Speaker 1: The battles of the past to find the present. This
Speaker 1: is shields high. Gather around, friends, for I have a
Speaker 1: story to tell. A thousand years ago, a military force
Speaker 1: assembled in Europe and rallied under the banner of the Cross.
Speaker 1: This Christian army believed no less than their eternal salvation
Speaker 1: was at stake. These warriors, knights, foot soldiers and peasants
Speaker 1: traveled three thousand miles to do battle in the heart
Speaker 1: of a vast enemy empire. Despite their religious zeal and bravery,
Speaker 1: this army of Christendom was embarking on what could have
Speaker 1: been a suicide mission. From a purely military standpoint. They
Speaker 1: were outmanned and outmatched. They had no idea of the
Speaker 1: enemy's true strength or will to fight. But death in
Speaker 1: battle was to be rewarded with the elimination of all
Speaker 1: penance four sins. The Pope himself had promised no less.
Speaker 1: Before they left behind the familiar castles and farms of Europe,
Speaker 1: the true believers sewed the sign of the Cross onto
Speaker 1: their shoulders and chests. They called this crucis ignatis for
Speaker 1: one with the sign of the Cross, from which many
Speaker 1: decades later we would get the term crusade. And in
Speaker 1: the year of Our Lord ten ninety five, their initial
Speaker 1: call to arms in the defense of Christendom would come
Speaker 1: to be known as the First Crusade. This religious and
Speaker 1: military quest marked the first time in centuries that the
Speaker 1: forces of Christian Europe would strike back at the Muslim
Speaker 1: conquest that had consumed so much of the known medieval world.
Speaker 1: The incredible, some would say miraculous, success of the First
Speaker 1: Crusade would be a harbinger of holy wars to come.
Speaker 1: This assemblage of Christian warriors would conquer Jerusalem and set
Speaker 1: in motion two hundred years of fighting between warring Muslim
Speaker 1: factions and the Crusader city states that were established by
Speaker 1: this counter invasion of Christendom. From a d five to
Speaker 1: twelve ninety one, the Near East what is currently Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt,
Speaker 1: Iraq was enmeshed in crusades and jihad's, But it was
Speaker 1: the First Crusade, a military invasion against near impossible odds,
Speaker 1: that shook the Islamic world to its foundations and for
Speaker 1: the first time in history, allowed the Christian world to
Speaker 1: strike at the heart of the Islamic world. Despite what
Speaker 1: is taught in Western schools today, the Crusades were not
Speaker 1: an act of wanton cruelty by a bunch of barbarous
Speaker 1: Christian states. On the contrary, the First Crusade was a
Speaker 1: response to centuries of Islamic conquest, aggression, and threats. By
Speaker 1: the dawn of the twelfth century, the expansion of the
Speaker 1: Islamic Empire seemed nearly unstoppable. At the time of the
Speaker 1: First Crusade, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, North Africa, Asia, Minor, Spain, France, Italy,
Speaker 1: the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica were all Christian
Speaker 1: territories turned into Muslim ones. In fact, about two thirds
Speaker 1: of the formerly Christian world at the time of the
Speaker 1: First Crusade was ruled by Muslims. Had it not been
Speaker 1: for Charles Martel's heroics at the Battle of Tour in
Speaker 1: seven thirty two, the forces of Islam would have conquered
Speaker 1: the heart of Europe itself. The world as we know
Speaker 1: it today would be an entirely different place. Western civilization
Speaker 1: would have been extinguished, replaced with the totalitarianism and despotism
Speaker 1: of the East. But the victory of Charles the Hammer
Speaker 1: Martel was only temporary. The Crescent Moon of Islam already
Speaker 1: reigned over immense domains, and its forces were often literally
Speaker 1: at the gates of Christendom, just waiting to break through.
Speaker 1: On the Iberian Peninsula where modern Spain and Portugal are found,
Speaker 1: and all the way across to the gates of Constantinople
Speaker 1: in the east, in what is now the city of Istanbul, Turkey,
Speaker 1: there was a constant jihadist menace. Islamic raiding parties used
Speaker 1: the Mediterranean to launch murderous, pillaging assaults. They would kidnap
Speaker 1: Christians to sell into slavery along the coasts of Italy, France,
Speaker 1: and Spain all throughout the medieval period. At the end
Speaker 1: of the eleventh century, the goal of every caliph, the
Speaker 1: leader of the Islamic Caliphate was the same, total domination
Speaker 1: of the Christian world through jihad. It was in response
Speaker 1: to this threat of spiritual and temporal bondage, this possibility
Speaker 1: of eternal subjugation, and the extermination of the Christian faith itself.
Speaker 1: In response to all of that, that the First Crusade
Speaker 1: was launched. Finally, an alliance of Christian nobles came together
Speaker 1: to lead their men to a war unlike anything attempted
Speaker 1: since the fall of the Roman Empire. It was in
Speaker 1: fact the inheritors of that Roman Empire, the Byzantines, guardians
Speaker 1: of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith, who said in motion
Speaker 1: the events that would lead to the First Crusade. Their
Speaker 1: rapid decline and the threat of Constantinople's fall, added to
Speaker 1: the persecution of Christian pilgrims en route to the Holy
Speaker 1: Land and the Muslim desecration of religious sites such as
Speaker 1: the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. All of
Speaker 1: that together finally woke Europe from its slumber. As described
Speaker 1: by the French historian of the Crusades, Joseph Michaud quote,
Speaker 1: the Christian faithful had much more to suffer. They were
Speaker 1: driven from their houses, insulted in their churches. The tribute
Speaker 1: which they had to pay to the new masters of
Speaker 1: Palestine was increased, and they were forbidden to carry arms
Speaker 1: or to mount on horseback. A leather girdle, which they
Speaker 1: were never allowed to be without, was the badge of
Speaker 1: their servitude. The conqueror would not permit the Christians to
Speaker 1: speak the Arab tongue sacred to the disciples of the Koran,
Speaker 1: and the people who remained faithful to Jesus Christ had
Speaker 1: not liberty even to pronounce the names of the patriarchs,
Speaker 1: including of Jerusalem itself, without the permission of the Saracens.
Speaker 1: Other misfortunes awaited the Christians of Palestine. Under Muslim rule,
Speaker 1: all religious ceremonies were interdicted. The greater part of the
Speaker 1: churches were converted into stables. That of the Holy Sepulcher
Speaker 1: was completely destroyed. The Christians driven from Jerusalem were scattered
Speaker 1: throughout the countries of the East and quote Christendom was
Speaker 1: under assault. The Byzantine Empire was under siege and threatening
Speaker 1: to collapse. The forces of the Cross had to rally.
Speaker 1: A crusade would be launched to free the Holy Land,
Speaker 1: and it would take these god fearing Christian Zealots to
Speaker 1: the gates of Jerusalem itself. Chapter one besieged Byzantines. Europe
Speaker 1: through the Dark Ages period of a d. Five hundred
Speaker 1: to one thousand or so was in chaos. The Dark
Speaker 1: Ages was an accurate description. There was constant violence among
Speaker 1: petty nobles, lawlessness, widespread ignorance, and deep superstition. Roads built
Speaker 1: by ancient Rome were the most useful and well constructed
Speaker 1: in Europe until well into the fifteen hundreds. The numerous
Speaker 1: barbarian tribes who had sacked Rome and dismembered its empire
Speaker 1: in the fifth century, Huns, Goths, frank Saxons were constantly
Speaker 1: at each other's throats. The only unifier of what we
Speaker 1: now call Europe was Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church. The
Speaker 1: only structures in fact built of stone, and most of
Speaker 1: northern and western Europe at the time were cathedrals. Many
Speaker 1: of those cathedrals and churches built atop formerly pagan temples.
Speaker 1: It was very rare in this period for anyone outside
Speaker 1: the clergy to be able to read or write. Charlemagne himself,
Speaker 1: the great leader who founded the Holy Roman Empire, was illiterate.
Speaker 1: Books were incredibly valuable. Dialects of language were so different
Speaker 1: that villages of the same tribe just a few miles
Speaker 1: apart often had difficulty communicating. During this time, the intellectual, commercial,
Speaker 1: and cultural pinnacle of the Christian world was found in
Speaker 1: the east, a wondrous city of Constantinople. It was the
Speaker 1: Roman emperor Constantine who, back in a d. Three thirty,
Speaker 1: became the first Roman empire to recognize Jesus as his Savior,
Speaker 1: and he made Constantinople, the Roman Empire's second capital, a
Speaker 1: new Rome. In the years leading up to the First Crusade.
Speaker 1: In fact, throughout the entire Dark Ages period, the inhabitants
Speaker 1: of Constantinople thought of themselves as Romans and their crown jewel.
Speaker 1: City was also Christianity's most important fortress against the growing
Speaker 1: menace of Islamic conquest. Constantinople it is among the most
Speaker 1: important strategic locations in the world. It sits astride a
Speaker 1: crucial geographic choke point separating the Black Sea from the Mediterranean.
Speaker 1: With a narrow channel called the hellspont or later the Dardanelles,
Speaker 1: it can be easily closed off. This is also considered
Speaker 1: the gateway to Asia from Europe. After the Islamic advance
Speaker 1: from Arabia across the Near East, the only Christian city
Speaker 1: that was able to withstand repeated Islamic invasions from the
Speaker 1: East was Constantinople. The Islamic Caliphs were hell bent on
Speaker 1: taking the city. In fact, there is a headith, a
Speaker 1: saying attributed to the prophet Muhammed, specifically citing the conquest
Speaker 1: of this ancient Christian city Jihads were launched against Constantinople
Speaker 1: time and again, starting in the seventh century. The first
Speaker 1: major siege of Constantinople came in a D six seventy four.
Speaker 1: It lasted for four years. Muslim forces brought together various
Speaker 1: armadas and fought a series of naval engagements. The one
Speaker 1: consistent theme throughout the contemporary sources regarding these continued Muslim
Speaker 1: military advances against the city is a unique weapon of
Speaker 1: the Byzantine Greek fire that Greek fire gave the Eastern
Speaker 1: Christians the ability to repel naval assault. After naval assault,
Speaker 1: Greek fire was an incendiary weapon, generally deployed by ships
Speaker 1: and defensive fortifications against enemies wooden ships, as the order
Speaker 1: galleys of the medieval period were composed entirely of wood.
Speaker 1: Greek fire was a devastating weapon. Chroniclers of the time
Speaker 1: described it as sticky and able to continue burning even
Speaker 1: on the surface of the sea. Another major Muslim siege
Speaker 1: of Constantinople occurred in a D seven seventeen. This time
Speaker 1: the Islamic armies came on land as well as sea.
Speaker 1: They tried to blockade the city, but the massive Theodosian
Speaker 1: walls three miles of three layered defensive fortifications, with the
Speaker 1: innermost wall sixteen feet thick and thirty six ft tall
Speaker 1: intersper with sixty foot tall guard towers holding back all
Speaker 1: of the Islamic cord. These fortifications were among the most
Speaker 1: impressive ever built in the pre modern world, and the
Speaker 1: use of Greek fire proved too much for the defenders.
Speaker 1: Once again, Constantinople would stay in Christian hands at least
Speaker 1: for a time, but by the constant warfare in the
Speaker 1: Anatolian Peninsula also called Asia Minor between Byzantines and various
Speaker 1: Muslim factions was picking off more and more Christian territory.
Speaker 1: With the arrival of the Seljuk Turks, a massive horde
Speaker 1: of warriors on horseback from the interior Asian step, and
Speaker 1: their conversion to Sunni Islam, the future of Constantinople appeared dire.
Speaker 1: Constantinople's defeat at the hands of the Seljuk Turks at
Speaker 1: the Battle of Man's occurred in ten seventy one, was
Speaker 1: for many the death knell of the once great Byzantines.
Speaker 1: Time was running out for the Eastern Christian Empire, and
Speaker 1: if Constantinople felt it would become the forward operating base
Speaker 1: for Jihad into all of Europe. No less than the
Speaker 1: future of the Christian world hung in the balance. In
Speaker 1: to avert this catastrophe, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius the First
Speaker 1: wrote a desperate plea for help against the Seljouk menace.
Speaker 1: The Western Christian world needed to come to Constantinople's aid,
Speaker 1: retake the Holy Land of Jerusalem and push back the
Speaker 1: Saracen menace once and for all. The Pope received the
Speaker 1: plea of help from Constantinople. Hope Urban gathered Christians together
Speaker 1: at the Council of Claremont in France on November. He
Speaker 1: called for a holy war and stated that whoever was
Speaker 1: going to liberate Jerusalem could substitute that journey for any
Speaker 1: and all penance in the afterlife. The assembled Christians shouted,
Speaker 1: deis volts, deis volts God wills it. Word from this
Speaker 1: gathering in Claremont would spread across Europe. In time, an
Speaker 1: army of some sixty thousand Christians would take up the call.
Speaker 1: The First Crusade was under way. It's goal the conquest
Speaker 1: of Jerusalem. Chapter two, The Road to Zion in the
Speaker 1: Year of our Lord ten five, the urgent call to
Speaker 1: Holy war in the East spread like wildfire across Europe.
Speaker 1: While the Pope coordinated with some of the most powerful
Speaker 1: nobles and knights to prepare what would be a major
Speaker 1: military expedition, there was an unexpected gathering of commoners dedicated
Speaker 1: to the same purpose. A firebrand preacher, a priest known
Speaker 1: to history as Peter the Hermit, went from village to village,
Speaker 1: promising a remission of sins for any who joined him
Speaker 1: on his quest to free the Holy Land. By April
Speaker 1: of t Peter had gathered around forty thousand men, women
Speaker 1: and children in the German city of Cologne and began
Speaker 1: with them overland and on foot to Jerusalem. This so
Speaker 1: called people's crusade turned into a debacle. They were an
Speaker 1: undisciplined rabble without arms or horses. Peter had convinced them
Speaker 1: that with God on their side, they simply could not
Speaker 1: be defeated. Many fouls of these pauper crusaders never even
Speaker 1: made it outside of Catholic Europe's realm. They turned back
Speaker 1: on their own accord, or were captured and enslaved by
Speaker 1: opportunistic lords along the way. The peasant crusaders even ran
Speaker 1: out of food in Hungary and ended up pillaging Orthodox
Speaker 1: Christian monasteries. By the time Peter reached Constantinople, his numbers
Speaker 1: were already greatly depleted. The Byzantine Emperor Alexius wanted rid
Speaker 1: of this mob as soon as possible. He gladly ferried
Speaker 1: them across the Bosphorus. The People's Crusade did make it
Speaker 1: to Anatolia and found a Turkish force to fight. The
Speaker 1: Christian peasants, armed almost entirely with zeal and farm implements,
Speaker 1: were annihilated. The crusade led by princes, however, was a
Speaker 1: very different story and a very different force. Many of
Speaker 1: the most vaunted royal houses of Europe were represented Godfrey
Speaker 1: of Bouillon, Count Robert of Flanders, Duke Robert of Normandy,
Speaker 1: son of William the Conqueror, Raymond of Toulouse, Adamar of Lepuis,
Speaker 1: Beaumond of Toronto, and Tankard of vi. They assembled a
Speaker 1: sixty thousand man army, an enormous force for this medieval time,
Speaker 1: including approximately ten thousand heavy cavalry. The armored knights that
Speaker 1: were to become the most enduring emblem of the European
Speaker 1: period of Crusader warfare. This massive expeditionary force set off
Speaker 1: for Constantinople and arrived in October of ten It was
Speaker 1: the relief force the Byzantine Emperor Alexius had requested so
Speaker 1: desperately from the Pope. But Alexius felt something of a
Speaker 1: panic when he saw the mass of men at arms
Speaker 1: and horsemen. He quickly gave them money and supplies, and
Speaker 1: in exchange asked that all Byzantine territory that they conquered
Speaker 1: had to be returned to the Emperor. The timing of
Speaker 1: this expedition for the Christians was fortuitous. Unbeknownst to them,
Speaker 1: there was much infighting among Muslims in the Turkish realm,
Speaker 1: with the Shia Fatimid Muslims of Egypt, the Abbasids of Baghdad,
Speaker 1: and the Seldiuk Turks all jockeying for power. In early tenn,
Speaker 1: the Crusader army crossed into Asia Minor. Their first target
Speaker 1: was the formerly Christian city of Nicia. It had been
Speaker 1: seized by the Turkish war lord killags Lan and was
Speaker 1: now part of the Sultanate of Rum. The Turkish leader
Speaker 1: happened to be away on a campaign when the Crusader
Speaker 1: army arrived ours land did return to lift the siege,
Speaker 1: but had greatly underestimated the strength and ferocity of the
Speaker 1: Crusaders and was quickly driven back by their fearsome charge.
Speaker 1: The Byzantines sent additional forces to help with the siege
Speaker 1: of Nicia. They even brought ships overland by using logs
Speaker 1: to roll them, and they deployed on the lake near
Speaker 1: Nicia that up until that point had allowed the defenders
Speaker 1: to stay provisioned. After a six week siege, the mixed
Speaker 1: Byzantine Frankish force brought about the capitulation of Nicia in
Speaker 1: June of ten A note here that to the Eastern
Speaker 1: Christians and Muslims, all the Crusaders from the West were
Speaker 1: referred to as Frange or Francs. But Nicia was just
Speaker 1: the beginning of the planned conquest. The ultimate prize for
Speaker 1: the Franks was still Jerusalem. There was at least one
Speaker 1: major stronghold that blocked their path, the fortress of Antioch,
Speaker 1: but to get there it was likely they would have
Speaker 1: a major engagement with a Turkish field army along the way.
Speaker 1: With that in mind, the two crusailer columns marched deeper
Speaker 1: into Anatolia modern day Turkey. Bowman was in the vanguard column,
Speaker 1: Godfrey in the rear guard. Killeg Arslan, the Turkish emir
Speaker 1: and warlord who had unsuccessfully tried to lift the siege
Speaker 1: of Nicia, planned a trap for them. On July one, seven,
Speaker 1: the first major field engagement of the First Crusade began,
Speaker 1: the Battle of dory Lam. The ambush at the hands
Speaker 1: of the Turkish army was well planned and executed. The
Speaker 1: Christians had pitched a camp for the night, and at
Speaker 1: first light the trap was sprung from the surrounding wooded hills.
Speaker 1: Mounted Turkish archers swarmed around the column of Christian knights
Speaker 1: and infantry, with the camp followers and supply trains in
Speaker 1: the rear. Before the massive Turkish cavalry force could surround
Speaker 1: and cut the Christians off, Bowman immediately sent a courier
Speaker 1: to the rear guard led by Godfrey, and called for
Speaker 1: immediate assistance with all possible haste. Bowman knew he would
Speaker 1: have to stand and fight against this Turkish onslaught or
Speaker 1: all would be lost. He formed a defensive circle of
Speaker 1: nights around the infantry and in the center brought camp
Speaker 1: followers into the middle they were swarmed on all sides
Speaker 1: by Turkish horse archers. Waves of Turkish cavalry would ride up,
Speaker 1: fire volley of lethal arrows, throw javelins, and pulled back
Speaker 1: out of the reach of Christian ranks. The Crusader knights
Speaker 1: were weighed down by their armor on top of their horses,
Speaker 1: and were in general much less nimble than their Turkish opponents.
Speaker 1: But when brought into close quarters, the Christians were able
Speaker 1: to withstand many more arrows and blows from edged weapons,
Speaker 1: and when the Crusaders were able to wield their broadswords,
Speaker 1: maces and battle axes, it was with devastating effect. But
Speaker 1: killing Arslan and his Turks took their toll on the
Speaker 1: densely packed Crusader foot soldiers. The heat and exhaustion that
Speaker 1: came with it also began to overcome some of the
Speaker 1: front line. Then, just as a situation could have turned
Speaker 1: into a catastrophe, Godfrey and his column arrived. His knights
Speaker 1: smashed into the Turkish left flank. Bowmaned, seeing this turn
Speaker 1: of events, chart with his knights. At the same time,
Speaker 1: a wave of Christian Crusaders smashed into the Turkish light cavalry,
Speaker 1: who turned and fled the Turks left behind riches and
Speaker 1: supplies in their camp, much to the delight of the
Speaker 1: victorious Crusaders. But more importantly, the pathway to Jerusalem now
Speaker 1: lay open to them. There was only one major obstacle
Speaker 1: in their path, the almost impregnable fortress city of Antioch.
Speaker 1: Chapter three, The Siege of Antioch. The Crusader army in
Speaker 1: October of ten ninety seven was full of confidence after
Speaker 1: taking Nicia in a mere six weeks and routing Killage
Speaker 1: are Salans. Turkish war ears on an open battlefield. As
Speaker 1: the Crusader army arrived outside the gates of Antioch, they
Speaker 1: could not have imagined the hardships and losses they would
Speaker 1: soon endure. Antioch was once considered arrival to Constantinople by
Speaker 1: the Roman emperors of the third and fourth centuries. It
Speaker 1: was set in a valley next to the Orontes River
Speaker 1: in what is today's Antakia in southernmost Turkey. In the
Speaker 1: eleventh century, Antioch was on a crucial trading route. It
Speaker 1: was also believed to be the first place in the
Speaker 1: world where the term Christian was used for the followers
Speaker 1: of Christ. As a fortified position, Antioch was formidable. It
Speaker 1: had large thick walls topped with hundreds of towers. Its
Speaker 1: citadel was on a mountain, Mount Silpius, that rose a
Speaker 1: thousand feet up. The garrison consisted of around five thousand
Speaker 1: ter The Christian besiegers had approximately forty thousand at the start.
Speaker 1: The only way that Antioch had fallen to an enemy
Speaker 1: in over five hundred years stretching back to the reign
Speaker 1: of the Emperor Justinian, was through treachery. Antioch had never
Speaker 1: been successfully stormed during that period. It had only been
Speaker 1: handed over to the enemy from the inside. The Turk
Speaker 1: in charge of the defense of the city, Yagi Sion,
Speaker 1: was well aware of this. He was crafty and competent,
Speaker 1: and knew that the city's majority Christian population was a risk.
Speaker 1: In the days before the arrival of the Crusaders, Yagiicion
Speaker 1: took action to mitigate this possible fifth column. He directed
Speaker 1: the able bodied Muslim men of the city to build
Speaker 1: a trench outside the city walls. The following day, Yagi
Speaker 1: Sion directed all the Christian men of the city to
Speaker 1: do the same. Having seen their fellow antioch Nes come
Speaker 1: back without incident from the day before, they calmly left
Speaker 1: the protection of the massive fortified walls. Once outside the gates,
Speaker 1: Yagion informed the Christians that for the duration of the
Speaker 1: upcoming siege, they would have to stay outside with their
Speaker 1: fellow Christians the Crusaders. Not only did this ploy limit
Speaker 1: the likelihood of Christians siding with their co religionists during
Speaker 1: the siege, it created an additional burden on supplies outside
Speaker 1: the city walls. Of all the stratagems for Antioch's defense,
Speaker 1: hunger would become the most potent. A full on assault
Speaker 1: was not possible, so the Crusaders set up upon arrival
Speaker 1: camps around the city walls and plan to wait out
Speaker 1: the defenders. It quickly became apparent, however, that Antioch was
Speaker 1: a far more difficult prize than Nicea. Yagion had made
Speaker 1: all the necessary preparations for a long siege. The Crusaders,
Speaker 1: on the other hand, were running low on supplies from
Speaker 1: the beginning. As the winter set in, disease spread throughout
Speaker 1: the Christian camp. The weeks of siege quickly turned into months.
Speaker 1: Foraging parties came back empty handed time and again. Hunger
Speaker 1: turned to starvation. Nights slaughtered their own horses for food.
Speaker 1: Morale plummeted and desertions. Rose yagy Sion managed to harass
Speaker 1: the besiegers with sorties outside the city walls. He also
Speaker 1: had sent word out to every Muslim war lord of
Speaker 1: the Arab world to come to his aid. As the
Speaker 1: spring season arrived, starvation faded, but Islamic reinforcements arrived. Ridwan
Speaker 1: of Aleppo led the first Muslim army that attempted to
Speaker 1: break the siege. Bowman met Ridwan's cavalry with a large
Speaker 1: cavalry charge of his own, seven hundred knights that rode
Speaker 1: right into the heart of Ridwan's forces and shattered the
Speaker 1: Syrian relief effort. The siege continued on, but time was
Speaker 1: not on the Christian side. A massive Muslim army was
Speaker 1: being raised by Carboga of Mosul, who planned to join
Speaker 1: Rudwan of Aleppo. This second attempt to lift the siege
Speaker 1: would consist of nearly fifty thousand Muslim warriors. The Crusaders
Speaker 1: had already lost thousands of their own. If they failed
Speaker 1: to take this city before Carboga arrived outside the city walls,
Speaker 1: they would be slaughtered. It was treachery that's save the day.
Speaker 1: Bowman had managed secret contact with an Armenian inside the
Speaker 1: city walls. He offered money and a title in exchange
Speaker 1: for allowing a contingent of Christians to scale the walls
Speaker 1: in one sector under the cover of darkness. Boehmand himself
Speaker 1: was among them. The plot worked. The Crusaders got inside
Speaker 1: the city walls, opened a gate, and thousands of their
Speaker 1: brothers in arms flooded in. Frenzied Crusaders hacked thousands of
Speaker 1: defenders and civilians to death. Some of the Turks managed
Speaker 1: to take refuge in the citadel up on the mountain.
Speaker 1: Their only hope was to hold out until the relief
Speaker 1: force from Mosl Carboga's massive army arrived. On June five.
Speaker 1: Carboga did arrive, the Christian fenders were short on food
Speaker 1: once again, and desertions rapidly escalated. The Crusaders were now
Speaker 1: stuck inside the city. The besiegers had become the besieged.
Speaker 1: They needed a miracle, and they found one. A priest
Speaker 1: named Peter Bartholomewle from France said he had discovered a
Speaker 1: relic inside the walls of Antioch. The Holy Lance, the
Speaker 1: spear that was thrust into the side of Christ when
Speaker 1: he was on the cross, had miraculously appeared. The Crusaders
Speaker 1: starved into hallucinations and despair. Believed that this was a
Speaker 1: sign from God. They gathered together for a final sortie
Speaker 1: outside the city walls. It would come to be known
Speaker 1: as the Battle of Antioch. The outnumbered and starving Crusaders
Speaker 1: gathered behind night Raymond, who held the relic of the
Speaker 1: Holy Lance, and they charged. The Turks were no match
Speaker 1: for the ferocity of the Franks. Cariboga and his lieutenants
Speaker 1: turned and fled from the battlefield. The Turkish holdouts inside
Speaker 1: the citadel saw this and immediately surrendered. The Crusaders had one.
Speaker 1: One of the great cities of the ancient world was
Speaker 1: firmly in their grasp, and the most important city of
Speaker 1: all to them, the city of God himself, Jerusalem, was
Speaker 1: now within their reach. M H. Chapter four, The Conquest
Speaker 1: of Jerusalem. A year after the successful siege of Antioch,
Speaker 1: the Crusaders finally marched on their ultimate goal, Jerusalem. They
Speaker 1: arrived on June seven of Contemporary chroniclers wrote that many
Speaker 1: Crusaders wept with Julie at their first sighting of the city,
Speaker 1: but reaching Jerusalem was not enough. A major battle lay ahead.
Speaker 1: If the city was once again to be brought into
Speaker 1: the domain of Christendom. The defenders were ready. The Fatimid
Speaker 1: Muslim dynasty of Egypt had taken the city from the
Speaker 1: Selgouk Turks a year before. They had made ample preparations
Speaker 1: for the coming Crusader siege, poisoning all the surrounding wells
Speaker 1: in the environs of Jerusalem and slaughtering animals in the
Speaker 1: field that could not be brought inside the city walls.
Speaker 1: The Crusaders were an army fifty thousand strong when they
Speaker 1: crossed into Muslim lands. Now they had been depleted to
Speaker 1: around twelve thousand. They did not have the manpower to
Speaker 1: encircle and cut off the city for a protracted siege,
Speaker 1: nor could they risk the arrival of a major Muslim
Speaker 1: relief force. Jerusalem would have to be stormed in an assault.
Speaker 1: Before this final cast of the die, however, the beleaguered
Speaker 1: Christian army marched in procession around the city in a
Speaker 1: manner similar to the biblical story of Jericho and the
Speaker 1: fall of its great walls. With God on their side,
Speaker 1: the Crusaders felt they could not lose Deus voult Deus
Speaker 1: vault God wills it. The first attempt to take this
Speaker 1: city was repulsed. The situation of the Crusaders became increasingly desperate.
Speaker 1: While Jerusalem's fortifications were nowhere near as impressive as Constantinoples
Speaker 1: or even Antiochs, siege engines would be necessary to scale
Speaker 1: the walls, but there were no trees in the vicinity
Speaker 1: of Jerusalem, and thirst was already a constant problem among
Speaker 1: the Christian troops. Then, in a stroke of luck, a
Speaker 1: Genoese supply fleet of six ships arrived at the porch
Speaker 1: of Jaffa to bring aid to the Crusaders. Most importantly
Speaker 1: of all, the timber from these ships could be broken
Speaker 1: down and reformed into siege engines. This allowed the Crusaders
Speaker 1: to build two enormous towers for scaling the walls of Jerusalem.
Speaker 1: They were now prepared to assault the city once and
Speaker 1: for all. On July, the final assault began in two waves.
Speaker 1: The Muslim defenders fought back with flaming arrows and burning pitch,
Speaker 1: lighting both siege tower and crusader on fire at every opportunity.
Speaker 1: The battle was bloody and vicious, but the double pronged
Speaker 1: assault on the walls was victorious. The Crusaders poured over
Speaker 1: the battlements and engaged in a bloody slaughter of many
Speaker 1: inhabitants of the city. One chronicler described what ensued in
Speaker 1: Jerusalem in this way quote. Upon entering Jerusalem, the pilgrims
Speaker 1: pursued and killed Saracens and other infidels, even to the
Speaker 1: Temple of Solomon and the Temple of the Lord. Gathered there,
Speaker 1: the enemy waged a hot battle until sundown, but our
Speaker 1: men killed so many that blood flowed through all of
Speaker 1: the temple. Finally, after having overwhelmed the Pagans, are Men
Speaker 1: grabbed a large number of males and females in the temple,
Speaker 1: killing some and sparing others. As the notion struck them,
Speaker 1: Tancred and Gaston gave their banners to a great number
Speaker 1: of the infidels of both sexes crowded on the roof
Speaker 1: of the temple. Soon, the Crusaders ran through all the city,
Speaker 1: taking gold, silver, horses, mules, and houses packed with all
Speaker 1: kinds of riches. Afterwards, all came rejoicing and weeping with
Speaker 1: joy to the Holy sepulcher of our Savior. On the
Speaker 1: next rning, Tancred sent forth the command that the Christians
Speaker 1: go to the temple to kill Saracens. Upon their arrival,
Speaker 1: some began to draw their bows and to kill many.
Speaker 1: Another group of Crusaders climbed to the roof of the
Speaker 1: temple and rushed the Saracens huddled there, decapidating males and
Speaker 1: females with naked sword blades. They cause some to plunge
Speaker 1: from the temple roof and others found their death above
Speaker 1: end quote. The conquest of Jerusalem was complete. The Crusader
Speaker 1: Godfrey of Bouillon would become its leader, and Jerusalem would
Speaker 1: join Edessa, Antioch, and Tripoli as the Crusader States. They
Speaker 1: endured for almost two hundred years of constant warfare and
Speaker 1: fighting in the Near East. Many historians have argued that
Speaker 1: the Crusades were wasteful, unprovoked, or pointless. This is all nonsense.
Speaker 1: The First Crusade was a response to hundreds of years
Speaker 1: of Islamic conquest and subjugation of Christians and Jews alike.
Speaker 1: It was a response to Jihad, not the precursor to it,
Speaker 1: and during the period of the Crusader States, there was
Speaker 1: not one major attempt by the Islamic world to invade
Speaker 1: the heart of Christendom itself. When the last Crusader kingdom
Speaker 1: was extinguished in the thirteenth century. That would all start
Speaker 1: to change, though. The Islamic world would have to survive
Speaker 1: the Great invasion of the Mongol Horde, but it was
Speaker 1: only a matter of time before the forces of Islam
Speaker 1: would turn their sights on the conquest of the Christian
Speaker 1: world once again, the Great City of Constantinople and the
Speaker 1: Siege of fourteen fifty three, but that story will have
Speaker 1: to wait for next week. This is buck Sexton. My friends.
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Speaker 1: Until next time, no matter what enemies you face, be
Speaker 1: ready to awake Iron