Osprey Campaign 132 : The First Crusade 1096-1099 : Conquest of the Holy Land

In 1095 the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I appealed to the Christian states of western Europe for help against the Turks who had swept across the Empire after the disastrous Byzantine defeat at Manzikert in 1071. This book is describes the First Crusade that followed. This saw several armies of 'armed pilgrims' march across Europe to the Holy Land. They were unleashed on a divided and fragmented Islamic world and won a series of apparently miraculous victories, capturing the Holy City of Jerusalem itself. The success of the First Crusade was never to be repeated and was to trigger two centuries of bitter warfare, the repercussions of which are still being felt today. Text by David Nicolle with illustrations by Christa Hook.

Contents

• Background to the Campaign
• Chronology
• The Opposing Commanders
• Opposing Forces
• Opposing Plans
• The Campaign
• Aftermath
• The Battlefields Today
• Further Reading
• Index