The First Crusade

I can say confidently that the first crusade was instigated solely by Pope Urban II. His promise for remission of all sins for those who marched on Jerusalem was all it took to spark this vast pilgrimage east. As we learned however the problem was that common people most being oblivious to battle made the trip. This lack of experience would be deemed crucial while being slaughtered when entering Nicaea. Although the death of 20,000 or so people is a tragedy the false sense of security obtained by the Turkish would be deemed priceless later down the road. When the experienced soldiers and Knights marched on the Turkish later they obtained victory quite handedly. It was interesting to read about all of the men who made the trip, and the reasons for doing so. For many it was a religious crusade to free the holy land, but for some as mentioned it was just another way to conquer the east and expand an empire; of course by using the crusade as a cover. As it turned out Raymond and Godfrey emerged as the leaders, and would end up successfully seizing Jerusalem. I was particularly fascinated by the stories of the crusader army going twenty miles to get the wood necessary to make siege engines. I can't imagine the mass undertaking of such an event. Transporting and building those engines must have been remarkable. As it all played out Jerusalem fell, and the First Crusade although it started out slow became the only successful raid on Jerusalem.