Download File - HALDANE MUN 2016

Haldane
Model United Nations
1st Annual HALMUN Conference
April 16th, 2016
Cold Spring, New York
Committee Name: Historical Crisis-Third Crusade
Chairs: Evan Poholchuk, Jack Revkin, Jeremy Roffman
Admin: Brian Haines
Third Crusade
Introduction
The first of the Crusades began in 1095, when armies of Christians from Western Europe
responded to Pope Urban II’s plea to go to war against Muslim forces in the Holy Land.
After the First Crusade achieved its goal with the capture of Jerusalem in 1099, the
invading Christians set up several Latin Christian states, even as Muslims in the region
vowed to wage holy war (jihad) to regain control over the region. Deteriorating relations
between the Crusaders and their Christian allies in the Byzantine Empire culminated in
the sack of Constantinople in 1204 during the Third Crusade. Near the end of the 13th
century, the rising Mamluk dynasty in Egypt provided the final reckoning for the
Crusaders, toppling the coastal stronghold of Acre and driving the European invaders out of
Palestine and Syria in 1291.
First Crusade
Four armies of Crusaders were formed from troops of different Western European regions,
led by Raymond of Saint-Gilles, Godfrey of Bouillon, Hugh of Vermandois and Bohemond of
Taranto (with his nephew Tancred); they were set to depart for Byzantium in August 1096.
A less organized band of knights and commoners known as the “People’s Crusade” set off
before the others under the command of a popular preacher known as Peter the Hermit.
Peter’s army traipsed through the Byzantine Empire, leaving destruction in their wake.
Resisting Alexius’ advice to wait for the rest of the Crusaders, they crossed the Bosporus in
early August. In the first major clash between the Crusaders and the Muslims, Turkish
forces crushed the invading Europeans at Cibotus. Another group of Crusaders, led by the
notorious Count Emicho, carried out a series of massacres of Jews in various towns in the
Rhineland in 1096, drawing widespread outrage and causing a major crisis in JewishChristian relations. When the four main armies of Crusaders arrived in Constantinople,
Alexius insisted that their leaders swear an oath of loyalty to him and recognize his
authority over any land regained from the Turks, as well as any other territory they might
conquer; all but Bohemond resisted taking the oath. In May 1097, the Crusaders and their
Byzantine allies attacked Nicea, the Seljuk capital in Anatolia; the city surrendered in late
June. Despite deteriorating relations between the Crusaders and Byzantine leaders, the
combined force continued its march through Anatolia, capturing the great Syrian city of
Antioch in June 1098. After various internal struggles over control of Antioch, the
Crusaders began their march toward Jerusalem, then occupied by Egyptian Fatimids (who
as Shi’ite Muslims were enemies of the Sunni Seljuks). Encamping before Jerusalem in
June 1099, the Christians forced the besieged city’s governor to surrender by mid-July.
Despite Tancred’s promise of protection, the Crusaders slaughtered hundreds of men,
women and children in their victorious entrance into the city.
Second Crusade
Having achieved their goal in an unexpectedly short period of time, many of the Crusaders
departed for home. To govern the conquered territory, those who remained established four
large western settlements, or Crusader states, in Jerusalem, Edessa, Antioch and Tripoli.
Guarded by formidable castles, the Crusader states retained the upper hand in the region
until around 1130, when Muslim forces began gaining ground in their own holy war (or
jihad) against the Christians, whom they called “Franks.” In 1144, the Seljuk general
Zangi, governor of Mosul, captured Edessa, leading to the loss of the northernmost
Crusader state. News of Edessa’s fall stunned Europe, and led Christian authorities in the
West to call for another Crusade. Led by two great rulers, King Louis VII of France and
King Conrad III of Germany, the Second Crusade began in 1147. That October, the Turks
crushed Conrad’s forces at Dorylaeum, site of a great victory during the First Crusade.
After Louis and Conrad managed to assemble their armies at Jerusalem, they decided to
attack the Syrian stronghold of Damascus with an army of some 50,000 (the largest
Crusader force yet). Previously well disposed towards the Franks, Damascus’ ruler was
forced to call on Nur al-Din, Zangi’s successor in Mosul, for aid. The combined Muslim
forces dealt a humiliating defeat to the Crusaders, decisively ending the Second Crusade;
Nur al-Din would add Damascus to his expanding empire in 1154.
Summary of the Third Crusade
After numerous attempts by the Crusaders of Jerusalem to capture Egypt, Nur al-Din’s
forces (led by the general Shirkuh and his nephew, Saladin) seized Cairo in 1169 and forced
the Crusader army to evacuate. Upon Shirkuh’s subsequent death, Saladin assumed control
and began a campaign of conquests that accelerated after Nur al-Din’s death in 1174. In
1187, Saladin began a major campaign against the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. His
troops virtually destroyed the Christian army at the battle of Hattin, taking the city along
with a large amount of territory. Outrage over these defeats inspired the Third Crusade, led
by rulers such as the aging Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (who was drowned at Anatolia
before his entire army reached Syria), King Philip II of France and King Richard I of
England (known as Richard the Lionheart). In September 1191, Richard’s forces defeated
those of Saladin in the battle of Arsuf; it would be the only true battle of the Third Crusade.
From the recaptured city of Jaffa, Richard reestablished Christian control over some of the
region and approached Jerusalem, though he refused to lay siege to the city. In September
1192, Richard and Saladin signed a peace treaty that reestablished the Kingdom of
Jerusalem (though without the city of Jerusalem) and ended the Third Crusade.
England - Richard III Lionheart
France - Philip II
Holy Roman Empire - Frederick I Barbarossa
Austria - Leopold V
Hungary - Béla III
Sicily - William II
England: In response to the recapture of many Christian states in the Holy Land, including
Jerusalem, the English king Henry II ended his conflict with King Philip II of France to
lead a new crusade into the Middle East. However, after Henry II’s death in 1189, Richard I
“The Lionhearted” gained control of the English armies. After conquering the Island of
Cyprus, he proceeded to meet King Philip’s armies during the siege of Acre in 1191.
France: Philip Augustus came into power around 1180. He was the first monarch to style
himself as the king of France. His army left Vézelay on 1 July 1190. At first, the French
and English crusaders travelled together, but the armies split at Lyon, after Richard
decided to go by sea, whereas Philip took the overland route through the Alps to Genoa. The
French and English armies were reunited in Messina, where they wintered together. On 30
March 1191, the French set sail for the Holy Land and Philip arrived on 20 May. He then
marched to Acre, which was already under siege by a lesser contingent of crusaders, and he
started to construct siege equipment before Richard arrived on 8 June.
Holy Roman Empire: Along with an army of 100,000 Germans and 2,000 Hungarians, Holy
Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa set out for the Holy Land in 1189. He led his
armies through Anatolia and sacked Iconium, capital of the Rum Sultanate. After this,
Frederick Barbarossa drowned in the Saleph River, and his son, Frederick of Swabia led
the remainder of the German army through Antioch and Tyre, to the city of Acre. There, in
1191, Leopold V of Austria arrived and took control of the Roman forces.
Austria: Leopold V was initially opposed to accompanying Frederick Barbarossa’s forces to
the Holy Land, because of his preoccupation with border disputes with Béla III of Hungary.
However, after the Roman Emperor’s death, Leopold went to Venice, and then departed for
the Holy Land. He arrived during the final siege of Acre in 1191 and took control of the
Holy Roman Army after Frederick of Swabia died. (According to legend, Leopold’s tunic was
blood soaked after one battle, and after he “doffed” his belt, a white stripe appeared, and
the flag of Austria was created.)
Hungary: Béla III occupied Croatia and Dalmatia. Ruled under Béla II and Béla III and
more continued a policy of expansion towards the Balkan Peninsula and the lands east of
the Carpathian Mountains. An area rich in silver, gold and salt deposit. Kingdom was
located at an international crossroads for trade.
Cilician Armenia: King Leo I of Armenia
an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees
fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. Located outside of the Armenian Highland and
distinct from the Armenian Kingdom of Antiquity, it was centered in the Cilicia region
northwest of the Gulf of Alexandretta.
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/History/History-idx?id=History.CrusOne
http://m.medieval-life-and-times.info/crusades/third-crusade.htm
http://m.medieval-life-and-times.info/crusades/
http://www.umich.edu/~eng415/timeline/summaries/third_crusade.htm
http://www.historynet.com/third-crusade-siege-of-acre.htm