El Cid and the First Crusade - full documentary

july 10 1099 rodrigo diaz de vivar the man known as el sid lays dying he is one of the most remarkable warriors of the middle ages having begun life as an ordinary knight he dies as conqueror of the magnificent city of valencia in his generation el sid alone has vanquished the alma ravids and thus struck a decisive blow in the ray conquista of spain five days later july 15 1099 far away in the burning hills of palestine a small army of crusaders storms jerusalem these men have traveled across continents to the very heart of their faith christ holy sepulchre now they are defeating the seljuk turks the fatimids of egypt and many other great powers of the east this is the culmination of the first crusade and like el cid it defines the latin west's remarkable era of growth adventure and expansion in the 11th century el sid a knight of unusual talent banished by his king plied his sword as a mercenary but ultimately through his own valor achieves incredible conquests against the great powers of his day the first crusade a small motley assortment of warriors from across the latin world brought together by the battle cry of pope urban ii this band of warriors would traverse vast distances and win unlikely conquests in the very heart of the domain of islam the stories of el sid and the first crusade run almost parallel to one another and when told together they demonstrate the upheaval an adventure that characterized the late 11th century [Music] october 1086 the battlefield of sagrahas is soaked red with blood the almaravid ruler yusuf ibn tashfin and his army of 7500 have just defeated a christian force of 2500. this is a major defeat for alfonso vi king of leon castile once again the christian kingdoms of spain are on the defensive yusuf who already rules much of north africa now wields power throughout the muslim portions of spain and he is poised to expand into the lands of the christians desperate for help alfonso sends an appeal to a man he knows to be a great warrior but a man also exiled by the king himself rodrigo diaz a night of castile was banished from his homeland years before now he serves as a mercenary captain for the moorish ruler of zaragoza when rodrigo receives the king's messenger he's overjoyed and rides at once to the royal court of castile he kneels before alfonso who pardons him alfonso dispatches rodrigo to the eastern iberian peninsula where he authorizes the sid to subdue lands held by muslim rulers in this way alfonso hopes to secure his eastern interests however the reconciliation does not last over the next several years tensions between el cid and the king boil over their relationship is a complicated matter long debated by historians and despite their clashes el sid seems to have always maintained that alfonso was ultimately still in some sense his king however by 1090 el sid is operating in the east mostly as an independent warlord with a small army of loyal followers he extracts tribute from local muslim rulers and begins seizing castles in the region valencia's ruler al-khadir offers a lavish tribute making himself rodrigo's client the knights of the sid are well paid with valencian gold rodrigo amazingly with very limited resources is establishing himself as an independent power in the levant of spain [Music] however yusuf one of the greatest generals of his generation is on the move he spends 1090 and 1091 mopping up the muslim cities of vallandalus taking granada mercia cordoba and sevilla under his direct rule imprisoning their moorish emirs in african dungeons from yusuf's perspective he is purifying the cities of muslim spain which have grown corrupt under the soft indolent rule of pleasure-loving moorish princes yusuf is an austere and uncompromising warrior of the desert who loves the rigors of campaigning and scorns palace luxury he is committed to the fundamentals of the islamic faith and models his own life on the companions of the prophet if anyone can crush the christian kings of spain and restore muslim rule to the whole of the peninsula it is this man and now yusuf's plan is coming into focus he knows that valencia is the key to his ultimate triumph once valencia falls zaragoza will easily be subdued and then the el moravids can destroy the tiny christian kingdom of aragon at that point alfonso vi and the castilians will be pinned in by a newly resurgent muslim spain within valencia civil strife is brewing many of the city's muslims despise al-khadir for submitting himself to the christian el cid resistance coalesces around ibn jahof a prominent nobleman with pro-al-moravid sympathies in 1092 ibn jahof organizes a coup violence breaks out in the streets amid the chaos al-khadir tries to sneak out of the city he disguises himself as a woman wearing a jewel-studded girdle ibn jahof's men storm the palace they discover al-khadir hiding in the harem baths and cut off his head [Music] ibn jihaf now controls valencia he dispatches a messenger to the el moravids asking yusuf to send a garrison to hold the city against el cid rodrigo diaz is at zaragoza when he receives news of al khadir's murder now his very position in eastern spain is at risk and the el moravids might easily overrun a vast and important portion of the peninsula he understands the great moment that is upon him the christians of 11th century spain revere old tales of king roderick and the visigoths and their battles with the original arab conquerors a muslim chronicler from valencia records el cid as making this comment a rodrigo lost this peninsula now another rodrigo will save it at once el sid departs zaragoza he besieges and captures the fortress of seboya nine miles north of valencia he rallies his supporters including muslims who'd served al-khadir dispatching a messenger to valencia the sid expresses outrage at alcadeer's murder and demands that the city be surrendered into his power evangel refuses rodrigo answers with a solemn vow he will make war on valencia until he has made it his own our most important source for el sid's life the historia rodericki most likely written by one of the sid's own followers records how rodrigo pressured valencia in the month of july at harvest time rodrigo encamped beside valencia he began to devastate the crops with his horses and to destroy the houses outside the walls when the inhabitants of valencia saw this they sent invoice to him beseeching him to be merciful but he refused to grant them peace unless they expelled ibn jahof and his party from valencia they were unwilling to do this and shut themselves up together in the city [Music] rodrigo siege of valencia begins in july 1093 his army is too small to surround the city he has no navy so he can't affect a blockade from the sea his strategy is to pressure valencia through systematic ravaging of the territory from his fortresses of seboya in the north and badekadel in the south by winter valencia is in a desperate state no relief has arrived from the alma ravids and the citizens are starving in 1094 they hold out a few more months but at last in may ibn johof agrees to surrender el cid enters valencia rodrigo with a small army and very limited means has subdued one of the great cities of muslim spain pharrell said this was a moment of profound achievement with his wife ximena and his two daughters christina and maria he climbs the highest tower and gazes out over the shining city offering thanks to god for his bounty meanwhile in morocco yusuf ibn tashfin hears of this outrage he organizes a large army led by his trusted nephew muhammad yusuf instructs muhammad that he is to capture rodrigo alive and bring him back to morocco in chains at valencia el cid gets news of the amaravat advance ibn al-qama a muslim chronicler native to valencia was in the city during this tense period and describes the anxiety of the muslim citizenry rumors circulate that el sid will massacre valencia's moors before the almaravids arrive instead the sid orders that all iron weapons and tools be confiscated he also expels moorish men of military age by october the huge amaravat host arrives before the walls of valencia inside the christians hear the thunder of berber war drums as their enemies surround the city muhammad concentrates his forces on the level plain of cuarta the astoria rodoriki describes the anxiety of rodrigo's knights they were few in number while the enemy outside the walls was immense and confident but the sid urges his men to take heart and to trust in christ [Music] immediately rodrigo begins studying the enemy host and believes he has identified a weakness the almaravid coalition is immense but may also prove unwieldy the sid believes that a sudden and forceful attack could spread confusion through the gigantic army after a week el cid makes his move dividing his army in two he dispatches the first contingent from the city in a sortie with such ferocity that the el moravids concentrate themselves against it meanwhile the sid leads his second force discreetly from one of valencia's lesser gates and falls upon the enemy camp just as rodrigo had anticipated the vast elmarvid host is slow to react to this surprise the sid himself rides at the head of his cavalry tearing through the enemy ranks rodrigo and his knights spread confusion and terror until the entire almaravid army breaks in a total rout rodrigo's victory is complete he captures the al-moravid camp and distributes the vast booty among his men the battle of quarta is the first decisive victory gained by a christian iberian army against the amravids news of the sid's triumph spreads far and wide after the king of castile himself was defeated by yusuf ibn tashfin christians throughout the iberian peninsula rejoiced to see the almaravids proven vulnerable and valencia successfully held news of el sid's victory may even reach pope urban ii for he has long been concerned about the situation in the iberian peninsula urban has recently taken direct action toward helping the iberian christians he has even sanctioned their reconquista as spiritually meritorious less than a year after el sid's great victory pope urban plans a new sort of military campaign for christendom's other frontier in the east urban is a broad-minded leader a man of vision for him the many kingdoms of the christian world represent a vast but ultimately united community christendom violence within this community is a disaster christian princes must stop waging wars against one another urban is determined to unite them in a common enterprise for a broader purpose the good of christendom the spanish kingdoms and their common battle against the alma ravids is a model urban wants to bring christendom together against another enemy the seljuk turks november 1095 the french city of claremont pope urban ii mounts a platform in the middle of a field gathered before him is a large crowd of bishops abbots noblemen knights and many other people the pope delivers a speech that will change history he calls on the men of christendom to take up arms and march to the east where christians are suffering under the rule of the seljuk turks in particular urban emphasizes that jerusalem the city where christ was crucified should be restored to christian rule the chronicler robert the monk records his own impression of the pope's words may the deeds of your ancestors move you and spur your souls to manly courage the worth and greatness of charlemagne his son louis and your other kings who destroyed pagan kingdoms and brought them within the bounds of christendom the response to urban's appeal is tremendous within hours of his speech every scrap of red cloth and claremont has been used to sew a cross upon the cloaks of men volunteering for the crusade throughout the latin west knights gather for the pope's expedition the following day bishop adamer of lapui the pope's designated legit announces that he is taking the cross that is joining the crusade alongside the bishop one of europe's wealthiest rulers also proclaims his participation raymond iv the grizzled one-eyed count of toulouse raymond rules vast lands in southern france and is indeed wealthier than the king of france himself at this time he is also a man well acquainted with spain his wife the beautiful young countess elvira is the daughter of king alfonso vi of leon castile and raymond appears to have been in his father-in-law's kingdom during the height of the almaravid wars it's possible that raymond lost his eye fighting in these very campaigns raymond is an old man and also deeply pious he has decided that he will end his days fighting for god in the holy land and so begins one of the landmark adventures of the medieval era the first crusade by 1096 various western contingents are departing for the first crusade one man to raise an army and set off for the east is godfrey of bouillon the duke of lower lorraine his father had been one of the chief companions of william the conqueror and his family is important in the holy roman empire godfrey is influenced by the reform ideals that have come to dominate the papacy among those ideals is the notion of the crusade and this has deeply impacted godfrey who is a pious man tall with long blonde hair and a blonde beard godfrey is the image of the ideal knight though he shuns the ostentatious dress popular among his peers he is a man of austere tastes and avoids pomp and luxury godfrey departs lorraine with his army in august 1096 pressing eastward through hungary [Music] another leading figure of the era responds to the pope's appeal bowman part of the warlike norman house of doutville which dominates southern italy and sicily bowman is a man of immense size and strength anna kamnena a byzantine princess describes him in her book the alexia is having a hard savage quality even his laughter sounded like a threat recalls anna in the summer of 1096 bowman is with his uncle count roger of sicily besieging a rebel force at amalfi in southern italy crusaders on their way to the holy land pass through and bowman recognizes the importance of the pope's new expedition bowman's ambitions are as great as his size and his strength and he sees an opportunity to win lands for himself in the east in a dramatic gesture the huge norman dons a red cross before his men at amalfi proclaiming his intention to set off for the east a modest but capable band of norman warriors joins him including his nephew 21 year old tangrid an ambitious and talented young warrior who has always felt that he would win fame and fortune by following his uncle by october bowman sails with his small army from the port of barrie he is a man of around 40 years having already earned a reputation as a great commander as a young man he led his father's forces during an attack on the byzantine empire later giscard disinherited his eldest son but bowman carved out a principality for himself through sheer military genius capturing considerable lands from his brother now bowman is setting off for the adventure to crown his career the crusade is a chance for bowman to both serve god and win glory for bowman though a fierce fighter is sincere in his religious beliefs 11th century warriors whether christian or muslim see victory in battle as a sign of god's favor as bowman gazes eastward from the deck of his galley it may be an empire of his own that he glimpses before him on the horizon with his brave nephew tankered beside him as well as a whole gang of tough norman veterans bowman's ambitions are well placed but bowman's past also makes him suspect in the eyes of emperor alexius the normans of italy have long been enemies to the byzantines alexia suspects that bowman may be traveling east not to fight for god but to complete giscard's thwarted invasion of byzantium as bowman and his warlike normans draw toward constantinople alexis kamnenis grows increasingly uneasy [Music] meanwhile spain is one of the few regions in latin christendom not producing substantial recruits for the first crusade this is not for lack of enthusiasm but because of the pope's own commands pope urban has asked that iberian christians remain at home to hold the frontier against the alma ravids in 1096 rodrigo diaz el sid is doing just this since his victory at cuarta he has been working to secure his defenses but the odds are stacked against him el sid's lordship of valencia is an island amid muslim territory the question is not if the amaravats will attack again but when to bolster his position rodrigo pursues an alliance with the neighboring christian kingdom of aragon by november aragon's new king pedro the first conquers weska and his position to collaborate with el cid while touring his southern frontier pedro stops at valencia he and rodrigo decide to march south to reinforce the sid's stronghold of benecodel between hativa and denia guarding the southern approach to valencia the nakedele is of vital defense of importance as king pedro and rodrigo pass near hativa they are surprised to find themselves in the vicinity of a considerable amaravat army led by muhammad nephew to the al-muravid ruler yusuf ibn tashfin this is a tense moment for the two christian commanders the force they have with them is modest and they are not prepared for a major engagement they decide to try and complete their mission while avoiding the al moravid host after stopping to stock venekadel with troops and provisions the sid and the king veered toward the coast intent on marching north on the easier mediterranean route however muhammad's scout spot the small christian force after his defeat several years earlier the amarava general is eager for a rematch and now he appears to have the sid right where he wants him muhammad quickens his pace and sends word to his fleet which is operating off the coast from ports farther south when el-sid and king pedro reach bahrain they run right into muhammad's land army the amaravat host is drawn up in good order on the high ground extending close to the sea meanwhile muhammad's navy is positioned along the coast when the christians lay camp they are trapped between enemy land forces on one side and the almaravid fleet on the other side throughout january archers from the ships bombard the christians with arrows while almoravid horsemen launch attacks from the slopes at this point rodrigo and the king are going to have to fight their way out battle is unavoidable once again the christians are outnumbered the astoria rodericki says that the troops were much afraid one morning el sid calls the men to battle galloping throughout the camp on his stallion urging the knights to take heart and prepare for a fight the historia rodericki describes what happens next at the middle of the day the king and rodrigo with all the christian army fell upon them and engaged them in strength at length by god's clemency they defeated them and turned them in flight some were killed by the sword some fell in the river and enormous numbers fled into the sea where they were drowned once again the sid breaks a large almaravid host with a fierce and well-timed attack his knights coordinate well with the ergonese and the charge of the christian cavalry wins the day present in the aragonese contingent is king pedro's younger brother prince alfonso who will one day be king himself and a great conqueror of the alma avids perhaps alfonso learns a trick or two fighting alongside the legendary rodrigo diaz the muslim chronicler ibn basam records valencia was like a thorn in the side of yusuf which vexed his whole life the thought of it never left him it gave his hands and his tongue no peace he sent troops and he sent money to recapture the city but all with very little result the battle of byren only confirms this reality the mighty yusuf ibn tashfin seems powerless against the undefeated rodrigo diaz [Music] meanwhile far away to the east various contingents of the first crusade are arriving at constantinople duke godfrey bowman and count raymond meet with emperor alexius the pope had believed that the western forces would join a great army led by the byzantine emperor but the crusaders find that alexius does not intend to march with them against the seljuk turks instead the emperor offers to provide guides and support troops while he himself will remain at constantinople the emperor also asks that the latins swear an oath of loyalty to him bowman does so gladly he is better acquainted with the byzantine world than the other latins and knows how to play politics at the splendid court of constantinople bowman even asks alexius to grant him the title of grand domestic commander in chief of the byzantine army alexius who doesn't trust bowman politely refuses though he hints that the giant norman may well receive considerable honors if he proves himself against the seljuk turks count raymond is more direct he expresses serious disappointment that the emperor will not be leading them he refuses to take any oaths unless alexis joins them on campaign alexius respects raymond's honesty and the two talk the matter over frankly at last raymond swears a modified oath agreeing to respect the emperor's interests and possessions with that the forces of the first crusade depart the imperial court and march east to engage the enemy the first objective is nicaea the capital of the seljuk turks lying within striking distance of constantinople the city must be taken if the crusaders are to advance across asia minor after defeating a relieving force led by the seljuk sultan kili arslan the christians capture the city and restore it to byzantine rule their first objective achieved the crusaders depart nicaea on june 26 heading across the vast arid territory of anatolia it is summer in asia minor the heat is brutal and unrelenting worse still sultan kiliar slan has ravaged the territory burning crops and destroying water sources in hopes of halting the crusaders advance to reduce supply problems the latin princes divide their armies with the first body led by bowman and his fellow norman robert kurthos of normandy and the second marching a day behind under count raymond and duke godfrey during the march bowman's spies inform him that kylie arslan is approaching with his army preparing an ambush on the evening of june 30 as his forces move toward the ruined byzantine town of dorylam bowman orders his infantry to pitch a defensive camp at a stream and organizes his cavalry for battle on the morning of july first kylie arslan strikes but bowman is ready swarms of turkish horse archers descend upon the christian camp bowman and robert curtis make several charges but the light swift turkish cavalry elude them wheeling away when attacked then sweeping back in to harass the crusaders with arrows things quickly go bad for the christians they are losing men and horses and even the unarmed pilgrims hunkered down in the camp are being killed a lesser commander might have panicked but bowman reacts instantly and effectively he immediately changes tactics commanding his knights to dismount and stand with the infantry in a tight shield wall encircling the camp allowing the armored troops to protect the horses supplies and pilgrims this works suddenly the turks have to move in nearer to attack the crusaders who hold their ground and begin to kill enemy riders venturing too close for several hours the crusader knights and foot soldiers stand side by side in this cramped formation unbreakable before the increasingly desperate turkish assaults the heat is intense the air choked with dust women in the camp trudge back and forth from the stream carrying buckets of water to the men on the lines finally this deadlock is broken with the arrival of the second crusader army caught unaware kylie arslan has no time to react godfrey and raymond lead their knights in a charge that scatters the seljuk turks kelly arslan's army retreats the crusaders have won a great victory though narrowly the battle of dory lamb demonstrates bowman's capabilities as a general for one he had known that the turkish attack was coming and chose a well-watered site for camp finally at a desperate moment he'd organized his troops so effectively that they held their defensive position until reinforcements arrived the victory also demonstrates the power of the frankish cavalry charge well executed by raymond and godfrey but the seljuk turks had also performed well and their swift harassing tactics had proven quite effective despite the ultimate results of the battle the turks leave behind the whole of their camp filled with gold and silks horses and weapons which the crusaders immediately sees kylie arcelon abandons his city of iconium and retreats deep into the interior of anatolia hoping now to avoid the christians as they move across asia minor [Music] august 1097 in spain rodrigo diaz el cid receives devastating news his only son diego has died fighting alongside the castilians against the alma ravids at the battle of consuegra diego's presence in the army of king alfonso vi of leon castile is viewed by some historians as a sign that the sid maintained loyalty to the king despite their strained relationship whatever the case diego's death is a bitter blow when the sid is at the height of his power in valencia meanwhile in asia minor bowman godfrey of bouyon and the army of the first crusade advance into syria and come up against one of the most powerful cities ever built antioch this is the story of two great moments for the 11th century latin west el sid in spain and the first crusade in the holy land october 1097 the soldiers of the first crusade emerged from a syrian mountain range and catch sight of an impregnable fortress antioch once the third largest city in the roman empire at the close of the 11th century antioch is still one of the most powerful fortresses in the world a sprawling city with massive walls defended by 460 foot tall towers the city's population is mostly greek and armenian but it's ruled by yagi-sien a seljuk turkish emir and his garrison of some 5 000 turkish troops if the crusaders want to advance they will have to take this city tired hungry and battle weary the latin christians gaze wide-eyed at a huge stronghold it's a demoralizing sight their army of some forty thousand is considerable but they are unable to fully blockade the city how will they ever take antioch as the crusaders settle in for a siege and winter weather draws near the primary concern for the commander switches from capturing the city to securing supplies hunger and cold afflict the army terribly the chronicler full care of chartres describes the miserable conditions then the starving people devoured the stalks of beans still growing in the fields many kinds of herbs unseasoned with salt and even thistles which because of the lack of firewood were not well cooked and therefore irritated the tongues of those eating them they also ate horses asses camels dogs and even rats the poor people ate even the hides of animals and the seeds of grain found in manure [Music] meanwhile far away in spain rodrigo diaz el cid identifies a fortress that poses a danger to its valencian principality murviedro sits upon a rock that makes it the strongest natural fortress on the coast of the spanish levant it was here centuries ago that a roman garrison made their last stand against hannibal now murviedro can act as a rallying point for an army targeting valencia el cid cannot let this stand in early 1098 he lays siege to murviedro meanwhile in distant syria the first crusade is no closer to its goal at the start of 1098 the christian army is still huddled before antioch's massive walls in february the byzantines withdraw their support alexia's representative tatikios departs for cyprus with his contingent things go from bad to worse news arrives in the christian camp at kerb the atabeg of mosul is assembling a vast coalition of turkish forces from damascus aleppo and mosul for the relief of antioch this news creates panic among the crusaders stephen count of blue abandons the siege with his men their numbers reduced their supplies low and most of their horses dead the remaining crusaders are in no condition to battle a large enemy army desertions reach a critical level the crusade it seems is about to collapse entirely however bowman is working on a solution his spies talk with local armenians trying to establish a contact within the city it works bowman secures an ally on one of the key towers an armenian muslim armorer called feruz the muslim chronicler ibn al-kalanisi says that varus holds a grudge against the turkish governor yagi-san and is looking for an opportunity for revenge bowman establishes contacts among armenian traders moving in and out of the city through these traitors bowman makes contact with farouz the norman promises faroos rewards of every sort feroze agrees to the conspiracy the armenian armorer controls the tower of the two sisters on the southeastern walls above the gate of saint george he and bowman agree that on an appointed night farouz's men will permit the normans to scale the tower and thus enter the city feroz is bowman's key into antioch however before he springs his trap bowman wants to be sure that antioch will be his one night the leaders of the crusade gather in council to discuss the approach of gerbaga the atmosphere is tense godfrey robert curtis raymond bishop adamer and the other leaders all know that their time is running out bowman speaks up he suggests that anyone who manages to secure antioch should be named the city's lord this gets the attention of the leaders by now they've learned to trust bowman's military genius as well as his ambition the gaunt old count raymond is the only dissenting voice this city rightfully belongs to emperor alexius he states bowman scoffs at this notion reminding his comrades that the byzantines have abandoned them in their hour of need this point is not lost on godfrey or curthos whose men have been cursing the byzantines ever since tatikios's flight ultimately raymond is outvoted the other commanders agree if bowman can get them into antioch he can have it dramatically bowman stands up by grace of god sirs he proclaims antioch will soon be ours with that the giant norman swaggers out of the tent on the night of june 2nd the crusaders put bowman's plan into motion in full view of antioch's garrison a large christian detachment marches away from the city pretending to embark on a forging expedition this eases the nerves of the turks lulling them into the comfortable thought they won't get much trouble from the besiegers for a while but the crusaders move back toward the city under cover of darkness then position themselves in hiding to await bowman's signal meanwhile bowman and a party of normans gather below farouz's tower farouz is watching from the wall anxiously looking for a glimpse of bowman he catches sight of the normans and waves down to them the critical moment approaches there in the darkness at the foot of the tower of the two sisters bowman's men raise up a single oxen hide ladder silently the normans climb up the wall when farooz sees this small number of men climbing onto his tower he's nervous where is the great man bowman he asks but soon bowman himself mounts the wall and joins his men the normans stalk through the city kill the patrolling watchman and throw open one of the main gates bowman sounds his war bugles signaling for godfrey and robert to attack with their men [Applause] the normans begin shouting rushing through the city soon the entire crusader army is pouring through the streets of antioch the sleepy turkish garrison is taken by surprise the city is thrown into confusion crusaders seem to be everywhere cutting down the defenders every turn the city's christian population realizing what is happening rush out to throw open other gates and join in the slaughter antioch is thoroughly sacked in the confusion yagi sian tries to flee but he's spotted by a band of armenians seizing the old turk the armenians behead him and take the head as a trophy to bowman by morning scarcely a turk is left alive in the city the crusaders now control antioch a remnant of the garrison manages to hold out in the citadel bowman dispatches his troops around the citadel but for now the turks defend this position for these last offenders their only hope is kerbaka on his way even now [Music] the last hope of the turks in the citadel is a source of great dread to the crusaders they've seized antioch but now they themselves will soon be besieged there's little time to consolidate their position quickly they offered thanks to god reconsecrating the cathedral of saint peter each leader takes charge of a section of wall with soldiers assigned to man the battlements days later gerbaga's enormous coalition appears before antioch watching from the walls the crusaders are sick with dread though hunger is making them sick as well kerpagas secures the citadel with his own troops this gives him a great advantage and allows his host of some forty thousand men to blockade the city by now the crusaders have only about twenty thousand men antioch supplies are dangerously depleted rather than a prize it looks like the city will be a tomb for the christians at this grim moment for the first crusade a pilgrim called peter bartholomew goes before bishop adamur and count raymond saint andrew the apostle has come to me in a vision says peter and told me that the holy lands which pierced the sight of our lord jesus christ is buried beneath the cathedral of saint peter here in the city of antioch the bishop is doubtful though count raymond is immediately struck by the poor pilgrims report the count orders and excavation crusaders throng within the ancient church digging begins beneath the south chapel finally after almost the whole day peter himself is in the deepest part of the whole suddenly the pilgrim leaps out holding up an old shard of iron this is the lance shouts peter this is the lands of christ and by this holy relic we shall be victorious today many debate the authenticity of peter's find but in this moment among the crusaders trapped within antioch there is no doubt this is a sign of god's presence the christians are overjoyed and swear to fight with the holy lands as their standard meanwhile bowman the norman giant is energized rather than shaken by the situation he is made for such moments of peril with fewer than 150 horses in a hungry and weakened army bowman formulates his battle plan that same month june el cid is tightening the noose around murdiedro he strikes a deal with the defenders who agree they will surrender on june 24 the feast of the birth of saint john rodrigo says that the moors must evacuate the castle before this date anyone remaining within the city will be subject to a horrible fate most of the defenders departed once and on june 24 rodrigo enters marviedro he installs a garrison elsit has now done all that he can to secure his conquests by force of arms four days later in syria the battle of antioch begins on june 28th bowman chooses the bridge gate for his selling point placing the latins on the western bank of the arantas preventing the turkish troops on the eastern bank from quickly engaging them first to emerge from the city is a division of archers they hammer the turks with arrows driving back garbage first line and opening space for the remainder of the crusader army to deploy bowman arranges the remainder of the army into five divisions once the bridge gate is clear robert of normandy emerges with his column behind the archers and then maneuvers to the left next godfrey of bouyon marches out with the lotharingians and germans followed by bishop adamur leading the southern french each division fans out leftwards in a semicircle bowman commands the largest and final contingent allowing him to bring aid to any portion of the army once garbage sees the crusaders sailing from the bridge gate he has two options immediately attack with his main force or weight and meet the crusaders in battle on grounds of his own choosing caribou god chooses the latter he wants to allow the crusaders to deploy fully so that he can destroy them in one grand stroke and prevent them from retreating back into antioch while kerbega's main force holds back the crusaders are attacked fiercely by the muslim advanced troops turks before the bridge gate launched a counter-attack followed by an assault from turks sweeping down from positions before the gate of saint paul and the gate of the duke most pressing of all turks positioned before the gate of saint george quickly began crossing the river and coming up behind the crusaders the christians are surrounded militarily this is a bleak situation a small infantry-based army while attempting to deploy out of a narrow gate is being heavily attacked from all sides by enemy cavalry the crusaders by now tested in many battles rise to the challenge the night reinhardt of tool is dispatched with the contingent of french and lotharingians and they meet the southeastern attack with such ferocity that the enemy breaks and retreats meanwhile the main body of the franks holds formation against the onslaught of turkish arrows just as they had done at doryland unbroken the crusaders marched forward fighting with precision and ferocity before this powerful counter-attack the turkish advance guard breaks turning tail and fleeing realizing what's happening garbage advances quickly and runs right into his own retreating troops this causes more turkish units to break off and retreat meanwhile the crusaders continue their advance shattering the turkish formations with brutal efficiency soon the entire turkish coalition is in full flight with karabakh himself barely escaping with his life it's over a band of weary hungry crusaders has utterly shattered an enormous well-equipped enemy army within hours the turkish troops inside the citadel surrendered to bowman now the whole of antioch is securely in christian hands it is an astounding victory july 1098 the crusaders have just won a crucial victory over the turkish atabay kiribaka the norman bowman acts quickly to establish his personal control over antioch the first crusades leaders decide to rest their army in the city until november rather than press on to jerusalem during the hottest months after the hardships of the siege this is a wise decision that summer an epidemic of typhus strikes antioch tragically bishop adamer is one of the casualties this is a blow to the army as the bishop had been a unifying figure especially amid the bitter disagreements between bowman and count raymond of toulouse mournfully the crusaders gather in the cathedral of saint peter to bury their bishop adamer's death widens the gulf between the crusades two dominant leaders bowman and count raymond bowman is a loud tough swashbuckler a physically immense man who dominates the war council the norman is a brilliant tactician and inspires men with his own courage but he's also unscrupulous and driven by personal ambition raymond on the other hand is great in aging quiet and dignified despite his spare frame he bears himself with solemnity that commands respect he's deeply committed to keeping his word but he's also stolen and given to bitterness when disappointed on november 5 the leaders gather in council in saint peter's cathedral godfrey beyond his present as well as robert curtis and other commanders the gaunt old count raymond insists that bowman joined the others for the march on jerusalem this irritates bowman who wants to remain in antioch to solidify his power base raymond insists that he never agreed to bowman's possession of antioch and that he never will unless the norman helps in the conquest of jerusalem the chroniclers report that godfrey and robert support bowman but raymond remains firm bowman brashly voices his disdain for raymond's stubbornness the council ends with nothing solved [Music] for months raymond and bowman's feud stalls the crusade this infuriates the common soldiers of the army they call a council of their own summoning raymond to come before them the aged count appears the men explain to the count that they are committed to seizing jerusalem and they will tolerate no further delays they ask raymond to lead them now if he will not then they will depart on their own with the holy lance as their standard this ultimatum moves raymond the count is committed to thwarting bowman but his own piety stirs him as well he will not deny the pilgrims their request at last raymond of toulouse leads the crusader host south toward palestine the first day the gaunt old count marches barefoot a symbol of pilgrimage robert curtis and duke godfrey join the count and young tankra departs with a force of normans bowman defiantly remains behind to tend his new principality [Music] at last after months of delay the crusader army advances by june the crusaders occupy the central coast of palestine seizing jaffa and ramla jerusalem is now 30 miles away their army contained some twelve hundred nights and perhaps eleven thousand infantry they've reached the final stage in their march which began far away in the west of europe they have covered distances comparable to the great expeditions of alexander the great they dispatched tankred ahead with a small party and on june 6 the norman is welcomed at bethlehem by local christians finally on june 7 the crusaders reached the summit of the highway from the coast to the holy city this point long known to pilgrims as mount joy marks the first moment that the crusaders lay eyes on jerusalem for these battle-weary pilgrims it's a moment of euphoria foot soldiers dropped to their knees knights dismount to kiss the ground they have arrived the guest to tancredi written by the norman chaplin ralph of khan describes tankard's first glimpse of the holy city getting his first view of jerusalem from a distance tankred greeted her he placed his knees on the ground fixed his eyes on the city and his heart on heaven at this moment the powerful fatimid caliphate of egypt rules jerusalem the fatimid governor iftakar has a strong garrison and plenty of weapons provisions and water within the city as an added precaution iftagar expels jerusalem's christian population if dakar has only to hold the city against the crusaders until a relief army can arrive from cairo on the other hand the crusaders are reduced in numbers low on supplies and totally lacking in siege equipment it's the height of summer and if dakar's men have poisoned all the local wells local christians recently driven out of jerusalem by the fatimid governor joined the crusaders in their camp and helped them locate a few of the remaining water sources in the region the christians expelled from jerusalem proved to be valuable allies to the crusaders on june 17 the crusaders receive crucial relief when an english fleet arrives at jaffa loaded with food and timber at once the christian troops begin assembling ladders and siege towers they have to work quickly for by july news arrives that the egyptian fizzr al-afdal is assembling an army to march against them in this desperate moment the crusaders turn to god led by the bishops and priests carrying holy relics the army processes barefoot around jerusalem singing psalms and calling out to heaven for help the procession ends on the mount of olives a holy site for these soldiers here peter the hermit delivers a resounding sermon on the holiness of the task at hand the men are inspired they're ready to make an attack on the city the crusaders labor tirelessly to complete their siege towers animal hides soaked in vinegar are nailed onto the huge wooden frames to protect the structures from fire by july 10 the enormous siege towers are ready meanwhile at this very moment far away from palestine rodrigo diaz the hero known as el cid lays dying he is 56 years old by now the labors of a hundred campaigns as well as his grave illness nine years earlier at deroca and the serious neck wound he endured during a skirmish at albaracin are all taking their toll the poets say that his thoughts return to his exile and that he still harbors some lingering bitterness toward king alfonso vi banishment was all the reward i received at his hands the sid is said to declare but the truth is we don't know the final words of this great figure of the 11th century but the fact that he dies just a few days before the first crusade makes the final assault on jerusalem is rather poetic the sid like the men of the first crusade is an adventurer whose courage and a vigor raised him from the ranks of the ordinary to the legendary such a rise mirrors the very rise of the latin west during this period from a backwater to the energetic powerhouse of the era thus on july 10 the very day that el sidh breathes his last the leaders of the first crusade plan to attack jerusalem from two different directions raymond of toulouse leads an attack from the south on the zion gate while godfrey of bouyon's forces are concentrated to the north against the quadrangular tower the main assault begins on july 13. if dakar is most concerned about count raymond's contingent and focuses his defense on the south raymond's men battle intensely and by july 14 they succeed in bringing their tower up to the wall the fatimids fight fiercely to prevent the crusaders from entering the city by nightfall if dakar's efforts pay off and raymond's contingent is driven back meanwhile iftakar has fewer men defending the northern sector at dawn on july 15 godfrey launches an attack from his siege tower godfrey himself commands from the top of his tower and alongside his men he battles hand to hand with the fatimids on the walls as the crusaders move their great tower forward the fatimids launch a huge tree trunk covered in burning pitch the trunk lands on the tower and causes serious damage but the crusaders managed to put out the fire by nine o'clock the tower is touching the wall and the hand-to-hand fighting is close and desperate but two brothers in godfrey's army ludolf and engelbert managed to climb onto the wall from the badly damaged tower and enter into the city godfrey and his other men quickly follow the fatima defenders panic and flee before the crusaders godfrey's men throw open the gate of saint stephen allowing more of the army to pour into jerusalem at the southern end count raymond's men are amazed when the fatimids they are fighting suddenly begin to desert their posts the city is ours shouts raymond and he and his men at once rushed to join their comrades inside this is the decisive moment against all odds jerusalem falls to the crusaders the chronicler full care of chartres describes the moment soon thereafter the franks gloriously entered the city at noon on the day known as dias veneres the day in which christ redeemed the whole world on the cross amid the sound of trumpets and with everything in an uproar they attacked boldly shouting god help us at once they raised a banner on top of the wall the pagans were completely terrified for they all exchanged their former boldness for headlong flight through the narrow streets of the city the more swiftly they fled the more swiftly they were pursued according to the standards of war of the era adhered to by both christians and muslims a city that resisted to the end could be sacked the crusaders sacked jerusalem just as the fatimid sack tormina and tyre when they took them in the 10th century however it's a myth that the crusaders slay the whole of the city's population many are killed in the initial fray but as thomas madden points out many are allowed to ransom their lives as well the governor iftakar and his party take refuge in the tower of david where they are protected by count raymond raymond's men then escort iftakar with his followers and his family to askalon our earliest muslim record of jerusalem's fall to the crusaders comes from ibn al-kalanisi and his account is fairly laconic he treats the event as he does many of the sieges and sackings that he records in his chronicle the town's folk descended from the wallet sunset whereupon the franks renewed their assault upon it climbed up the tower and gained a footing on the city wall the defenders were driven down and the franks stormed the tower and gained possession of it a number of the town's folk fled to the sanctuary and a great host were killed jerusalem is captured now it must be held the crusaders elect godfrey beyond as the first latin ruler of jerusalem though he refuses to be called king saying he will not wear a crown of gold where christ wore a crown of thorns instead godfrey adopts the title defender of the holy sepulchre meanwhile a fatimid army is even now approaching under the leadership of the vizier al-afdal the crusades leaders gather together for a final battle moving swiftly down the coast they intercept the fatimid host near ascalon on august 11th a great battle is waged the charge of the crusaders carries the day robert curtis himself leads a charge that captures the vizier's own standard the egyptian host breaks the first crusade wins a final victory meanwhile in el sid's valencia the lady jimena rodrigo's courageous wife maintains her husband's order ximena has earned the love of her late husband's nights and they rally around her in the holding of valencia as late as may 1101 ximena speaks boldly in a charter of future conquests which by god's help we shall make by land or by sea however if hemena is determined to maintain the sid's principality the amaravats are just as determined to retake valencia in the late summer of 1101 a large alma raved host lays siege to the sid's capital the siege drags on through the winter ximena sends a desperate appeal for aid to the king of castile the following spring alfonso vi who so often clashed with rodrigo responds to the sid's lady he advances on valencia with his army and the almaravids retreat rather than meet him in the field the king spent some time trying to decide what to do after thoroughly recon ordering the area alfonso decides that valencia is not defensible the city sits too deeply in moorish territory for the castilians to defend alfonso informs the lady ximena that he will evacuate and destroy the city during april the christians gather up all they can ximena and the sids knights lovingly prepare rodrigo's body for transport and then carry his remains with alfonso's army back toward castile alfonso's troops burned valencia to the ground once the royal army arrives back in castile ximena and her followers re-enter el sid in the earth of his home country rodrigo was born a castilian and now castile will be his resting place the muslim chronicler ibn basam despises el sid but he nevertheless writes of him like this this man the scourge of his time by his appetite for glory by the prudent steadfastness of his character and by his heroic bravery was one of the miracles of allah [Music] the astoria rodericki eulogizes him thus while he lived in this world he always won a noble triumph over his enemies never was he defeated by any man now check out our video on queen isabel of spain and her conquest of granada in 1492 click on the link on your screen you'll also find our queen isabelle video linked in the description below

Channel: Real Crusades History

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Rating: 4.903904 out of 5

Keywords: crusades, medieval, crusades history, crusades documentary, middle ages

Id: VVdefdSx_uE

Length: 59min 35sec (3575 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 20 2021