My interest in Crusades led me to read two very fine books written
quite recently, “The First Crusade: The
Call from the East,” by Peter Frankopan, 2012 and “The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land,” by Thomas Asbridge, 2010.
Not that I fully understood the nuances of the Medieval religious fervor and
the blood thirsty massacres carried out in the name of religion and holy wars
both by Christians and Muslims. Still it was a fantastic read and I wish to
share some of the historical details and my own impressions of the Crusades
with you all.
The Crusades raged for almost two centuries, from 1095 to
1291. There were eight to nine crusades with Latin Christians (mainly French) travelling
all the way from the West to Constantinople, Asia Minor and Palestine to fight
a war against Muslims. We will go through these crusades starting from the
first. It is a marvel that religious fervor could motivate people to do that
for two centuries, in spite of the dangers involved and heavy casualties.
The First Crusade actually started as a response to the
urgent appeals by the Alexios I Komnenos, Emperor of Byzantium, the East Roman
Empire with its capital at Constantinople. Alexios, the Greek Emperor, called
for assistance from his Christian contemporaries of the Western Latin kingdoms
to help him tide the onslaught of the Muslim Turks, as they were in the process
of swallowing the territory of his Kingdom, having already taken possession of
Asia Minor. The very existence of the Christian Byzantine Empire was in danger.
The knights of the West were well versed in sustained siege, attacking large
fortified targets, a technique the Eastern counterpart were not very good at,
another reason for Alexios to invite armed assistance from the West.
Pope Urban II, who was in a limbo in France, took up the call
of the East seriously and started to work on it by writing to the nobles and
aristocratic families of France, Germany and England. His famous speech in
Clermont in France in November 1095 that Christianity in the East was in dire
straight and that the Holy City of Jerusalem was in the hands of Muslims, the
enemy, moved many people to take up the cross to help their brothers in the
East and also to deliver Jerusalem the Holy City from the clutches of Muslims. The
Pope also toured extensively in Europe propagating this venture of Holy War. He
assured that those who take up arms to defend Christianity will have all their
sins remitted. Their religious fervor kindled, hundreds and thousands of
people took up arms to free the Holy City and also to assist the Byzantine
Christians. Many nobles of reputed families took up the cross, important ones
being, Robert the Duke of Normandy; Hugh of Vermandois, brother of Philip I,
King of France; Count Raymond of Toulouse; Italian Norman Bohemond of Taranto;
Godfrey Bouillon from Lorraine; his brother Baldwin of Boulogne; Tancred of Hauteville and also many knights. Many
of them mortgaged their properties to raise money for themselves, their knights
and soldiers to fight the war. It was not an organized army, with one leader at
its head, but in bits and pieces the foot soldiers and people marched on along
with their knights and nobles in different groups. They held a war council as
situation demanded and took decisions through group discussions.
The land route taken to Constantinople was highly dangerous
and treacherous. Many perished on the way. One group, consisting of the poor
rabble, under the leadership of Peter the Hermit, a preacher, called the
People’s Crusade went early and on the way carried out a terrible massacre of
the Jews as the enemy of Christ as it passed through Germany. Anti-Semitism
ruled high. Bishops and the Pope and Kings and the Emperor warned the people
against it. On the way, this group fell a pray to the Turks who murdered the clerics,
monks and infants mercilessly. People were slaughtered and the whole venture of
People’s Crusade ended in chaotic defeat in October 1096.
Others more organized and arms bearing started to arrive. Alexios
was worried that these warriors and nobles might target Constantinople itself
and made elaborate arrangements to meet the food requirements of the crusaders on
the way, took the soldiers separately to a spot away from the city of
Constantinople and met the leaders separately in the city, giving lavish presents
and money for taking part in the Crusade. He made them swear that they will
obey his directions in waging the war, though he couldn’t personally lead them
in the war and to hand over the cities and towns won from Muslim Turks to the
representatives of the Emperor to govern.
In spite of all these elaborate planning when the crusade was
on its way, things went awry. First major town to be targeted was Nicaea. There
by February 1097 assembled some 75,000, including 7500 mounted knights, and
35,000 lightly equipped infantry. The city fell to the Crusaders by June 1097.
It was handed over to the governor representing Alexios. The next stage of the
campaign was to go through Asia Minor to Antioch requiring three month’s march.
Drinking water was running low; many died of thirst; food supply was getting
exhausted; people starved; they started to eat horses, asses, camels, dogs and
even rats; some of them even hide of the dead animals.
En route Smyrna, Ephesus and other coastal
towns including Philadelphia, Sardis, Laodecea, Tarsos were taken one by one by
1098 and quickly handed over to Byzantine governors. Next important town to be
taken was Edessa. By this time ambitions among the nobles leading the crusade
started to raise its ugly head. Why fight the war and give the prizes to the
Byzantines? Why not carve out a kingdom or a principality for themselves?
Baldwin was not willing to hand over Edessa to Alexios’ men. This became the
first Crusader State in the Near East, with a ruler of its own.
The Crusaders reached Antioch by September 1097; it was the
seat of one of the five patriarchs; the place where Paul preached and the
followers of Christ were first called Christians. To demoralize the Franks (the
Latin Christians), Turks hung the Patriarch of Antioch upside down over the walls
and was beat him with iron rods. Food shortages, hunger, disease took many
lives. The Greek guide who was travelling with them on behalf of the Byzantium
Emperor left the city never to return. The knights were urged to fast for three
days, to march around the city, holding the Crusaders’ flag, without wearing footwear
even. Mass was celebrated, psalms recited and pious prayers were sent to
Christ. Finally by March 1098 food arrived by a fleet sent by Byzantines. Due
to split in the ranks of the enemy and a betrayal by a Muslim, the Franks took
a daring assault on the city and breached the walls and by June 1098 the city
fell. It was a miracle and a stunning victory. They also recovered the Holy Lance
from under the floor of the Church of St. Peter in Antioch. Prayers and
thanksgiving were offered to God. But the nobles and knights decided not to
hand over Antioch to the Greek Emperor. This would become the second Crusader
State to be formed. Bohemond remained back claiming it for his rule, as he had
led the frontal attack. Thereafter no other town would be handed over to the
Emperor.
The crusaders won Kerbogha, Arqa, Tripoli on the way by May
1099 and pushed onward to Jerusalem, the Holy City by June 1099. They passed
through Tyre, Acre and Caesarea without much trouble. They were jubilant. People
burst into tears of joy on setting their sights on the Holy City. They held a
solemn procession, knights bearing crosses and walking barefoot round the walls
of Jerusalem imploring God to help and His mercy. By now they have travelled
some 2000 miles. With their incessant bombardment by the siege machines and
assault towers, they breached a wall and the city of Jerusalem fell to the
Crusaders in July 1099. They did not forget to give thanks to their God in
tears for this miraculous victory. But what followed was horrible. These pious
Christians massacred some 10,000 and more people, Muslims and Jews, including
women and children, in what is known as Jerusalem Massacre. They sacked the
city and looted it for days. But the Holy City has been redeemed from the hands
of Muslims. Godfrey of Bouillon was declared the ruler of this third Crusader
State.
Three big cities in the Near East, Nicaea, Antioch and
Jerusalem had been conquered by the Crusaders within two years. There were
celebrations. Jerusalem lost to the Christians in 637 along with the whole of
Levant, was back in Christian hands after some 450 years. The First Crusade was
a success; miraculous may be, but still a success. Alexios recovered Nicaea and
the towns in the coast of Asia Minor. His kingdom had become quite strong now
through the help of crusaders and their victories. Turks had been subdued at
least for the time being. The Crusaders formed small crusader settlements in
these cities and started to reign as individual kings and monarchs. The main
reason for their success was disunity among Muslims who did not have a strong
ruler or leader among them. But the pious intention of the Crusaders to help
their Christian brothers of Byzantine and to deliver the Holy City from the
hands of Muslims, and the privation they went through to achieve these goals were
all good enough reasons for the victory of the First Crusade.
In the next blog we will go through the other crusades,
second one to the last and see how the Crusaders and Muslims fared in these
medieval wars. Hope this was interesting and informative. Do let me have your
opinions and suggestions so that I benefit from your feedback. Thank you and God
keep you all blessed.
