First Crusade

Following Pope Urban's appeal to aid fellow Eastern Christians fighting the Muslims, the First Crusade was started which is one of the most famous Crusades into the Holy Land. The Byzantine Empire was expected to reclaim the conquered areas, but after seizing Jerusalem in 1099, the crusader commanders divided the territory among themselves. They established themselves as the kings of the newly founded Crusader kingdoms in the Holy Land by founding the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli, and the County of Edessa.

The emergence of the Seljuks against the Byzantine army in ancient Armenia, capturing cities like Antioch and Edessa as well as Jerusalem, was a key cause of this war. To aid the Eastern Christians, Pope Urban started the First Crusade. Hugh of Vermandois, Godfrey of Bouillon, Raymond of Saint-Gilles, and Bohemond of Taranto organized four armies under their command to retake the Holy Land and Jerusalem from Muslim rule.

The four armed armies sent more than 60,000 soldiers into this combat. Following military operations in the Middle East and Asia Minor, they finally took back Jerusalem on July 15, 1099 CE, after first taking back places like Antioch and Nicaea. After winning the First Crusade against the Muslims, the crusader leaders established the Principality of Antioch, Kingdom of Jerusalem, County of Edessa, and County of Tripoli.

Time: 1096 - 1099