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In 1095, Pope Urban II called on the Christians of Western Europe to aid the Byzantine Empire and journey east. What followed was one of the most extraordinary, violent and unlikely military expeditions of the Middle Ages.

In this episode of the Medieval Archives Podcast, we follow the First Crusade from Clermont to Jerusalem. We'll trace the disastrous People's Crusade, the armies of the great European princes, the battles at Nicaea and Dorylaeum, the brutal siege of Antioch, the discovery of the Holy Lance, the horrors at Ma'arra, and finally the capture of Jerusalem and the creation of the Crusader States.

It is a story of faith, ambition, starvation, political rivalry, remarkable victories and terrible violence. Somehow, despite nearly everything going wrong along the way, the Crusaders reached Jerusalem.

Full show notes, sources, and bibliography: MedievalArchives.com/100

Listen to A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman with a free Audible trial.

Other episodes to explore:

• (00:00) - Welcome to Medieval Archives
• (01:49) - The Call for Crusade
• (04:47) - The People’s Crusade
• (09:46) - The Prince’s Crusade
• (13:43) - Siege of Nicaea
• (17:20) - Ambush at Dorylaeum
• (20:30) - Siege of Antioch
• (21:53) - Baldwin and Edessa
• (23:18) - Antioch Under Siege
• (27:09) - Battle of Antioch Lake
• (32:57) - The Holy Lance and the Battle of Antioch
• (38:47) - Siege of Ma'arra
• (42:02) - The March to Jerusalem
• (44:03) - Siege of Jerusalem
• (50:46) - Battle of Ascalon
• (54:32) - Aftermath and the Crusader States
• (57:31) - Thanks for Listening

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The Archivist