Topic: 1st Crusade Movie Notes Part One
People and Terms:
Alexius the 1st
Pope Urban the 2nd
Claremont France 1095
Peoples or Peasant Crusade
Peter the Hermit
Das Vault

Cause:
1095: Alexius 1 writes a letter to Pope Urban 2nd.
Asking for help to repel Muslim Turks (among others) that have
infiltrated his empire.

Effect:
Urban 2nd takes this letter as a political opportunity to raise
an army and conquer the all the land from France to
Constantinople and Jerusalem.

Cause of Peasant (people) and the real (knights) Crusade
1095 Claremont France Urban gives his speech which
is exaggerated and very emotional and inflammatory
Killing of pilgrims, circumcised Christians blood on altar, slavery etc.
What will be granted:
* sins forgiven themselves and family
* free entry into heaven for all who die
* wealth riches and power
*to save the Holy city of Jerusalem from the outrages in the speech

How the word is spread:
Urban sends Friars out to spread the word of the speech to peasants

Peoples or Peasant Crusade: Led by Peter the Hermit:
left immediately starting with 16,000 up 60 thousand
by the time of reaching Constantinople.

Crimes Along the way:
Killed Jews in Worms Germany based on Anti-Semitism,
Killed towns people along the way in search for food and supplies.
Killed many Christians who looked like Arabs and others on way to Byzantium.

What ended the Peasant Crusade?
Peasant Crusade ended when they were ambushed by the
Turks who were a genuine army

Topic: The 1st Crusade: Movie Notes Part Two

Terms and People
Constantinople
Bosporus Sea
Bohemund
Firouz
Siege of Antioch

1096 after a year of preparations,the “Genuine” Knight armies leave
from various locations in Western Europe with a destination to Constantinople.
How Alexius out smarts Pope Urban:
1. Alexius requires each knight take a loyalty oath to turn over all captured land for
the Byzantine Empire.
2. Alexius quickly shuttles the Knights across the Bosporus Sea as soon as they arrive as to avoid a
standing army outside Constantinople.

Siege of Antioch – 8 month siege. Starvation outside the walls forced to
drink the blood of horses.
How Antioch was captured:
Bohemund had secretly established contact with Firouz, an Armenian guard who controlled three towers.
He offered him land and wealth. Crusaders climb over “Firouz’s towers” and captured the city
The city was captured and all were killed inside.

Turks came to recapture the city. Peter Bartholomew had a vision to
find the Lance of Christ. He found it buried in the chapel of Antioch. Crusaders filled with new religious
fervor soundly defeat the Turks.
Bohemund becomes Prince of Antioch negating his oath to Alexius.
Becoming comfortable and rich Bohemund loses sight on Jerusalem. His army becomes restless
and angry forcing Bohemund to continue the Crusade. On the way to Jerusalem the worst atrocities are committed

Massive War Crime:
Ma`arat al-Numan – Near Antioch. Location of the most severe crimes of the Crusaders.
Crusader primary accounts of cannibalism. Men, women, children, Muslim, Christian, Jews

1099 Siege of Jerusalem six weeks using two 50 foot siege towers the
Crusaders scale the wall and again kill all inside.
Later Crusades:
UnderSaladinthe first Sultan of Egypt and Syria,the Muslims will recapture Jerusalem in 1187

The Third Crusade Richard the Lion Heartwill attack Saladin.
Results in a draw and a treaty is created many of the parts still last today. Muslims hold the Key for the
Church of the Holy Speplichur

Books that were destroyed by Christians in the West were preserved by the Muslims.
They were brought back by the Crusaders. This led to a rediscovery of learning leading to the Renaissance.

Lasting Impact on the Crusades to this day
Middle Easterners remember the Crusades as a “collective history” of barbaric invasions into their lands.
Much of their distrust of the West has to do with the Crusades to this day. Muslim’s view the West as Conquers.
On the other hand, the West does not have a collective history of the crusades as the Muslim invasions were stopped
in France in the 8th century and Muslim were removed from Spain in 1492. With the Protestant Reformation, the
Renaissance and the enlightenment the West will move forward in science politics and culture.
Islam will retreat from their high point of civilization.