The First Crusades
By: Anish Gajera
What are the First Crusades? When did they begin?
The crusades are basically medieval military expeditions made by the Europeans to recover holy land from the Muslims. They also his to convert Muslim religion tor Christianity.
They began in 1095, as the armies of Christians from the western side of Europe responded to Pope Urban II plea. this changed the course of history.
Four armies of crusaders were formed from different troops from Western European regions. The armies were led by Raymond of Saint-Gillies, Godfrey of Bouillon, Hugh of Vermandois, and Bohemond of Taranto along with his nephew Tancred. They were set to depart for the crusades from Byzantium.
The Battle of the First Crusade
In the clash between the first crusaders and the Muslims, Turkish forces crushed the Europeans at Cibotus
First Crusade route map
This map shows the routes that the four armies along with the leaders took to fight the Muslims in the battle.
The First Crusaders
The first crusaders were also Templar's. They had their own order from Pope Urban II and Alexius.
What were some of the controversies/conflicts for Alexius and the four armies?
Conflicts/Controversies
At the time of the first crusades, Alexius asked the four armies leaders to swear an oath of loyalty to him and bow/kneel down for him. All of the army leaders except for Bohemond of Taranto resisted the oath. In May of 1097, the crusaders along with some Byzantine allies attacked Alexius at Nicea (now Iznik,Turkey) a Seljuk capital in Anatolia.
Alexius along with the whole city surrendered in mid to late June.
Citations
Email: anigajera@stu.irvingisd.net
Website: http://www.history.com/topics/crusades
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