CRUSADES 529 their march, thousands died of privation, and many more lost their horses. Had the Turks then vigorously assailed them, they would have been destroyed. Antioch was besieged, and taken after many months, but less through crusading valor than by the treachery of a citi- zen, June, 1098. Here the victors were be- sieged in their turn by a great Mussulman array, which had failed to take Edessa, where Baldwin, brother of Godfrey, had established a principality. The crusaders were apparently on the eve of destruction, when they were saved by a revival of the enthusiastic spirit in which their undertaking originated. It was declared that the steel head of the lance that pierced the Saviour was found under the altar of the church of St. Peter, and its possession was regarded as an assurance of that victory which the invaders won soon after, the Mussulman forces being destroyed or driven off. This vic- tory was facilitated by dissensions among the Mussulmans. Months elapsed before the crusa- ders resumed their original purpose, and then but 21,500 soldiers marched upon Jerusalem, 1,500 only being mounted. Meeting with no resist- ance, they arrived before the holy city, which, though valiantly defended, fell into their hands after a siege that closed with an assault, and a massacre of almost unequalled atrocity, July 15, 1099. Godfrey de Bouillon was chosen first head of the Latin dominion of Jerusalem, July 23. This event marks the completion of the first crusade, though the war between Christians and Mussulmans was continued, involving the de- struction of new immense hosts of Germans, Italians, and French, under the duke of Bavaria and others. When Edessa fell into the hands of the Turks in 1145, Christendom was again aroused, and listened readily to the entreaties for assistance that came from the East. St. Bernard preached a second crusade in France, Germany, and elsewhere. Louis VII. of France and Conrad III. of Germany assumed the cross and set out for Jerusalem, the latter in May, the former in June, 1147. The emperor led an immense force by the old route of Hungary and Bulgaria to Constantinople, meeting with the usual Greek treachery. He passed into Asia, but soon lost more than four fifths of his army, which was betrayed by the Greeks into the hands of the Turks. Conrad made his way at the head of a small force to Nicaea, where he found Louis with his army. After a variety of adventures, in which the French were nearly destroyed, the emperor and the king reached Palestine, and with the fragments of their armies, aided by the templars, hospitallers, and forces of the Latin kingdom, besieged Damascus, where they failed completely. The monarchs returned to Europe in 1149. For some years the Christians in Palestine defended themselves with success against the Mussul- mans, but the rise of the celebrated Saladin to power in Egypt and Syria was fatal to their cause. Defeated in the battle of Hattin or Ti- berias in 1187", they surrendered even Jerusalem to Saladin soon after that event. Tyre was the only place of any consequence which they re- tained. The news of the fall of Jerusalem caused much excitement in the West. A third crusade was resolved upon. The emperor of Germany, Frederick Barbarossa, who had ac- companied his uncle Conrad III. in the second crusade, and the kings of France and England, Philip Augustus and Henry II., took the cross. Numerous bands of Christians soon reached Palestine, and Acre was besieged by an im- mense host. Saladin aided the besieged from without, and this contest was waged for almost two years. The German emperor had organ- ized a great army, better provided, disciplined, and led than any previous crusading force. This army marched by the usual overland route. In Asia Minor they defeated the Turks, but not without heavy losses. Frederick lost his life while attempting to cross the Calycad- nus in Cilicia, after which little was done by his army, the remnants of which finally reached Acre. Meantime, Richard I. of Eng- land (having succeeded Henry in 1189) and Philip Augustus of France had arrived with their forces at Acre, which surrendered (1191), and the crusaders, in violation of their word, butchered 3,000 Mussulman hostages. Philip Augustus soon withdrew from the crusade, alienated and disgusted by Richard's arrogance ; but he left a portion of his army to aid that leader, who marched toward Jaffa, defeating Saladin on his way in a pitched battle. Jaffa was abandoned to him, but this was nearly the term of his crusading career. He wished to proceed immediately to Jerusalem, but was thwarted, and two months were lost. The cru- saders then marched to Ramla, near Jerusa- lem, but were forced to fall back. The next year Richard resumed operations, and the city might have been taken if the enterprise had been vigorously pushed. Why it was not is unknown. Richard retreated to the -seacoast. His last act was to relieve Jaffa, which Saladin had assailed. 'A truce was agreed to, Sept. 2, 1192, on terms quite as favorable as the Chris- tians could have expected, access" to the holy places at Jerusalem being allowed by Saladin. Thus terminated the third crusade. An attempt made to preach a new crusade, after the expira- tion of the truce between Richard and Saladin, had little success out of Germany. From that country bands of nobles and others proceeded to Palestine, where they served to keep up the remains of the Latin kingdom, frequently de- feating the Turks, but accomplishing nothing of consequence. In 1198 Innocent III. re- solved to get up a new crusade. The elo- quence of Foulques of Neuilly was employed with considerable success. The fourth cru- sade was now commenced. Though intended to injure the Mussulmans, it probably did more to enable the Turks to establish themselves permanently in Europe than any other event. It was mainly French in its character and com- position. The counts of Champagne, Blois,
