Battles & Wars › Medieval wars › The Crusades
Siege of Jerusalem (1099)
June 7 – July 15, 1099· Battle· Middle East & Africa
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
The First Crusade captured Jerusalem from its Fatimid Egyptian garrison after a five-week siege, followed by a massacre of many inhabitants.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
After three years and heavy losses, perhaps 12,000 to 15,000 crusaders reached Jerusalem, held by the Fatimids of Egypt, who had taken it from the Seljuk Turks only the year before. Short of water and food, the crusaders built siege towers with timber brought by Genoese sailors. On July 15 Godfrey of Bouillon's men crossed from a tower onto the wall. The crusaders then killed many of the city's Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. Godfrey became the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Why it matters
It founded the Kingdom of Jerusalem and became a lasting symbol: a triumph in crusader memory, an atrocity in Muslim and Jewish memory that later fed calls for counter-holy war.
How we know
Eyewitness Latin chronicles such as the Gesta Francorum and Raymond of Aguilers, later Arabic histories, and Hebrew letters from the Cairo Geniza describing captives.
Still debated
The death toll is disputed. Ibn al-Athir's 70,000 is not credible, and Geniza letters show some captives were ransomed; the true toll was perhaps several thousand.
Connections (2)
▸The Crusades won their greatest prize at Siege of Jerusalem (1099)Well documented
The connection
Jerusalem was the stated goal of the First Crusade. Its capture seemed miraculous to crusaders after three years of marching, famine and the long siege of Antioch, and it was the only time crusaders took the city by force. It created the Kingdom of Jerusalem and inspired later crusades to defend or regain it.
When and how
Jerusalem, June 7 to July 15, 1099; leaders included Godfrey of Bouillon, Raymond of Toulouse and Tancred.
How we know
Several eyewitness chronicles describe the march and siege, and crusade leaders' letters home report the capture.
Debates and open questions
Why such a depleted army succeeded is debated: Fatimid weakness, Genoese engineering help, or rivalry among Muslim powers.
▸Saladin (Salah al-Din) retook in 1187 the city captured in Siege of Jerusalem (1099)Well documented
The connection
With Jerusalem's defenders lost at Hattin, Saladin besieged the city in September 1187. Its defender, Balian of Ibelin, negotiated surrender. In contrast to the 1099 massacre, Saladin let residents leave on payment of a ransom and freed many of the poor. Muslim holy sites were restored, ending 88 years of crusader rule.
When and how
Jerusalem, September 20 to October 2, 1187; Saladin against Balian of Ibelin.
How we know
Arabic and Latin chronicles both describe the surrender terms; Imad al-Din wrote a detailed account.
Debates and open questions
How many unransomed residents were enslaved, and whether Saladin's mercy was policy or principle, are debated.