The Battle That Ended Crusaders’ Presence In The Holy Land
One of the most important battles in history
The First Crusade was launched in 1096 CE with a call from Pope Urban II. The pope called on faithful Christians to make an armed pilgrimage to the Holy Land with the goal of liberating Zion from the Muslims. Pope Urban II appealed to poor Christians and told them that glory, riches, and the forgiveness of sins would be theirs in this life and the next if they heeded the call and march to Jerusalem.
Pope Urban II said in his speech rallying the First Crusade:
All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested.
The results were beyond anything the pope or the Byzantine Empire had expected. Thousands of Christians answered the call and mobs of armed mercenaries descended on the Holy Land from Europe. In just three years, the crusaders — as they would come to be called — achieved stunning victories against the established Muslim powers in the region.
By the end of 1099, a series of Christian crusader states had been set up around the major cities of the Holy Land including Jersusalem, Acre, Antioch and Tripoli.
