2000 Years of Rich History from Jesus to JP2: The First Crusade, Part II

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1096-1099 AD The First Crusade
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Part II

After the first 'people's army' aimlessly pillaged and made more enemies than converts, they were easily destroyed by the Turks. Later troops found safe harbor with Alexius and the Greek Right, which had been separate from the Latin right for fifty years. Alexius eventually saw the crusades as advantageous, because of common enemies, and because most of the crusading princes swore to return captured land to the Byzantine Empire.

The first city captured was Nicea, which had mostly Christians living there, but was controlled benevolently by Muslims. It fell even though it had 240 towers and four miles of wall. The region was return to Byzantine control.

Not all conquests were that successful or loyal. After Baldwin of Boulogne captured the city of Edessa from the Turks, he did not return it to Alexius; instead claiming himself to be the Count of Edessa and entering into treaties with local Muslims and Christians to assure his staying power.

The next acquisition was Antioch, which was a symbolic capture, as St. Peter had established the it to be a bishopric. They laid siege to the city for months and eventually bribed a Turkish soldier to give enterance during the night. All of the Turks were massacred and their homes were razed, including some Christians'. The crusading leader, Peter Bartholomew, claimed to see "visions" of Saints who told him to keep Antioch in Latin possession. After the Papal envoy died, who favored returning the city to Alexius, another crusader declared himself Prince of Antioch, because Bartholomew had died at his own hand.

Geographically, the subsequent and largest prize was Jerusalem. They city was controlled by the Egyptians, who had expelled all Christians from the city and hired scores of mercenaries from Africa in pretense to its defense. Around 1400 knights and 12,000 infantry laid siege the city, which meant that they prevented food, water, communication from entering it, and killed anyone attempting to leave it. They also may have used siege weapons like a catapult to take down towers that would slaughter any attackers. The army prayed and fasted for six weeks, asking for divine help in the siege. After that period, they constructed two large siege engines - which would help the men over the walls - and occupied the city. The crusaders massacred not only Muslims, but Jews still in the city in a fit of antisemitism.

Most crusaders returned home after Jerusalem to place the palm fronds from the region on their parish altar, as evidence that their vow was fulfilled. Almost none returned home rich, and some turned to priesthood or worked in the church upon reaching home.

Many cities were captured, from Edessa to Tripoli, but all them were isolated from each other and were open to retribution. As such, the crusaders who remained to bolster latin-christian life, eventually drafted Muslim alliances in order to procure protection from other Muslims or new crusading armies.

The Crusades are a part of Catholic history. Some parts of that rich history are not events in which one can be completely proud. It is important to remember them, however, because they define who we are as Catholics, as they depict from where we started, and point to where we are going. Our history needs to be memorialized; positive parts as blueprints for replication and negative ones as lessons already learned. According to historian Keith Lewis, "One can neither dismiss these 'armed pilgrimages' as pure secular ventures nor praise them as wholly religious. Similarly, it would be simplistic to condemn crusaders categorically because of the excesses of materials of some of the more powerful and influential among them." T.S. Elliot similarly remarks that there were, "a few good men, many who were evil, and most who were neither, like all men in all places."

A Sincere Thank Your to Keith Lewis for writing "The Catholic Church in History"