70,000 murdered - ad maiorem dei gloriam ...!


After a six-week siege, Jerusalem fell into the hands of the knights of the First Crusade on July 15, 1099 under the leadership of Godfrey de Bouillon and Raymond de Toulouse ...:



The crusaders "celebrate" the conquest of the city by killing 70,000 unarmed inhabitants on the same day!





In 1096 the Christian knights and pilgrims had set out, in June 1099 they had reached Jerusalem ...:



The supply was poor, the climate oppressive, the first attacks on the fortification of the city failed ...:



It was also announced that a relief army was approaching from Egypt.

With a final exertion of strength, the crusaders - around 1,300 knights and 12,000 foot soldiers as well as numerous pilgrims - can build several siege towers out of wood ...:







After a solemn procession around the city, the final assault is prepared for the night of July 14th.

On the evening of the 14th a tower crossed the outer moat. At noon on July 15th, the Christians take a section of the north wall, shortly afterwards the Dome of the Rock falls ...:





Iftikhar ad Dawla...



... who defends the city on behalf of the Egyptian Fatimids, offers to withdraw his troops (and of course from himself!) for ransom. This is granted ...:



The crusaders, after so much suffering and privation, rushing completely out of their minds and full of a thirst for vengeance like the possessed through streets, houses and mosques, writes an eyewitness ...:



“All enemies (read: Muslims) that they could find, they struck down with the sharpness of their swords, regardless of age or rank, and there were so many slain and such piles of cut off heads everywhere that you couldn't find anyone else Could find way or passage than over corpses. "
Ad maiorem dei gloriam ...!
The massacre is followed by a thanksgiving service in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher ...:



After Raymond...





... has rejected the royal dignity, Gottfried takes over the rule of the Holy Land as "Princeps" (prince) - expressly not as a king and also expressly without a crown ...:...:





Because Jesus wore a crown of thorns, his Christian successors should not wear a royal crown, it is said to justify.

I love those Victorian-era depictions of history - every one looks the same, as if centuries blur into one another, so that Gauls look like 11th Century Crusaders, who look like mediaeval soldiers, ad infinitum.
Staggers me how many poor buggers have been butchered over the centuries to the glory of "benign" god(s)

Phil