FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>  
met them. The Crusaders fought heroically all day long but at length were badly beaten. Only a few escaped and found their way back to Constantinople. Peter the Hermit had left the Crusaders before the battle and returned to Constantinople. He afterwards joined the army of Godfrey of Bouillon. Godfrey's army was composed of six divisions, each commanded by a soldier of high rank and distinction. It was a well organized and disciplined force and numbered about half a million men. It started only a few weeks after the irregular multitude which followed Peter the Hermit, and was really the first Crusading army, for Peter's undisciplined throng could hardly be called an army. After a long march Godfrey reached Antioch and laid siege to it. It was believed that this Moslem stronghold could be taken in a short time; but the city resisted the attacks of the Christians for seven months. Then it surrendered. And now something happened that none of the Crusaders had dreamed of. An army of two hundred thousand Persians arrived to help the Moslems. They laid siege to Antioch and shut up the Crusaders within its walls for weeks. However, after a number of engagements in which there was great loss of life, the Turks and Persians were at last driven away. The way was now opened to Jerusalem. But out of the half million Crusaders who had marched from Europe less than fifty thousand were left. They had won their way at a fearful cost. Still onward they pushed with brave hearts, until on a bright summer morning they caught the first glimpse of the Holy City in the distance. For two whole years they had toiled and suffered in the hope of reaching Jerusalem. Now it lay before them. [Illustration: ENTRY OF THE CRUSADERS INTO JERUSALEM] But it had yet to be taken. For more than five weeks the Crusaders carried on the siege. Finally, on the 15th of July, 1099, the Turks surrendered. The Moslem flag was hauled down and the banner of the cross floated over the Holy City. A few days after the Christians had occupied Jerusalem Godfrey of Bouillon was chosen king of the Holy Land. "I will accept the office," he said, "but no crown must be put on my head and I must never be called king. I cannot wear a crown of gold where Christ wore one of thorns nor will I be called king in the land where once lived the King of Kings." Peter the Hermit is said to have preached an eloquent sermon on the Mount of Olives. He did not, ho
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>  



Top keywords:
Crusaders
 

Godfrey

 

Hermit

 

called

 

Jerusalem

 
surrendered
 
million
 

Antioch

 
Moslem
 

Persians


thousand

 

Bouillon

 
Constantinople
 

Christians

 
JERUSALEM
 

hearts

 
pushed
 
onward
 

carried

 

toiled


morning

 

summer

 

Illustration

 

caught

 

bright

 

glimpse

 

reaching

 

suffered

 

distance

 

CRUSADERS


chosen

 
thorns
 

Christ

 

Olives

 

sermon

 
preached
 

eloquent

 
banner
 

floated

 
hauled

office
 

occupied

 
accept
 
Finally
 

Moslems

 

numbered

 
disciplined
 

organized

 
distinction
 

started