Crusaders Seize Jerusalem: Holy City Falls in 1099
Crusader armies reached Jerusalem on June 7, 1099, after a three-year march from Constantinople that had already killed thousands from disease, starvation, and battle. The city's Egyptian garrison was outnumbered but defended by massive walls. On July 15, troops led by Godfrey of Bouillon breached the northern wall using siege towers. What followed was a massacre that shocked even medieval chroniclers: Muslim and Jewish inhabitants were slaughtered indiscriminately, with some accounts claiming blood ran ankle-deep in the Temple Mount. Godfrey refused the title of king, accepting instead "Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre." The Kingdom of Jerusalem he established lasted until Saladin recaptured the city in 1187.
July 15, 1099
927 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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