In the spring of 1096, the first waves of crusaders arrive outside the walls of Constantinople. Led by preachers like Peter the Hermit, thousands of untrained pilgrims gather in desperate hope of reaching Jerusalem.

Emperor Alexios I, wary of the unpredictable host, moves quickly to ferry them across the Bosphorus into Anatolia. There, the so-called People’s Crusade encounters the harsh realities of war, hunger, and the disciplined forces of the Seljuk Turks.

As professional crusader armies follow, uneasy alliances form between Byzantine leaders and Western knights. Early victories at Nicaea and Dorylaeum open the road east, but resentment, exhaustion, and shifting political tensions threaten to fracture the fragile coalition.

By October 1097, the battered crusader host reaches the walls of Antioch, where a brutal siege is about to test their faith, unity, and endurance.

Learn more at: https://theconflictarchive.com/conflict/first-crusade

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