The First Crusade and Some of its Famous Sieges

What was the First Crusade? What were some of the most famous sieges from the First Crusade?
Pope Urban the 2nd called soldiers to the First Crusade. During the First Crusade, European citizens traveled to the Middle East to reclaim Jerusalem from the Muslims. However, it wasn’t a glorious war. It took years. During those years, the Crusaders suffered a lot. There were also a lot of battles and sieges. Some of the sieges were very famous. Unfortunately, some of the sieges were also long and miserable. The Siege of Antioch was one example. Many people died during the First Crusade.
How did the First Crusade start? What was the Siege of Antioch? Who was one of the main war heroes?

What was the First Crusade and Why did it Happen?

The First Crusade was the first holy war between Christians and Muslims over the Holy Land. Pope Urban the 2nd recruited the European Christians for the First Crusade because Alexios Komnenos, the Byzantine Emperor, asked for help against the Muslim Seljuk Turks. The Muslim Seljuk Turks had been taking Asia Minor from the Byzantines.

European Christians partially fought because Jerusalem also belonged to the Muslim Seljuk Turks, and they wanted to visit in peace (and own Jerusalem again). Jerusalem was important to both the Christians and the Muslims. Many knights flocked to the Holy Land to reclaim the most prominent Christian locations.

The Siege of Antioch

How the Siege of Antioch Worked

The Christian Crusaders decided to take the City of Antioch before going to Jerusalem. It was a special place because people believed multiple saints lived there during their lives. Taking Antioch would also boost the morale of the Christians because it was in a good location, and the Muslims had owned it for a century.

Capture of Antioch by Bohemund of Taranto

If they didn’t take Antioch, their rear would be open to attack; however, Antioch was hard to capture. Antioch was huge, so the Crusaders could not encircle it properly. Unfortunately, some Christians were living in Antioch, and the Muslims kicked them out or imprisoned them. The first Crusader victory was taking the bridge over Orontes and capturing a supply shipment heading for the city, but taking Antioch still wasn’t easy.

The Crusaders spent months trying. Eventually, one of the Crusader leaders, Bohemond, realized that sheer force wouldn’t take Antioch. He found a traitor in the city named Firouz. Firouz was willing to let the Crusaders into his city, so Bohemond launched an attack and took the city. Someone hurt Bohemond, but Antioch had finally fallen. The victorious Crusaders looted the city, attacking people and stealing valuables.

What Problems did the Crusaders Face in the First Crusade?

Antioch was in the desert, and there wasn’t much food around. Therefore, the Crusaders suffered from starvation while attacking the monolith of a city, Antioch. The Crusaders were vulnerable to attack because the soldiers spread out to look for food. Some people went on a big mission to look for food, but unfortunately, they failed, and many people starved and deserted. To fix that problem, they eventually bought food from merchants that couldn’t sell to people inside Antioch anymore.

After the Christians took Antioch, the Muslims sent a relief army. The Muslims besieged the Christians, and their relief army turned around and gave up. However, the Christians found the lance that pierced Jesus Christ (or at least they thought they located it). Legend stated that the lance defeated all enemies. It boosted morale, and the Crusaders had the last bit of energy and faith they needed to beat the Muslim Turks.

The Siege of Jerusalem

The Siege of Jerusalem was the crowning glory of the First Crusade because taking Jerusalem was the goal from the beginning. People built Jerusalem on a naturally fortified location with only one side open to attack (see my post about defending a castle here). The Crusaders wanted to take Jerusalem quickly because the Siege of Antioch took so long and killed many.

Taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders by Giraudon

There was also a Muslim army coming to help Jerusalem. Godfrey de Bouillon helped to take Jerusalem using strategy. He built a Siege Tower (see my post about siege weapons here). Usually, Siege Towers were hard to move. However, Godfrey built his tower so that he could take it apart and put it back together. During the night, he and his men moved the tower to a different part of the castle.

Sketch of a Siege Tower

Godfrey and his men attacked and successfully took Jerusalem. One of the worst parts of attacking Jerusalem was that water was scarce. The people from Jerusalem poisoned all the wells outside the city in preparation for the Crusaders. They also took away the livestock. Unfortunately, the Crusaders massacred the people living inside the city. There were corpses piled up all over the city.

Godfrey de Bouillon

Godfrey de Bouillon was a war hero in the First Crusade. His parents were Ustance the Second and Ida, daughter of Godfrey the Third. Godfrey was the second son. While his elder brother inherited his parents’ lands, Godfrey inherited his uncle’s estates.

Godfrey with his brothers Eustace and Baldwin meeting with Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos

He joined the Crusader army with his younger brother, Baldwin. Godfrey helped to take the city of Jerusalem. After the First Crusade, he ruled Jerusalem as the Protector of the Holy Sepulcher. He refused to be king, which is super cool if you think about it. Very few people refuse to be king. Godfrey died in Jerusalem and left the rule of Jerusalem to his brother Baldwin.