Siege of Jerusalem (1099)
Crusader capture of Jerusalem ended the First Crusade.
The First Crusade ended successfully with the capture of Jerusalem in 1099, a campaign launched to take the city and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre back from Islamic rule. Western European Christian forces, raised by Pope Urban II following the 1095 Council of Clermont, began the five-week siege on 7 June 1099. Muslims had controlled Jerusalem since the conquest of the Levant in 637, and for the previous century the city had been under Seljuk Turk and then Egyptian Fatimid rule.
- start_date
- 7 June 1099
- end_date
- 15 July 1099
- location
- Jerusalem
- belligerents
- Crusaders (Western European Christians) vs. Fatimid Caliphate
- outcome
- Crusader victory
- key_commanders
- Godfrey of Bouillon, Raymond IV of Toulouse, Robert Curthose, Tancred
- known_for
- Massacre of thousands of Muslims and Jews; capture of Jerusalem
Lore & Background
The siege began on 7 June 1099 when Crusaders reached Jerusalem's outer fortifications. The Fatimid governor Iftikhar al-Dawla had prepared by expelling Eastern Christians, poisoning wells, and cutting down trees. The Crusaders, lacking wood for siege equipment, launched an initial assault on 13 June that failed. On 17 June, English and Genoese ships arrived at Jaffa with materials, allowing construction of siege towers, a battering ram, and ladders over three weeks. On 14 July, the Crusaders attacked on two fronts: Godfrey of Bouillon and his allies from the north, Raymond from the south. By 15 July, the northern wall was breached, and Crusaders entered the city through the Tower of David. Governor al-Dawla escaped.
Reader's Guide
The Siege of Jerusalem (1099) was the culminating event of the First Crusade, achieving the goal of returning Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to Christian control. The aftermath saw the massacre of thousands of Muslims and Jews, with contemporaneous sources describing the slaughter as savage. Historians debate the death toll: the Muslim historian Ibn al-Athir gave 70,000, considered a significant exaggeration, while 40,000 is plausible given refugees. The Crusaders repurposed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock as Christian shrines. Godfrey of Bouillon was elected the first ruler of Jerusalem. The siege's brutality, while within norms of ancient and medieval warfare, may have exceeded typical levels. The event solidified Crusader control of Jerusalem for nearly a century.
Did You Know?
- The siege lasted five weeks, from 7 June to 15 July 1099.
- The Fatimid governor poisoned all water wells and cut down trees outside Jerusalem before the siege.
- An eyewitness account, the Gesta Francorum, describes wading in blood up to the ankles in the Temple Mount area.
- Godfrey of Bouillon was elected as the first ruler of Jerusalem after the capture.
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