Early years and election

Pope Gregory VII appointed Ed as Cardinal of Ostia for about a year. He was one of the most prominent and active proponents of the Gregorian reforms, having been a papal legate in Germany for a year, and one of the few whom Gregory VII named among his possible successors. After the death of Gregory VII in the year, Desiderius, abbot of Monte Cassino, was elected pope under the name of Victor III, and after his short reign, Ed was elevated to the papal throne under the name of Urban II by unanimous approval (March) at a small meeting of cardinals and other prelates in Terracina.

Papacy

Urban undertook to continue the policy of Pope Gregory VII, while showing great flexibility and diplomatic sophistication. From the very beginning, he was forced to reckon with the presence in Rome of Antipope Clement III. During several gatherings held in Rome, Amalfi, Benevento and Troy, the pope supported the struggle against simony and for the right of the pope to investiture, continuing the opposition with Emperor Henry IV.

"The problems of Urban II were the war with Germany, the conflicts in France, the fight against the antipope and the expulsion of Christians from the East. Perhaps a mass pilgrimage (the word "crusade" had not yet been invented) could solve these problems."

Urban II's crusade first took shape at the Council of Piacenza, where in March 1095 Urban II received the ambassador of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (-), asking for help against the Muslims. At the Council of Clermont, held in November of that year, Urban II's sermon was perhaps the most effective speech in all of European history when he called on the people of France to wrest the Holy Land from the hands of the Turks by force. It was he who gave impetus to the crusades.

The pope's speech was interrupted by the exclamations of the listeners: “Dieu le veut! (“So God wants!”). The listeners, inspired by such a speech, vowed to free the Holy Sepulcher from the Muslims. Those who wished to go hiking sewed a red cross to their clothes. Urban II donated his cassock to this cause. Hence the name "Crusaders".

The Pope also sent letters to the most powerful rulers in Europe, urging them to take action against the Muslims. His appeals were heard - European princes and feudal lords of the middle class were interested in conquering lands and trophies overseas, and the promise of atonement for sins became an ideal justification for starting a war with Muslims. So the pope's speech led to the beginning of a new stage in European history - the era of the Crusades.

The burial place of Pope Urban II is in the Benedictine monastery of Badia di Cava.

Urban II and Sicily

Much more difficult was the struggle of the pope for the return under Christian control of Campania and Sicily, occupied by that time successively by Byzantium and the emirs of the Aghlabids and Fatimids. His protege of the Sicilian borders was the Norman ruler Roger I. In the year following the siege of Capua, Urban II granted emergency powers to Roger, some of which the pope refused to transfer to other European rulers. Roger was now free to appoint bishops, collected the revenues of the Church and sent them to the pope, and judged church disputes. Roger became the de facto papal legate in Sicily.

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Notes

Literature

• Robert P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes, (HarperCollins, 2000).
• Rubenstein, Jay. (2011). Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse. P. 18. Basic Books. 2011.

Links

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
• (English) . Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 23, 2012. .
• (English) . Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 23, 2012. .

An excerpt characterizing Urban II

Urban II photography

Urbanus Secundus

Worldly name: Odo de Langerie

Origin: Lagerie (Champagne, France)

Odo came from a noble champagne family. His teacher was Saint Bruno, the future founder of the Carthusian order. In Reims, Odo received the rank of canon, and then archdeacon. About 1070 he retired to the famous monastery of Cluny. Odo was among those monks who went to Rome with Abbot Hugo to help Gregory VII in reforming. In 1078, Odo was appointed Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, and then for three years he was papal legate in France and Germany. Once, Emperor Henry IV even put him in prison, but soon released him. In 1085, Odo organized a council of German reforming bishops in Quedlinburg, where Antipope Clement III was cursed. After the death of Gregory VII, Odo was considered in the elections as a competitor to Desiderius, but the cardinals gave the majority of votes to the abbot of Monte Cassino. However, the pontificate of Victor III (Desiderius) did not last long, and before his death he announced that he would like to see Odo as his successor on the Holy See. Victor died in his monastery on September 16, 1087. Rome at that time was under the rule of the antipope. Supporters of the Gregorian reform gathered in Terracina and on March 12, 1088 unanimously elected Odo as pope. He took the name of Urban II.

Urban's first decision was to establish peace and call on the reforming princes and bishops to support the new pope. Urban's position was extremely difficult. Rome was in the hands of the enemies. The Normans, staunch allies of the papacy, were torn apart by civil strife, and Urban made every effort to reconcile their leaders, Roger and Bohemond. Finally, in 1088, Urban entered Rome, but most of the city was in the hands of Clement, and Urban was forced to take refuge on the island of St. Bartholomew. The desperate battle between the armies of the pope and the antipope lasted three days. Clement III was defeated, and Urban triumphantly entered St. Peter's Basilica. In the autumn of 1089, he held a synod in Melfi, at which simony and sexual promiscuity of priests were once again condemned, concluded a long peace between Roger and Bohemond, and tried to return to Rome. But there the townspeople again accepted Clement III, and Urban had only to send curses to the antipope from behind the city walls.

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Urban II spent the next three years wandering around southern Italy and holding synods there. Meanwhile, in the north of Italy, in the war between Henry IV of Germany, Matilda of Tuscany and her young husband Welf IV of Bavaria, the scales began to tilt towards the latter. Prince Conrad, outraged by the depravity of his father-emperor, went over to the side of the Italians and was crowned king of Italy in Milan. Now Urban could again return to Rome, where, however, the antipope still remained. Urban stayed at the castle of the Franypani family near the Palatine. Soon he received an offer from the manager of the Lateran Palace, who offered to rent him to his dad for money. Urban was already up to his neck in debt. He was rescued by the French abbot Gregory of Vandom, who sold part of the property of his monastery. One way or another, six years after his election, Pope Urban II entered the Lateran Palace.

In 1095, the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Komnenos sent an embassy to Rome asking for help against the Seljuk Turks who threatened Constantinople. In November of the same year, Urban convened a council at Clermont, at which the call for a crusade against the Muslims was first heard. Soon after the cathedral, thousands of knights gathered to discuss the upcoming campaign. To those who support the "call of Christ," the Pope swore an oath, "by the power he received from St. Peter," to give complete remission of sins. So for the first time the word "indulgence" - "absolution of sins" was heard, which subsequently abounded in papal documents. Urban traveled from city to city, preaching the idea of ​​a campaign and in every possible way encouraging people to go and liberate the tomb of the Lord from the infidels.

In March 1096, at a synod in Tours, Urban excommunicated King Philip I of France for illegal cohabitation with Bertrada de Montfort. Philip was forced to formally divorce her, but nevertheless continued to live with her. In 1097, with the support of Hugo Vermandois, Urban once again expelled Clement III from Rome. His position was strong enough. Northern Italy was completely under the rule of Matilda and Conrad, and the emperor was forced to retreat. Only the Metropolis of Ravenna remained under the rule of Clement III, and he did not pose a great danger. In 1098, Urban appointed the leader of the Normans, Roger, as his legate in Sicily, where the church was almost completely destroyed by the Saracens.

In October 1098, Urban held in Bari a large council of representatives of the western and eastern churches, the purpose of which was to settle the issue of the filioque. Then Urban returned to Rome, where he died two weeks after the capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders. The miracles that took place at the grave of Urban II in St. Peter's Cathedral served as an occasion for his beatification, and on July 14, 1881, Leo XIII declared Urban blessed.

Urban II

Urban II.
Reproduction from the website http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Urban II (circa 1035-1099). His name in the world was Ed (or Odon) de Châtillon. Before entering Cluny, he was a student of St. Bruno in Reims. He was noticed and invited to his service, first as a bishop, then as a cardinal in Ostia (in 1078) and, finally, as a legate to Germany, the Pope Gregory VII. Elected pope in 1088, Urban II zealously continued to implement the Gregorian reform, meeting resistance and difficulties along the way: for some period he was expelled from Rome by the antipope Clement III supported by the emperor Henry IV. In 1095 Urban II convened an ecclesiastical council in Piacenza and in the same year proclaimed in Clermont First crusade .

Having made a tour of the whole kingdom, he did much to attract the lords and their vassals-knights to participate in this military event. Urban II died in 1099 in Rome.

Polo de Bonnier, M.-A. Medieval France / Marie-Henri Polo de Beaulieu. - M., 2014, p. 357-358.

Urban II (Urban), in the world - Odon de Lagery or Ed de Chatillon (Eudes de Châtillon) (c. 1042 - 29.VII.1099) - Pope since 1088. Until 1078 he was a monk of the Cluniy monastery, then a bishop of Ostia and a cardinal. In 1084-1085 he was a legate in Germany. Urban II continued the church-political course of Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085). In Italy, he led a successful struggle against Emperor Henry IV and his protege, Antipope Clement III (1084-1100). He finally established himself on the papal throne in Rome in 1094, expelling Clement III from the city. In order to expand the sphere of influence of the papacy, he sought to establish a union of the Catholic Church with the Byzantine (Orthodox), but was not successful. At the Council of Clermont in 1095, he proclaimed the 1st Crusade.

M.A. Zaborov. Moscow.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 14. TAANAKH - FELEO. 1971.

Urban II (Ed de Châtillon), 1088.III.12-1099.VII.29

Urban II (Urban) (c. 1042-1099), pope from 1088 (finally from 1094, when he expelled antipope Clement III). In 1095 he proclaimed the 1st Crusade.

Blessed Urban II, Pope
Urbanus Secundus
Worldly name: Odo de Langerie
Origin: Lagerie (Champagne, France)
Years of life: 1042 - July 29, 1099
Pontificate years: March 12, 1088 - July 29, 1099

Odo came from a noble champagne family. His teacher was Saint Bruno, the future founder of the Carthusian order. In Reims, Odo received the rank of canon, and then archdeacon. About 1070 he retired to the famous monastery of Cluny. Odo was among those monks who went to Rome with Abbot Hugo to help Gregory VII in reforms. In 1078, Odo was appointed Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, and then for three years he was papal legate in France and Germany. Once, Emperor Henry IV even put him in prison, but soon released him. In 1085, Odo organized a council of German reforming bishops in Quedlinburg, where Antipope Clement III was cursed. After the death of Gregory VII, Odo was considered in the elections as a competitor to Desiderius, but the cardinals gave the majority of votes to the abbot of Monte Cassino. However, the pontificate of Victor III (Desiderius) did not last long, and before his death he announced that he would like to see Odo as his successor on the Holy See. Victor died in his monastery on September 16, 1087. Rome at that time was under the rule of the antipope. Supporters of the Gregorian reform gathered in Terracina and on March 12, 1088 unanimously elected Odo as pope. He took the name of Urban II.

Urban's first decision was to establish peace and call on the reforming princes and bishops to support the new pope. Urban's position was extremely difficult. Rome was in the hands of the enemies. The Normans, staunch allies of the papacy, were torn apart by civil strife, and Urban made every effort to reconcile their leaders, Roger and Bohemond. Finally, in 1088, Urban entered Rome, but most of the city was in the hands of Clement, and Urban was forced to take refuge on the island of St. Bartholomew. The desperate battle between the armies of the pope and the antipope lasted three days. Clement III was defeated, and Urban triumphantly entered St. Peter's Basilica. In the autumn of 1089, he held a synod in Melfi, at which simony and sexual promiscuity of priests were once again condemned, concluded a long peace between Roger and Bohemond, and tried to return to Rome. But there the townspeople again accepted Clement III, and Urban had only to send curses to the antipope from behind the city walls.

Urban II spent the next three years wandering around southern Italy and holding synods there. Meanwhile, in the north of Italy, in the war between Henry IV of Germany, Matilda of Tuscany and her young husband Welf IV of Bavaria, the scales began to tilt towards the latter. Prince Conrad, outraged by the depravity of his father-emperor, went over to the side of the Italians and was crowned king of Italy in Milan. Now Urban could again return to Rome, where, however, the antipope still remained. Urban stayed at the castle of the Franypani family near the Palatine. Soon he received an offer from the manager of the Lateran Palace, who offered to rent him to his dad for money. Urban was already up to his neck in debt. He was rescued by the French abbot Gregory of Vandom, who sold part of the property of his monastery. One way or another, six years after his election, Pope Urban II entered the Lateran Palace.

In 1095, the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Komnenos sent an embassy to Rome asking for help against the Seljuk Turks who threatened Constantinople. In November of the same year, Urban convened a council at Clermont, at which the call for a crusade against the Muslims was first heard. Soon after the cathedral, thousands of knights gathered to discuss the upcoming campaign. To those who support the "call of Christ," the Pope swore an oath, "by the power he received from St. Peter," to give complete remission of sins. So for the first time the word "indulgence" - "absolution of sins" was heard, which subsequently abounded in papal documents. Urban traveled from city to city, preaching the idea of ​​a campaign and in every possible way encouraging people to go and liberate the tomb of the Lord from the infidels.

In March 1096, at a synod in Tours, Urban excommunicated King Philip I of France for illegal cohabitation with Bertrada de Montfort. Philip was forced to formally divorce her, but nevertheless continued to live with her. In 1097, with the support of Hugo Vermandois, Urban once again expelled Clement III from Rome. His position was strong enough. Northern Italy was completely under the rule of Matilda and Conrad, and the emperor was forced to retreat. Only the Metropolis of Ravenna remained under the rule of Clement III, and he did not pose a great danger. In 1098, Urban appointed the leader of the Normans, Roger, as his legate in Sicily, where the church was almost completely destroyed by the Saracens.

Raulot L., Un pape français, Urbain II, P., 1903;

Fournier P., Bonizo de Sutri, Urbain II et la comtesse Mathilde, (P.), 1915, p. 265-98 (Bibl. de l "Ecole des chartes, t. 76).

The First Crusade Proclaimed by Pope Urban II

The church could have benefited substantially from the crusade against the Seljuk Turks, since Urban II was aware of the potentially significant benefits of helping the Byzantines.

Pope of Rome Urban II announced First Crusade November 27, 1095 at the Church Council in the French city of Clermont. The church-sanctified attempt to expel people "enslaved by demons" would serve many purposes: the Seljuk Turks successfully occupied the Holy Land, which at that time was part of the Byzantine Empire. From the time of the pontificate of Gregory VII and the fatal battle of Manzikert, in which the Byzantine forces were defeated, Eastern emperors sent appeals to Rome for help. Now the Pope could act on an opportunity that would give him an excuse to do much more than just send a few knights on horseback.

Goals and objectives of the First Crusade

Europe has been a battlefield, a place of continuous conflict and endless war. Uniting the feudal factions against a common enemy would reduce the likelihood of further wars and direct their resources and energies against the Muslims. “ Let those who are accustomed to make wasteful private wars even against the Faithful, go further against the Infidels in a battle worthy of being undertaken,…” Pope Urban II issued the first unconditional indulgence of its kind to those who "fighting against the pagans". For a medieval man who was afraid of the fire of purgatory, this absolution was very convincing.

A successful crusade would greatly increase the prestige of the papacy and perhaps put an end to the schism that had taken place between the eastern and western Christian churches. And although the emperor Alexei I Komnenos asked for a relatively small number of professional soldiers - mounted knights, Urban called all Christians: knights, lackeys, “rich and poor”, and even "robbers". Despite the power, this army could not be led by any of the noteworthy kings; And Philip I of France, And Henry IV of Germany were excommunicated from the church.

Incentives for participation in the First Crusade

Those participants in the Campaign who owned the land, the Church guaranteed its protection and surety, so that while the lords are in distant lands, fighting for Christ, the violators could not take possession of them. Those who lift up the cross have their debts forgiven. Since usury was prohibited, many of these debts were incurred through Jewish creditors.

However, European Jews were not taken into account even when the participants of the Campaign began to mercilessly kill them throughout Europe. For them there was no difference between the Jews and the so-called Infidels, whom they were soon to encounter outside the borders of Constantinople. The Jews turned to the Church for help. Some brave bishops opened their gates to Jews seeking asylum, but many others remained deaf to their pleas.

The city of Nicaea was liberated from Muslim control in 1097, and in 1099 the army of the Crusade was already at the gates of Jerusalem. The final battle was a bloodbath: thousands were executed. Fulcher of Chartres writes that “If you were there, your feet would be submerged up to the ankles in the blood of the slain. None of them were left alive. They spared neither women nor children.”.

Legacy of the First Crusade

March 2000 Pope John Paul II apologized for the sins committed in the name of the Church, including the Crusades. The First Crusade resulted in approximately 150 years of crusading activity, both official and unofficial. Peasant Crusade, headed by Peter Hermit, ended in a full-scale massacre outside of Constantinople, while the ill-born Children's Crusade ended with the captains of the ships transporting young people to North Africa instead of the Middle East to sell them into slavery there.

The crusade did not end the schism, nor did it end the “private wars” in Europe. Nevertheless, it provided the impetus for a new age of commerce and commerce, a significant benefit that could pave the way for the prosperity of the city-states that emerged in Italy.

The history of rivalry between East and West, Muslim and Christian civilizations, has hundreds of years. It had different periods - both extremely bloody and relatively peaceful. But even today, the relationship between Christians and Muslims is invisibly influenced by events that began more than 900 years ago - events that have gone down in history under the name "the era of the Crusades."

In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks, who professed Islam, were rapidly seizing more and more new territories in Western Asia. By 1085, they took control of most of Iran and Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine, including Jerusalem, took all of Asia Minor from the Byzantines, and captured Antioch.

The position of the Byzantine Empire became critical - the Turks were practically at the walls of Constantinople. The military forces of the empire were seriously weakened by previous wars, and the emperor Alexei I Komnenos asked for help to Pope Urban II.

The emperor appealed to the Christian compassion of the pontiff - Jerusalem was captured by the infidels, the Holy Sepulcher was in their hands, and Christian pilgrims were persecuted.

In fact, this was only partly true. Indeed, there were excesses associated with the actions of individual Muslim rulers and religious fanatics, but there was no mention of the total extermination of Christians and their shrines. It was not faith that needed to be saved, but the Byzantine Empire.

Prior to Alexios I Comnenus, Byzantine emperors turned to Rome for help more than once, but now it happened in a completely different situation - in 1054 there was a split in Christianity, also known as the "Great Schism". Western and Eastern Church Fathers anathematized each other, and under these conditions, the conversion of the emperor of Byzantium was a last resort.

The Worldly Cares of the Church Lord

Pope Urban II ascended the papacy in 1088. In the world he bore the name Odo de Chatillon de Lagerie, and was a representative of a noble, but not very rich French family from Champagne.

During this period, the Catholic Church waged a fierce struggle for influence on secular power. A side effect of this was the emergence of a rival to the Pope - Antipope Clement II I, which annoyed not only Urban II, but also two of his predecessors, as well as one successor.

The socio-economic situation in Europe during this period was extremely difficult - the process of enslavement of the peasants greatly worsened their living conditions, and to this was added a whole series of disasters in the form of large-scale floods, epidemics and as many as seven lean years in a row.

The lower strata of society saw in what was happening signs of the end of the world, which contributed to a sharp aggravation of religious feelings.

In addition, the establishment of the feudal system created in the knightly class a significant contingent of people trained in military affairs, but who had neither work nor a decent livelihood in their homeland. First of all, we are talking about the younger sons of noble families, who, under the new conditions of single inheritance, did not receive the lands of their parents, which were given to older brothers.

The request of Alexei I Komnenos turned out to be most welcome. Urban II saw in it an opportunity to solve several problems at once - the restoration of Christian control over the Holy Land, the increase in the authority and restoration of the unity of the Christian church, the deliverance of Europe from thousands of armed young representatives of the nobility staggering around idle.

"Peace is here, war is there!"

The idea of ​​a campaign to the East in the name of the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher by that period was already circulating in Europe, spread by preachers. One of the brightest of them was Peter of Amiens, he is Peter the Hermit, a talented speaker who called for a crusade.

Peter the Hermit achieved an audience with Urban II, who by this time had established himself in the need to realize his plans. Therefore, Peter the Hermit received from the pontiff a blessing for preaching and a promise of all kinds of assistance.

In November 1095, Urban II convened an ecclesiastical council in Clermont, France, to resolve various administrative and political issues.

But the main event of the council took place on November 26, 1095, when Urban II delivered a speech to representatives of the clergy, secular nobility, as well as to thousands of representatives of the lower strata.

The speech of Urban II is today recognized as one of the brightest and most effective in the history of mankind.

The Pope began by describing the suffering of Christians in the East. Urban II did not spare colors, so that soon thousands of those assembled began to sob. Having finished with a description of the horrors, he moved on to the practical part: “The land that you inhabit is compressed everywhere by the sea and mountains and therefore has become cramped with your large numbers. It is not rich in wealth and barely feeds those who cultivate it. Hence it happens that you bite and devour each other like the best dogs, wage wars, inflict mortal wounds. May your hatred cease now, enmity cease, wars subside and God's internecine strife doze off! Peace is here, war is there! Go to the Holy Sepulcher, and the Holy Church will not leave your loved ones under its care. Liberate the Holy Land from the hands of the pagans and subjugate it to yourself. The land flows with honey and milk. Whoever is sad and poor here will be joyful and rich.”

How the pontiff's cassock was torn into crosses

The effect of the speech was amazing. Those present in droves knelt down and vowed to liberate the Holy Land. "That's what God wants!" they exclaimed. Here, in the field, many sewed on their clothes the distinctive symbol of the new movement - red crosses. Urban II donated his purple cassock to this good cause.

The Pope spoke primarily to the knights, and they heard him. But at the same time, representatives of the lower classes also heard. People who had never held weapons in their hands got into carts and set off to liberate Jerusalem, hoping to exchange their current hard life for the "milk and honey" of the Holy Land.

The peasants who went on a campaign had no idea about the distance to Jerusalem. Soon, strange people with red crosses on their clothes began to appear near the walls of European cities, frightening counter questions: “Tell me, is this city Jerusalem?”

In total, according to various estimates, from 100 to 300 thousand commoners, who, as a rule, did not have any supplies, not the slightest idea of ​​\u200b\u200borganization and discipline, moved on a campaign against Jerusalem.

Led it, so to speak, "army", Petr Hermit And French knight Walter Golyak, nicknamed so for extreme poverty.

The masses of hungry and destitute people on the way of their movement were marked by Jewish pogroms, robberies and violence in Eastern Europe, primarily in Bulgaria and Hungary. Local residents were forced to resist them, which is why the ranks of the first crusaders noticeably thinned out.

Doomed to the slaughter

By the autumn of 1096, tens of thousands of crusaders Walter Golyak and Peter the Hermit reached Constantinople. Emperor Alexei I Komnenos at first received them cordially, but very soon realized that instead of an army of professional military men, an uncontrollable crowd of people embittered by life arrived at him.

The emperor understood that nothing good would come of the further campaign of this “army” against Jerusalem, and suggested to Peter the Hermit to wait for the troops of the knights to approach.

Peter the Hermit at the Byzantine Emperor Alexei Komnenos. Photo: Public Domain

However, at this time, the crusading poor literally began to wipe Constantinople off the face of the earth - they plundered and burned dozens of houses, several palaces, hundreds of merchants' shops and even churches, although the Greek population tirelessly supplied them with food and shelter.

Alexei I Komnenos realized that he had to save his own capital from such "liberators of the Holy Sepulcher."

The Byzantine fleet transported the crusaders across the Bosporus, leaving them to themselves. In an already unorganized army, internal strife began, because of which the forces were divided.

The army of the Seljuk Turks achieved an easy victory. On October 21, 1096, the main forces of the crusaders were ambushed in a narrow valley between Nicaea and the village of the Dragon, and were utterly defeated. It was even difficult to call it a battle - the battle turned into a massacre, in which the Turks, with minimal losses, destroyed, according to various sources, from 25 to 40 thousand people. The youngest and strongest were taken prisoner and sold into slavery. Units managed to return back to Constantinople. Among those who escaped death was Peter the Hermit, but Walter Golyak died in battle.

Typhoid became an ally of Muslims

The catastrophe that befell the peasant crusaders in no way affected the intentions of the chivalry. The nobility went on a campaign on the dates predetermined by Urban II - August 15, 1096.

Count Raymond of Toulouse together with papal legate Adémar of Monteil,Bishop of Le Puy, led the knights of Provence. The Normans of Southern Italy were led Prince Bohemond of Tarentum and his nephew Tancred. Brothers Gottfried of Boulogne, Eustache of Boulogne And Baldwin of Boulogne were the commanders of the Lorraine, and the soldiers of Northern France were led Count Robert of Flanders, Robert of Normandy(eldest son William the Conqueror and brother Wilhelm the Red, King of England) Count Stephen of Blois And Hugo Vermandois(son Anna of Kyiv and younger brother Philip I, King of France).

Despite all the difficulties, disputes between the leaders of the campaign for superiority, the lack of a normal supply of troops, which again resulted in robberies of the local population, the knights were much more successful in their undertaking.

Nicaea capitulated in 1097 after a Crusader siege. In the autumn of the same year, the army approached Antioch, and on October 21 besieged it. After eight months of siege, in the early morning of June 3, 1098, the crusaders broke into the city. The real massacre began. The emir of the city fled, but was overtaken and beheaded.

The battle with the detachments of Muslims who came to the aid ended in a complete victory for the crusaders. Antioch finally fell on June 28, when the citadel in the south of the city was captured.

The siege of Antioch resulted in heavy losses among the crusaders. To those who died in the battles, those who died as a result of a typhus epidemic that broke out after the capture of the city were added. The campaign to Jerusalem was postponed for six months.

Procession of the Cross followed by an assault

Part of the crusaders returned to their homeland, not reaching the main goal of the campaign. Two crusader states were formed, the County of Edessa and the Principality of Antioch, whose new rulers, Baldwin I of Boulogne and Bohemond I of Tarentum, refused to participate in the further campaign.

Emir of Jerusalem Iftikar al-Dawla was not belligerent - his embassy offered the Crusaders an unhindered pilgrimage to the holy places, but in small groups and without weapons. In response, the Crusaders declared that they had come to liberate the Holy Sepulcher and would achieve this goal by any means.

The siege began, hampered by the lack of food and water - the wells around were poisoned in advance by the Muslims.

On June 13, the first assault attempt was repulsed. In addition, information appeared that the Fatimid army was coming to the aid of Jerusalem from Egypt.

On July 8, the crusaders shocked the besieged - barefoot knights staged a procession around the walls of Jerusalem. Inspired in this way, at dawn on July 14, they launched a new assault. The crusaders threw stones at the city from throwing machines, and the Muslims showered them with a hail of arrows and threw stones from the walls, poured boiling water, dropped “tarred pieces of wood” studded with nails, wrapping them in burning rags. The battle went on all day, but the city held out. Both sides spent the night without sleep, and in the morning a new stage of the assault began. The crusaders managed to partially fill up the moat around the city and bring siege towers to its walls. The knights were seized with incredible religious ecstasy, in which they rushed to storm the city walls. The defenders could not withstand the pressure and began to retreat.

Blood for blood

The crusaders who broke into the city did not know mercy. Before the start of the assault, the defenders expelled all Christians from the city, and therefore the knights did not consider it necessary to spare anyone. In particular, the synagogue was burned along with the Jews who had taken refuge in it. In total, during the capture of Jerusalem on July 15, 1099, at least 10,000 citizens were killed. The knights not only committed a mass of murders, but also completely plundered Jerusalem.

After the capture of Jerusalem, a new Kingdom of Jerusalem was formed, the ruler of which was Gottfried of Bouillon. Gottfried did not want to be called king in the city where Christ was crowned with a crown of thorns, so on July 22, 1099 he took the title of Defender of the Holy Sepulcher.

The first crusade ended with the victory of the crusaders, but it created far more problems than it solved. Most of the knights, after the end of the campaign, returned to Europe, where there was still no place for them. The newly created crusader states were constantly attacked by Muslims and could not survive without outside help.

But the most important thing is that the massacres against Muslims, routinely committed by Christian knights during the campaign, caused a response from the Muslims, who were now eager to avenge their brothers in faith, not distinguishing between the right and the wrong. And looking at the modern Middle East, it becomes clear that what began 900 years ago has not ended to this day.

And the main inspirer of the crusade, Pope Urban II, died on July 29, 1099, two weeks after the capture of Jerusalem. But at a time when there was no telegraph, telephone, radio and Internet, two weeks to transmit news from Jerusalem to Rome was not enough - the new pontiff already learned about the “liberation of the Holy Sepulcher”.