The Medieval Crusades

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.