✅The First Crusade - Leadership

Question 1

Who were the main leaders in the German and Lotharingian contigent, and what were their priorities? (2)

Answer 1

1: Godfrey of Boullion: his motivations were unclear as he had never showed devotion to the church before (he’d actually once supported against the papacy). In 1099 he became ruler of Jerusalem. He fought to the Battle of Ascalon
2: (his brother) Baldwin of Boulonge: he had sold his property to pay for the Crusade, however he had another goals and abandoned the Crusade to become count of Edessa

Question 2

Who were the main leaders in the Italian Normans contigent, and what were their priorities? (2)

Answer 2

1: Bohemond of Taranto: he fought against Alexius alongside his father, he did not inherit his father’s wealth. He helped capture and secure Antioch, however his priorities changed when he established himself as prince of Antioch and left the Crusade
2: (his nephew) Tancred of Hauteville: he was not of Prince status, he abandon the Crusade with Baldwin to gain land. He resumed his journey when he gained land, fighting to the end at the Battle of Ascalon

Question 3

Who were the main leaders in the Northern France contigent, and what were their priorities? (4)

Answer 3

1: Hugh of Vermondois: he went on the Crusade to show you the kings (his brother Philip who committed adultery) loyalty to the Pope. He left the Crusade after the Battle of Ascalon
2: Robert of Normandy: he was the son of William the Conqueror and had a rebellious record. His brother King William II of England was keen to see Robert leave and raised England’s taxes to fund for him. He fought to the end at the Battle of Ascalon
3: Robert of Flanders: his father (Robert I) had a close relationship with the emperor he supplied and with 500 Knights. Robert II was extremely dedicated to the Crusade and fought to the end at the Battle of Ascalon
4: Stephen of Blois: he was the son in law of William the Conqueror however, he was not a very good soldier leaving the Crusade after the siege of Antioch. He may have joined the Crusade to please his very religious wife

Question 4

Who were the main leaders in the Southern France contigent, and what were their priorities? (1)

Answer 4

1: Raymond of Toulouse: he was the oldest, richest and most experienced. He was a close friend and supporter of Urban, he was a deeply religious man he wanted to die in the Holy Land. Despite this his priority changed to take Tripoli which slowed down the Crusade

Question 5

Why were the princes divided from the start?

Answer 5

They all have different attitudes, for example some supported the papacy while others did not which created conflict.(Robert of Flanders’ father supplied Alexius with Knights and Godfrey fought against the papacy) Additionally some princes had different priorities to power and land while others had no desire (Raymond fought- without success - to gain control of the crusading armies while Stephen had not desire for power)

Question 6

Why was it difficult getting to the Byzantine Empire?

Answer 6

The four contingents chose different routes across Europe which resulted in different arrival times (almost a year delay). However a benefit of this meant no single place in Europe had to feed large masses of armies at the same time

Question 7

When they arrived at Constantinople, what was the early division between the princes?

Answer 7

Alexius I feared that some of the leaders would be distrustful and decided to force them to take an oath to promise the return of any land they captured that had once been part of the Byzantine Empire and in return he guaranteed help and supplies

Question 8

Why did the oath create divisions?

Answer 8

Some leaders took the oath seriously without objection suggesting their priorities will not to grab land. In contrast Bohemond took the oath but had no intention of keeping it, Raymond refused to take the oath and instead took another to maintain The Emperor’s life and honour amd Baldwin and Tancred avoided the oath altogether

Question 9

Why was the siege of Nicaea a turning point?

Answer 9

It was the first time the leaders realised they would have to work together

Question 10

On June 18, how did the Crusaders take the city?

Answer 10

A system called the ‘council of princes’ were devised, they decided to block the lake that surrounded by the city which cut off the main supply route and managed to maintain the siege using their land forces

Question 11

What happens after the siege?

Answer 11

The army was divided into two, one under Bohemond and the other under Raymond, in hope that it would be easier to collect supplies by spreading out over a large area

Question 12

How did the council of princes help the Crusaders to survive the journey through Asia Minor?

Answer 12

The Council decided to maintain a frequent and close communication between the divided army. When Bohemond and Robert of Normandy were attacked by the Turks at Dorylaeum, they took up a defensive position and contacted the other half who later joined them and defeatedi the Turks

Question 13

When did Baldwin and Tancred leave the main Crusade?

Answer 13

September 1097

Question 14

Why was there conflict between Tancred and Baldwin?

Answer 14

They both wanted land which created conflict between them. For example when Tarsus was taken by Tancred he raised his banners to show his control over the town. However, Baldwin had them pulled down and replaced with his own

Question 15

How did Baldwin become Count of Edessa?

Answer 15

Baldwin continued his journey East and abandoned the competition with Tancred to find his own land. Baldwin had got an invitation from Thoros of Edessa in February 1098 where he adopted Baldwin as his successor. However Thoros was greatly unpopular and was murdered in March 1098 making Baldwin count of Edessa

Question 16

What were effects of Baldwin’s thirst for land? (3)

Answer 16

1: the loss of Baldwin also meant the loss of his army
2: Edessa was a wealthy County which meant Baldwin was able to give his brother, Godfrey, 50,000 gold bezants to help fund the journey
3: the Muslim army who were heading to Antioch to try and stop The Crusaders, were distracted for three weeks by successfully attempting to capture Edessa - giving the Crusaders more time

Question 17

Explain the first stage of seiging seige Antioch

Answer 17

In October 1097, the Crusaders reached Antioch and began to lay siege to the city. This siege took 7 and a half months, draining the Crusaders strength morally and physically. In December the army suffered severe famine. In June 1098 Bohemond managed to gain access to the city by negotiating with someone on the inside

Question 18

Explain the second stage of securing Antioch

Answer 18

By June 1098, the Crusaders not only secured Antioch but became imprisoned within it. 35,000 Muslims had abandoned the siege of Edessa and were encamp outside Antioch. On 12 June Bohemond gave the order to close the city gates in order to stop the morally low Crusaders from escaping. On 28 June the Battle of Antioch

Question 19

How did the Crusaders win the Battle of Antioch? (3)

Answer 19

Through the leadership of Bohemond:

1: he arranged his troops to leave Antioch via the bridge gate which meant that the Muslims would not reach them quickly
2: he broke his army into 7 parts, each with a clear leader to help retain the army in formation
3: he kept back extra troops and used them as his rearguards while the main army held their ground against the Muslims who were stationed around Antioch

Question 20

What are the three main reasons why the Crusaders succeeded at capturing Antioch?

Answer 20

1: in order to survive the siege, the leaders knew they needed plenty of supplies, this lead to Raymond forging in Ruj Valley
2: Raymond was extremely wealthy and was able to fund for the Crusade. For example he was able to fund for the building that blocked the access to Antioch via the bridge gate
3: Bohemond was able to enter the city through negotiations with someone on the inside

Question 21

Explain the third stage of the possession of Antioch

Answer 21

Bohemond was not prepared to give up Antioch to Alexius, additionally Raymond - still under oath - wanted to rule it in name him. This lead to 6 months stalemate over what to do in Antioch. This not only cause delay, but threated to potentially collapse the Crusade. It wasn’t until his contingent took actions into their own hands that Raymond was forced to set off to Jerusalem in January 1099, leaving Bohemond behind

Question 22

Explain the fall of Raymond of Toulouse

Answer 22

When Raymond continued on with his journey, his support of the leaders were crucial to continuing his dominance over that are cruading armies. However he stretched their support when he tried to establish his own county in Tripoli. The leaders seeimg that his commitment had changed transferred their allegiance to Godfrey

Question 23

How long did the attack on the walls of Jerusalem take?

Answer 23

5 weeks

Question 24

How did the Crusaders break into the walls of Jerusalem?

Answer 24

They used a range of strategies by shifting their positions around walls until on 15 July, Godfrey’s men broke through the walls and murdered over 300 Muslims

Question 25

What were the three main reasons why the siege of Jerusalem was successful?

Answer 25

1: though their strategy of attacking different sides of the walls until they broke in
2: Godfrey raised the morale of his troops when he took part in the heart of the attack
3: the Crusaders were experienced soldiers and had endured long marches, sieges and faltering leadership, they were prepared for Jerusalem

Question 26

What were the Crusaders last crisis to tackle?

Answer 26

A Muslim counter attack was on its way from Egypt and by 4 August they were they camped outside Ascalon. Godfrey quickly contacted the other leaders and launched a surprise attack on 12 August