First Crusade - Page 17 of 21

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The Fall of Jerusalem

The assault began night of 13-14 July, 1099. The attack came from several quarters, although they really didn't have an army numerous enough for this type of attack. Even so, their eagerness carried the day. Around noon on the 15th, Godfrey of Bouillon carried the wall at one point and the crusaders were inside. Not long after, Raymond of Toulouse likewise broke in.

What ensued was an orgy of slaughter. The crusaders killed all they met, regardless of age, sex or religion. The killing went on all that night and through the next day and into the next night. Order was not restored until the 16th of July. When the killing was over, all Muslims and Jews had either been killed or driven out. The crusaders had liberated Jerusalem, but the streets ran with blood and their prize was very nearly a corpse.

The Muslims would never forget the sack of Jerusalem, a city as sacred to their religion as to the Christians (Jerusalem is where Mohammed ascended to Heaven). This was the crowning event in a string of incidents that convinced the Arabs that these Franks were ferocious barbarians. Any Arab leader seeking to rally his people against the Christians had only to remind them of Jerusalem.

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History of Western Civilization
Boise State University
Last Revised 17 August 1995