1095 to 1291

Urban preaches at the council of Clermont

The Council at Clermont

Timeline

The first crusade was joined by men, women and children all intent on making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

The crusaders arrive in Constantinople which is the agreed upon rendezvous point.

Nicea was the first city the Crusaders encountered. It had only been under Turkish Islamic rule for 20 years. The Crusaders returned this city to Byzantine rule, fulfilling their promise to Alexius I

Timeline

The siege of Antioch lasted for 9 months. The Crusaders were able to enter the city after a betrayal by one of the city’s guards. Antioch had religious significance to the Crusaders.

The treatment of the original citizens of Antioch was especially brutal. Timeline

The crusaders were especially brutal in Maarat Al-Noman. Their own historians reported incidences of cannibalism. Chroniclers, such as Radulph of Caen, who participated to the siege of Maarat, describe such scenes without a hint of moral justification:Radulph of Caen "In Ma'arra our troops boiled pagan adults in cooking-pots; they impaled children on spits and devoured them grilled."

Crusaders throwing the heads of Muslims during a battle Timeline

Even today the walls of Jerusalem remain very high.

Crusaders taking Jerusalem The Crusaders used a siege tower to breach the high wall of Jerusalem.

Timeline

Retaking Edessa Timeline

On this Crusade Kings were persuaded to join the holy cause. The most important of which was Louis VII

Timeline

Saladin was a Kurdish general under Noor IlDin Zengi He was very ambitious. After consolidating all of Egypt under his command, he wanted to take Syria from Noor Il-Din. When Noor Il-Din dies, Salah Il-Din is able to unify Egypt and Syria.

Modern day picture of the site of the Battle of Hattin One of the mort decisive Battles of all time.

After the Battle of Hattin, Saladin was able to enter Jerusalem peacefully. Unlike the Crusader conquest 90 years earlier, Saladin was able to enter without bloodshed.

Crusader holdings were a fraction of what they once were. Timeline

The main objective was to recapture Jerusalem but to do that they needed a foot hold on the coast. They chose to attack Acre in Northern Palestine,

3 rd Crusade The objective was to get Jerusalem back Timeline

Salah Il Din and Richard I negotiate a truce Timeline

Acre returns to the Muslims in 1291 Timeline