HISTORY AND p:tiixolo(;y. 119 



Greece. The Greek emperor rid liimself of their presence as soon as possible, 

 by promoting their speedy transhipment to Asia. As soon as they entered 

 Natolia thc}^ resumed their course of rapine and murder. Discord broke out 

 in their ranks, and this circumstance was turned to account by Soliman, sultan 

 of Iconium, who routed the crusaders so eflfectually at the battle of Nicaea, 

 that Peter, with only about 3000 surviving comrades, embarked and sailed 

 back to Constantinople. 



After the loss of so many lives, the main body of the crusaders was seen 

 to approach. They amounted to 100,000 steel-clad knights and 200,000 

 stalwart foot, led by the noble duke of Lorraine, Godfrey de Bouillon, 

 aided by Hugh the Great, count of Vermandois (brother to the king of 

 France), Robert, duke of Normandy (son of William the Conqueror), 

 Robert, earl of Flanders, Raymond of Toulouse, Stephen, earl of 

 Chartres, the brave Boheraund, prince of Tarent, Robert Guiscard's son, 

 and his heroic relative, Tancred. Immediately after passing the Bosphorus, 

 Godfrey besieged and captured Nicaea, June 20th, 1097. A second victory 

 at Dorilffium opened to him the way to Syria. The army now encamped 

 at Antiochia, while Godfrey's brother, Baldwin, erected a principality in 

 Odessa, and extended his sceptre over some of the finest provinces of 

 Mesopotamia and Armenia. Antiochia, After a vigorous resistance, 

 submitted ; but the crusaders soon found themselves completely surrounded 

 by their enemies, who cut off all supplies from the conquered city, so that 

 the impending famine was only escaped by a bold sally. They now turned 

 towards the real object of the expedition, the holy city of Jerusalem. Their 

 progress was, however, fearfully opposed by the Turks, who at first had 

 stood aghast at the appearance of men clad in glittering steel, but by 

 experience had become used to the formidable armor, and had learned 

 how to attack them to advantao^e. They waylaid them in the mountains, 

 and being quite familiar with the ground, selected the most difficult 

 passages, and assailed their adversaries with no small success ; they also 

 cut off their supplies, and destroyed the crops in the fields by fire. The 

 crusaders soon found themselves surrounded by dangers which they had 

 never anticipated. They had to endure not only the calamities of the field, 

 but the effects of the climate ; and thousands of women and children sank 

 disheartened on the ground, and died. Not more than 60,000 men, and these 

 careworn and weary, reached Jerusalem. They kept up a desperate siege 

 upon the city from the 7th of June till the 15th of July, when they finally 

 carried the place by storm. 



The caliph of Egypt had united the city to his dominions a few years.^ 

 before, and now sought to recover it from the Christians ; but he was 

 defeated in the battle of Ascalon, and Godfrey of Bouillon was crowned 

 king of the new Christian kingdom. But he died in the following year 

 (1100), and w^as succeeded by his brother, Baldwin I. Then followed his 

 relative, Baldwin II., in 1118 ; and finally, in 1142, the son of the latter, 

 Baldwin III. These three princes maintained, with various fortunes, a 

 constant war with the Saracens ; and as their whole force finally 

 dwindled down to 12.000 men, they would probably have abandoned 



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