the start, it is very likely the Crusade would have been a compete disaster. If the Crusaders had not received help from foreign alliances, Jerusalem might never have been taken. The Crusaders arrived in Constantinople from November 1096 through April 1097. They ransacked the countryside for food, but Emperor Alexis of Constantinople gave them food as well as military escorts to keep them moving. With this help from Emperor Alexis, the Crusaders overcame. The Crusader armies crossed over into Asia Minor during the first half of 1097 where they were joined by Peter the Hermit and the rest of his small army. Emperor Alexis sent two of his generals, Manuel Boutoumides and Tatikios, to help out the Crusaders. The Crusaders attacked the city of Nicea which was their first major objective. They took the city on June 18, 1097 with help from Constantinople. The Crusade was not only won by numbers, but by war strategy, as well. The battle of Dorylaeum which occurred on July, 1097, was a Crusader victory. When the Crusaders arrived at Antioch, they sent a spy to the inside who found a wall unguarded, allowing Crusaders to pass through St. George’s Gate and take the city. On June 7, 1099, the Crusaders reached their ultimate goal, the holy City of Jerusalem. News soon arrived that an Egyptian army had left Egypt which really motivated the Crusaders to attack the city. Since the Crusaders were positioned to the North and the South of the city, the Crusaders attacked both sides. On July 15, 1099, a final attack was launched at both ends of the city, and eventually the inner rampart of the Northern wall was captured. In panic after what had happened, the defenders abandoned the walls of the city at both ends, allowing the Crusaders to finally enter. After Godfrey was crowned king, the Crusaders were victorious at the battle of Ascalon. Why had the Crusaders won so many of these battles? Why had the Crusaders won this Crusade but lost almost all the others? There is no definite, provable answer, but here is a possible answer to both of these questions. I am convinced that the answer lies most in the numbers that participated in the battles.