← Explore on the interactive map

Crusader Return Journey

Type Event Region Europe Time 1099–1100

After the fall of Jerusalem and the Battle of Ascalon in 1099, many crusaders and nobles returned to Europe, sharply reducing eastern garrisons and s…

Timeline

  1. 1099Jerusalem · PalestineAfter the Battle of Ascalon, many crusaders believed they had fulfilled their vow to Pope Urban II—recovering the Holy Sepulchre—and asked to return home. Common soldiers and some lesser nobles left first, and the eastern garrison began to shrink noticeably.
  2. 1099–1100Tripoli (Phoenicia) · PhoeniciaRaymond IV left Jerusalem for Europe in the summer–autumn of 1099, and Bohemond departed later that year, being captured at Dyrrhachium by Byzantine Emperor Alexios I en route. The departure of the main military leaders deprived the eastern states of many elite knights.
  3. 1099–1100Levant · LevantThe mass return left the crusader states severely short of troops, forcing reliance on newly arrived pilgrims and a few remaining nobles. Godfrey of Bouillon and later Baldwin I had to face Fatimid Egypt and Seljuk Syria with limited forces, which also prompted the Kingdom of Jerusalem to accelerate institutional development.

Sources