Why did the First Why did the First Crusade SucceedCrusade Succeed

Reasons for Success

M u s lim sD iso rga n ised

M ilita ryS u p e rio rity

S u pp o rt fromB yzan tium

C ru sa d ingZ e a l

L u ck

W h y d id th e F irs t C ru sa deS u cce ed

Muslims Disorganised

Muslims misunderstood the threat of the Western knights

They expected the Prince’s crusade to be as easy to destroy as the people’s crusade

They were more interested in fighting amongst themselves than joining forces to defeat the crusade

The Muslims did not have the religious zeal that drove on the Christians, at least not yet

Cont.

The Seljuk Turks had only recently lost Jerusalem to the Fatimid Muslims so they were in no hurry to help the Fatimids defend the city against the crusaders

2. Military Superiority of the Knights

The Crusaders were ferocious warriors

Their brutal tactics shocked the Muslims

The charge of the mounted knight was a new tactic the Muslims were unprepared for

Europeans know how to engage in siege warfare

Support from Byzantium

The first crusade was the only crusade to have significant support from Constantinople

Even though Alexius’s army did not participate in the crusade itself, they did cause problems, diverting a lot of Muslim resources

Alexius also provided much needed supplies at the sieges of Antioch and Jerusalem

Crusading Zeal

The sheer determination of the crusader helped them through incredible hardships

Because they believed God would help them they attempted the impossible, where most armies would have surrendered e.g. Battle of Antioch, assault on Jerusalem

The Muslims did not really understand this idea of a “Holy War”, they assumed the crusaders were after land and territory therefore they always underestimated what they could achieve

Luck

At times the crusaders were VERY lucky