Editing First Crusade (section)

==From Clermont to Constantinople==
{{further|Christian forces of the First Crusade}}

===Recruitment===
[[File:Origin of the First Crusaders.jpg|alt=Origin of the known participants on the First Crusade|thumb|Origin of the known participants on the First Crusade]]
Recruitment for such a large enterprise was continent-wide. Estimates as to the size of the crusader armies have been given as 70,000 to 80,000 on the number who left Western Europe in the year after Clermont, and more joined in the three-year duration. Estimates for the number of knights range from 7,000 to 10,000; 35,000 to 50,000 foot soldiers; and including non-combatants a total of 60,000 to 100,000.<ref>Appendix II: The Numerical Strength of the Crusaders. In Runciman, Steven (1951), A History of the Crusades, Volume One. pp. 336–341.</ref> But Urban's speech had been well-planned. He had discussed the crusade with [[Adhemar of Le Puy]]<ref>Brundage, James A. "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/2853164 Adhemar of Puy: The Bishop and His Critics]." ''Speculum'', vol. 34, no. 2 [Medieval Academy of America, Cambridge University Press, University of Chicago Press] (1959). pp. 201–212.</ref> and [[Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse]],<ref>Louis René Bréhier (1911). "[[wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Raymond IV, of Saint-Gilles|Raymond IV, of Saint-Gilles]]". In ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. '''12'''. New York: Robert Appleton Company.</ref> and instantly the expedition had the support of two of southern France's most important leaders. Adhemar himself was present at the council and was the first to "take the cross". During the rest of 1095 and into 1096, Urban spread the message throughout France, and urged his bishops and legates to preach in their own dioceses elsewhere in France, Germany, and Italy as well. However, it is clear that the response to the speech was much greater than even the Pope, let alone Alexios, expected. On his tour of France, Urban tried to forbid certain people (including women, monks, and the sick) from joining the crusade, but found this nearly impossible. In the end, most who took up the call were not knights, but peasants who were not wealthy and had little in the way of fighting skills, in an outpouring of a new emotional and personal piety that was not easily harnessed by the ecclesiastical and lay aristocracy.{{sfn|Asbridge|2004|pp=46–49|loc=Spreading the Word}} Typically, preaching would conclude with every volunteer taking a vow to complete a pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; they were also given a cross, usually sewn onto their clothes.{{sfn|Asbridge|2004|pp=65–66|loc=Taking the Cross}}

It is difficult to assess the motives of the thousands of participants for whom there is no historical record, or even those of important knights, whose stories were usually retold by monks or clerics. It is quite likely that personal piety was a major factor for many crusaders.{{sfn|Asbridge|2004|pp=69–71|loc=The Mindset of the Lay Aristocracy}} Even with this popular enthusiasm, Urban ensured that there would be an army of knights, drawn from the French aristocracy. Aside from Adhemar and Raymond, other leaders he recruited throughout 1096 included [[Bohemond I of Antioch|Bohemond of Taranto]],<ref>Ernest Barker (1911). "[[wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Bohemund|Bohemund]]". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.) ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. '''4.''' (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 135–136.</ref> a southern Italian ally of the reform popes; Bohemond's nephew [[Tancred, Prince of Galilee|Tancred]];<ref>Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "[[wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Tancred (crusader)|Tancred (crusader)]]". ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. '''26.''' (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 394–395.</ref> [[Godfrey of Bouillon]],<ref>Louis René Bréhier (1909). "[[wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Godfrey of Bouillon|Godfrey of Bouillon]]". In ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. '''6.''' New York: Robert Appleton Company.</ref> who had previously been an anti-reform ally of the Holy Roman Emperor; his brother [[Baldwin I of Jerusalem|Baldwin of Boulogne]];<ref>Ernest Barker (1911). "[[wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Baldwin I. (king of Jerusalem)|Baldwin I (king of Jerusalem)]]". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.) ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. '''3.''' (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 245–246.</ref> [[Hugh I, Count of Vermandois]],<ref>Bull, Marcus, "[https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/10.1484/J.NMS.3.253?mobileUi=0 The Capetian Monarchy and the Early Crusade Movement: Hugh of Vermandois and Louis VII]," ''Nottingham Medieval Studies'' '''40''' (1996), 25–46.</ref> brother of the excommunicated [[Philip I of France]]; [[Robert Curthose]],<ref>David, C. Wendell (1920). [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006734413/Home Robert Curthose]. Cambridge: Harvard university press.</ref> brother of [[William II of England]]; and his relatives [[Stephen II, Count of Blois]],<ref>Brundage, James A. "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/27830413 An Errant Crusader: Stephen of Blois]." ''Traditio'', Volume '''16'''. Fordham University (1960). pp. 380–395.</ref> and [[Robert II, Count of Flanders]].<ref>Knappen, Marshall M., "Robert II of Flanders in the First Crusade," [https://books.google.com/books?id=FBETAQAAIAAJ in ''The Crusades and Other Historical Essays Presented to Dana C. Munro by His Former Students''], ed. Louis J. Paetow (New York: Crofts, 1928), pp. 79–100.</ref> The crusaders represented northern and southern France, Flanders, Germany, and southern Italy, and so were divided into four separate armies that were not always cooperative, though they were held together by their common ultimate goal.{{sfn|Runciman|1951|pp=142–171|loc=The Princes and the Emperor}}

The crusade was led by some of the most powerful nobles of France, many of whom left everything behind, and it was often the case that entire families went on crusade at their own great expense.{{sfn|Riley-Smith|1998|p=21|loc=Motivations of Crusaders}} For example, Robert of Normandy loaned the [[Duchy of Normandy]] to his brother William II of England, and Godfrey sold or mortgaged his property to the church. Tancred was worried about the sinful nature of knightly warfare, and was excited to find a holy outlet for violence. Tancred and Bohemond, as well as Godfrey, Baldwin, and their older brother [[Eustace III, Count of Boulogne]],<ref>Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "[[wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Eustace|Eustace]]". ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. '''9.''' (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 956–957.</ref> are examples of families who crusaded together. Much of the enthusiasm for the crusade was based on family relations, as most of the French crusaders were distant relatives. Nevertheless, in at least some cases, personal advancement played a role in the Crusaders' motives. For instance, Bohemond was motivated by the desire to carve himself out a territory in the east, and had previously campaigned against the Byzantines to try to achieve this. The crusade gave him a further opportunity, which he took after the [[Siege of Antioch]], taking possession of the city and establishing the Principality of Antioch.{{sfn|Riley-Smith|1998|pp=81–105|loc=Recruitment, Lordship and Family}}

===The road to Constantinople===
[[File:Map of First Crusade.png|upright=1.3|thumb|Major routes taken during the First Crusade|alt=A map of the Mediterranean, with the routes of Hugh I of Vermandois, Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemond of Taranto, Raymond IV of Toulouse, Robert Curthose, and Baldwin of Boulogne highlighted. The major Christian and Muslim empires at the time of the crusade are also highlighted. Major battles in Asia Minor are marked.]]
[[File:Byzantium after the First crusade.PNG|alt=Route of the First Crusade through Asia|thumb|Route of the First Crusade through Asia]]

The four main crusader armies left Europe around the appointed time in August 1096. They took different routes to [[Constantinople]], some through Eastern Europe and the Balkans, some crossing the Adriatic Sea. They gathered outside the Roman-era [[Walls of Constantinople]] between November 1096 and April 1097. Hugh of Vermandois arrived first, followed by Godfrey, Raymond, and Bohemond.<ref>Duncalf, Frederic (1969). "[https://images.library.wisc.edu/History/EFacs/HistCrus/0001/0001/reference/history.crusone.i0023.pdf The First Crusade: From Clermont to Constantinople]". In Setton, K. ''A History of the Crusades: Volume I''. pp. 253–279.</ref>

Godfrey took the land route through the Balkans,<ref name="Runciman-1949">Runciman, S. (1949). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/44168654?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A6b32f0b19e1152e3ba5eeae3d6be44aa&seq=3#page_scan_tab_contents The First Crusaders' Journey across the Balkan Peninsula]. ''Byzantion'', 19, 207–221.</ref> Coloman of Hungary allowed Godfrey and his troops to cross Hungary only after his brother Baldwin was offered as a hostage to guarantee his troops' good conduct.{{sfn|Asbridge|2004|p=95|loc=Into the Empire}} Raymond of Toulouse led the Provençals down the inland and coast of Sclavonia or Dalmatia which is the [[Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102)#Succession crisis|Kingdom of Croatia]]. There they encountered a hostile population (in anarchy after death of Croatian king [[Demetrius Zvonimir#Death and succession|Demetrius Zvonimir]]),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ilieva |first1=Annetta |last2=Delev |first2=Mitko |date=1998 |chapter=Sclavonia and Beyond: The Gate to a Different World in the Perception of Crusaders (c. 1104-c. 1208) |editor=[[Alan V. Murray]] |title=From Clermont to Jerusalem: The Crusades and Crusader Societies 1095-1500 |location=Turnhout |publisher=Brepols |page=153–171 |doi=10.1484/M.IMR-EB.3.4786 |isbn=978-2-503-50667-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Budak |first=Neven |author-link=Neven Budak |date=2022 |chapter=Crusades and Crusading in High Medieval Dalmatia and Croatia - Failed, Abused, Imaginery |editor=Kersken, Norbert; Srodecki, Paul |title=The Expansion of the Faith: Crusading on the Frontiers of Latin Christendom in the High Middle Ages |chapter-url= |publisher=Turnhout: Brepols |page=93 |isbn=978-2-503-58880-3 |doi=10.1484/M.OUTREMER-EB.5.127515}}</ref> passing through [[Constantine Bodin]]'s kingdom of [[Duklja]] and into [[Durrës]],{{sfn|France|1994|p=104}}{{sfn|Curta|2006|pp=366–367}} and then due east to Constantinople.<ref>Barker, Ernest (1911). "[[wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Raymund of Toulouse|Raymund of Toulouse]]". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. '''22.''' (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press. pp. 934–935.</ref> Bohemond and Tancred led their Normans by sea to Durrës, and thence by land to Constantinople.<ref>Barker, Ernest (1911). "[[wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Bohemund|Bohemund]]". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. '''4.''' (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press. pp. 135–136.</ref> 

The armies arrived in Constantinople with little food and expected provisions and help from Alexios. Alexios was understandably suspicious after his experiences with the People's Crusade, and also because the knights included his old Norman enemy, Bohemond, who had invaded Byzantine territory on numerous occasions with his father and may have even attempted to organize an attack on Constantinople while encamped outside the city. This time, Alexios was more prepared for the crusaders and there were fewer incidents of violence along the way.{{sfn|Asbridge|2004|pp=103–105|loc=The Second Wave: the Princes' Armies}}

The crusaders may have expected Alexios to become their leader, but he had no interest in joining them, and was mainly concerned with transporting them into Asia Minor as quickly as possible. In return for food and supplies, Alexios requested the leaders to swear fealty to him and promise to return to the Byzantine Empire any land recovered from the Turks. Godfrey was the first to take the oath, and almost all the other leaders followed him, although they did so only after warfare had almost broken out in the city between the citizens and the crusaders, who were eager to pillage for supplies. Raymond alone avoided swearing the oath, instead pledging that he would simply cause no harm to the empire. Before ensuring that the various armies were shuttled across the Bosporus, Alexios advised the leaders on how best to deal with the Seljuk armies that they would soon encounter.{{sfn|Asbridge|2004|pp=110–113|loc=The Oaths to Alexios}}