(_For the Mirror_.)
The first Crusade[1] to the Holy Land was undertaken by numerous
Christian princes, who gained Jerusalem after it had been in possession
of the Saracens four hundred and nine years. Godfrey, of Boulogne, was
then chosen king by his companions in arms; but he had not long enjoyed
his new dignity, before he had occasion to march out against a great
army of Turks and Saracens, whom he overthrew, and killed one hundred
thousand of their men, besides taking much spoil. Shortly after this
victory, a pestilence happened, of which multitudes died; and the
contagion reaching Godfrey, the first Christian King of Jerusalem,
he also expired, on the 18th of July, 1100, having scarcely reigned
a full year.
Godfrey's successors, the Baldwins, defeated the Turks in many
engagements. In the reign of Baldwin III., however, the Christians lost
Edessa, a circumstance which affected Pope Eugenius III. to such a
degree, that he prevailed on Conrad III., Emperor of Germany, to relieve
his brethren in Syria. In the year 1146, therefore, Conrad marched
through Greece, and soon afterwards encountered the Turkish army, which
he routed; he then proceeded to Iconium, the principal seat of the Turks
in Lesser Asia; but, for want of provisions and health, was compelled
to relinquish his design of taking that city, and to return home. Much
about the same period, Lewis VIII., of France, made an expedition to
the Holy Land, but was wholly unsuccessful in his attempts against the
enemy. Notwithstanding these failures, King Baldwin, relying on his
own strength, gained possession of Askalon, and defeated the Turks in
numerous actions. Previous to his death, which was caused by poison,
in 1163, he was the victorious sovereign of Jerusalem and the greatest
part of Syria.
During the reign of Baldwin IV., Saladin, Sultan of Egypt, invaded
Palestine, and took several towns, notwithstanding the valour of
the Christians. In the succeeding reign of King Guy, however, the
Christians, still unfortunate, received a _decisive blow_, which
tended to the decline of their independence in the Holy Land; for, among
other places of importance, Saladin made a capture of Jerusalem, and
took its king prisoner. When the conqueror entered the holy city, he
profaned every sacred place, save the Temple of the Sepulchre, (which
the Christians redeemed with an immense sum of money,) and drove the
Latin Christians from their abodes, who were only allowed to carry what
they could hastily collect on their backs, either to Tripoly, Antioch,
or Tyre, the only three places which then remained in the Christians'
possession. All the monuments were demolished, except those of our
Saviour, King Godfrey, and Baldwin I.[2] The city was yielded to the
captors on the 2nd of October, 1187, after the Christians had possessed
it about eighty-nine years.
These calamitous transactions in Palestine greatly alarmed all Europe,
and several princes speedily resolved to oppose the career of the
oppressors, and to leave no means untried of regaining the kingdom of
Jerusalem. In furtherance of this design, the Emperor Frederic marched
into Palestine with a powerful army, and defeated the Turks near
Melitena; he afterwards met them near Comogena, where he also routed
them, but was unhappily killed in the action. Some time after this,
King Philip, of France, and Richard I., of England, engaged in a crusade
for the relief of the Christians. Philip arrived first, and proceeded
to Ptolemais, which King Guy, having obtained his liberty, was then
besieging. King Richard, in his passage, was driven with his fleet upon
the coast of Cyprus, but was not permitted to land; this so highly
offended him, that he landed his whole army by force, and soon over-ran
the island. He was at length opposed by the king of Cyprus, whom he took
prisoner, and carried in chains to Ptolemais, where he was welcomed with
great rejoicings by the besiegers, who stood in much need of assistance.
It would he superfluous to relate here the particulars of the siege; let
it suffice to say, that after a general assault had been given, a breach
was made, so that the assailants were enabled to enter the city, which
Saladin surrendered to them upon articles, on the 12th of July, 1191.
King Richard here obtained the title of _Coeur de Lion_, for having
taken down Duke Leopold's standard, that was first fixed in the breach,
and placed his own in its stead.
After the taking of Ptolemais, King Philip and many other princes
returned home, leaving King Richard in Palestine to prosecute the war in
concert with Guy, whom Richard, in a short time afterwards, persuaded to
accept of the crown of Cyprus, in lieu of his pretences to Jerusalem.
By these crafty means, Richard caused himself to be proclaimed King of
Jerusalem; but while he was preparing to besiege that city, he received
news that the French were about to invade England. He was therefore
compelled to conclude a peace with Saladin, not very advantageous to
Christendom, and to return to Europe. But meeting with bad weather, he
was driven on the coast of Histria; and, while endeavouring to travel
through the country in the habit of a templar, was taken prisoner
by Duke Leopold, of Austria, who became his enemy at the siege of
Ptolemais. The duke sold him for forty thousand pounds to the emperor,
Henry VI., who soon afterwards had a hundred thousand pounds for his
ransom.
About the same period, Sultan Saladin, the most formidable enemy the
Christians ever encountered, died; an event which caused Pope Celestine
to prevail on the emperor, Henry VI., of Germany, to make a new
expedition against the Turks, who were in consequence defeated; but
the emperor's general, the Duke of Saxony, being killed, and the
emperor himself dying soon afterwards, the Germans returned home
without accomplishing the object of their expedition. They had no sooner
departed than the Turks, in revenge, nearly drove the Christians from
the Holy Land, and took all the strong towns which the Crusaders had
gained, excepting Tyre and Ptolemais. In 1199, a fleet was fitted out
at the instigation of Pope Innocent III. against the infidels. On this
occasion, the Christians, notwithstanding their strenuous exertions,
failed of taking Jerusalem, though several other important places were
delivered to them.
In the year 1228, Frederic, Emperor of Germany, set out from Brundusium
to Palestine, took Jerusalem, which the enemy had left in a desolate
condition, and caused himself to be proclaimed king. But, after this
conquest, he was obliged to return to his own country, where his
presence was required. The Turks immediately assembled a prodigious army
for regaining the Holy City, which they ultimately took, putting the
German garrison to the sword, in the year 1234; since which time, the
Christian powers, weary of these useless expeditions, have made no
considerable effort to possess it.
The Christians were entirely driven from Palestine and Syria in the year
1291, about one hundred and ninety-two years after the capture of
Jerusalem by Godfrey of Boulogne.