By the summer of 1099, the surviving crusader armies reach Jerusalem after years of brutal campaigning. Starved, wounded, and reduced in number, they prepare for a final siege against the Fatimid defenders of the Holy City.
With limited resources, the crusaders dismantle ships brought from Jaffa to construct siege engines. On July 13th, the assault begins. After days of relentless fighting, a breach is made in the northern walls, and crusader forces pour into the city.
What follows is a massacre that shocks contemporaries and reshapes relations between the Christian and Islamic worlds for generations. In the weeks that follow, a Fatimid relief army advances from Egypt, forcing the crusaders into one final battle near Ascalon to secure their hold over Jerusalem.
Learn more at: https://theconflictarchive.com/conflict/first-crusade
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