The Significance of the Calling of the First Crusade The significance of the calling of the First Crusade by Pope Urban II is the fall of Jerusalem, which happened directly, as well as the fall of Constantinople and the Crusades that followed. The First Crusade lasted three years and resulted in the fall of Jerusalem. The Second and Third Crusade lasted two and five years respectively. The Fourth Crusade last two years and resulted in the fall of the city of Constantinople. The Fifth Crusade lasted eight years, whereas the Sixth lasted a mere year. While three or more Crusades occurred followed, the Sixth Crusade ended with a peaceful transfer of the city of Jerusalem to the Crusaders by negotiation with al-Kamil (History.com Staff).
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Four professional armies of Crusaders set off. The People’s Crusade, a smaller and more disorganized group, left before the four armies went off to Byzantium. The People’s Crusade made their way across the Bosporus in early August of 1096, before the professional armies even set off. This is when the first noteworthy clash of the Crusades happened, between the ragtag People’s Crusaders and the Turkish Muslims that were invading. Around this same time, another more violent group of Crusaders massacred Jews through towns in Rhineland (History.com Staff). These attacks were met with a load of backlash and caused issues to arise in the Christian-Jewish relations. The four main armies arrived in Constantinople and were ordered by Alexius, the Byzantine emperor, to swear an oath of loyalty to him. This oath included him wanting them to recognize his authority over his current lands, as well as any lands that they may conquer. Unsurprisingly, almost all of the Crusaders, with the exception of Bohemond, resisted this oath. In 1097, the Crusaders attacked Nicea in May and the city surrendered the following month. The First Crusade started in 1096 and ended in 1099, marked with the fall of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was captured in 1099 by force. While the Crusaders stayed in Jerusalem, they were not able to make any significant impact on the surrounding local culture (Austin Cline). Prior to the First Crusade and the Crusaders capturing the great city of Jerusalem, the Egyptian Fatimids presided over the city. This fall can be considered a kickstarter for the Crusades that followed, namely the Second Crusade, as Muslim forces began to retaliate against the
Four professional armies of Crusaders set off. The People’s Crusade, a smaller and more disorganized group, left before the four armies went off to Byzantium. The People’s Crusade made their way across the Bosporus in early August of 1096, before the professional armies even set off. This is when the first noteworthy clash of the Crusades happened, between the ragtag People’s Crusaders and the Turkish Muslims that were invading. Around this same time, another more violent group of Crusaders massacred Jews through towns in Rhineland (History.com Staff). These attacks were met with a load of backlash and caused issues to arise in the Christian-Jewish relations. The four main armies arrived in Constantinople and were ordered by Alexius, the Byzantine emperor, to swear an oath of loyalty to him. This oath included him wanting them to recognize his authority over his current lands, as well as any lands that they may conquer. Unsurprisingly, almost all of the Crusaders, with the exception of Bohemond, resisted this oath. In 1097, the Crusaders attacked Nicea in May and the city surrendered the following month. The First Crusade started in 1096 and ended in 1099, marked with the fall of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was captured in 1099 by force. While the Crusaders stayed in Jerusalem, they were not able to make any significant impact on the surrounding local culture (Austin Cline). Prior to the First Crusade and the Crusaders capturing the great city of Jerusalem, the Egyptian Fatimids presided over the city. This fall can be considered a kickstarter for the Crusades that followed, namely the Second Crusade, as Muslim forces began to retaliate against the