Baldwin, Saladin, and the Fall of Jerusalem
As Baldwin IV succumbed to leprosy, his potential successors fought over the throne. Their determination to prove their worth would bring medieval Jerusalem itself into peril
In July 1099 Jerusalem fell to the armies of the First Crusade. Amid scenes of slaughter and triumph, Godfrey of Bouillon, duke of Lower Lorraine, and his fellow crusaders claimed the Holy City. Godfrey emerged as the first ruler of the new Latin kingdom, inaugurating what would become the Jerusalemite dynasty. From this conquest came a new political order. The Franks, a catch-all term that came to denote Western European settlers in the Holy Land, carved out a series of feudal states in the Levant, including the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Edessa, and the County of Tripoli. Surrounded by powerful Muslim neighbours, they existed in a precarious landscape of intermittent warfare, fragile truces, and shifting frontiers.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.