When Peter the Hermit left for a pilgrimmage to the Holy Land, his fellow travellers took him for half prophet and half beggar. But it was this man, sustained only by his faith and invincible will, who was to awaken Europe, to ennoble the serfs, and to change the face of the world. After Pope Urban II had launched the Crusades, the ordinary people were the first to set off. They went forth singing psalms, and with bare feet Peter the Hermit led them on.
The feudal lords and nobles made their own preparations. Godfrey of Bouillon persuaded his fellow
crusaders to pay homage to the emperor of Constantinople, before moving on to Antioch where they were
joined by the Armenian christians. After seven long months, the crusaders began to feel the effects of famine. But the crusaders encircled Antioch, and the
siege continued.
A terrible battle was waged inside the town. The
city of Antioch was now in the hands of the crusaders. But the
infidel turks from the surrounding country arrived to defend it. From being the besigers, the crusaders became the beseiged. Inspired by the discovery of a holy relic, the crusaders fell upon the infidel turks. Terrified at the courage shown by the crusaders, the infidel turks were put to flight. The holy city of Jerusalem was now within reach.
A renewed strength and vigour now stirred the crusaders. Preparations were made for storming the city. The first assault was made, but the crusaders failed to win victory. A second assault followed. The defenders tried to escape, but found their way blocked. By evening, the city’s christians had joined the triumphant crusaders in thanksgiving. Godfrey of Bouillon declined the throne, but became the protector of the realm.
Forty years after the death of Godfrey of Bouillon, the evil emir of Mosul seized the crusader city of Edessa and put the entire population to death. This terrible massacre shocked the entire christian world. Baldwin III,
king of Jerusalem, pursued the infidel turks. The Second Crusade was launched, and the French and German armies followed the same route to Constantinople taken by Peter the Hermit.
After the death of Baldwin IV, the leper king, christian rule over Jerusalem came to an end. William, Archbishop of Tyre, launched the Third Crusade. By the time Barbarossa had reached Syria, panic had spread among the arabs. After his death, the other crusaders joined Guy of Lusignan (the king without a realm) and they laid siege to the port of Acre. With the arrival of the English and French armies, the siege became serious, and the crusaders recaptured the port town.
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