In November 1095, Pope Urban II (1042-1099) addressed a large gathering of nobility and clergy of France in Clermont with an inspired sermon, during which he called for an expedition to help Christians of the East - primarily the Byzantines - against the Turks, as well as for the liberation of Jerusalem and other holy places from the hands of the unbelievers
Crusaders besiege Damascus. Chronicle of D'Ernol Bernard le Tresot (late 15th century). British Library. Actually, the miniatures of 1097 have practically not survived, and whoever painted them under the walls of Dorileo.
As you know, the truth of the religious plans of the crusaders was often questioned, although it is clear that it was faith that played a significant role in the reasons for the actions of both representatives of the nobility and ordinary people who “took the cross” and set out to liberate Jerusalem. Undoubtedly, the nobility was impressed by the possibility of obtaining ownership of the land, and thus gaining a foothold in the East as sovereign lords, while the less noble pilgrims, of whom there were the majority, would simply be satisfied with a change in their fate for the better.
The crusade at that time was considered not as a campaign as such, that is, a military action, but as a pilgrimage, for participation in which the crusaders, according to the pope's assurances, were forgiven all sins. Naturally, they could count on material rewards if the outcome of hostilities was successful. Urban's appeal provoked a violent reaction: many large nobils of Western Christianity immediately "took up the cross" and began to gather forces for the campaign. Among the leaders was the elder brother of the King of England and the younger brother of the King of France, not counting other, no less significant leaders. The kings themselves had no right to go on a campaign, since they were under the papal excommunication imposed on them for their numerous sins!
Urban planned to start a crusade on August 15 of the following year, on the feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos. Until this moment, the princes and other nobles were given time to raise funds and people for the upcoming campaign. Thus, four large coalitions gradually took shape. The Northern French was headed by Count Robert II of Flanders, Duke Robert II of Normandy (brother of King William II of England), Count Etienne de Blois, and also Count Hughes de Vermandois, the younger brother of the French sovereign.
The Provencal group of knights was headed by Count Raymond of Toulouse, the chief commander of the entire crusade (he considered himself such, although, in fact, he was not - ed.), And Ademar, Bishop of Le Puy, aka the papal legate - the official representative of the pope Roman with the army of the crusaders. The Lorraine crusaders were "supervised" by the local duke, Godefroy of Bouillon (de Bouillon) and his brothers - Eustache III, Count of Boulogne (de Boulogne), and Baudouin (usually called Baudouin of Boulogne). In addition, the Norman knights from southern Italy, led by Prince Boemon of Taranto and his nephew Tancred, played a significant role. All these groups set out, each on their own route, with the aim of meeting and uniting at Constantinople.
FOLK CRUSHWAY
In addition to the armies assembled by the princes, spontaneous, less organized "troops" were formed, which did not recognize any discipline and did not recognize subordination. The most famous of these "formations" were the masses of commoners led by Peter the Hermit or the Hermit. And although this army was considered a badly armed and practically unorganized bunch of the poor, an "army" of 20,000 people. still included a core of 700 knights and other fighters. And although it was a professional fighting unit, it lacked two important components - a good military leader and material resources. The crusaders of this wave arrived at Constantinople in August 1096, that is, even before better organized forces emerged from Europe, and, despite warnings from the Byzantine leadership, demanded that they be immediately transported to the Asian coast, where the Seljuks dominated. The rush was no doubt a consequence of the lack of a centralized command and the impact of supply problems. Unfortunately for them, on October 21, members of the people's crusade encountered the Seljuks of Kylych-Arslan. The pilgrims fought well until the knights, who had succumbed to the trick of the lightly armed Turkish horsemen who had faked flight, were surrounded and killed.
The siege of Constantinople by Christians in 1204. Miniature of their chronicle of Charles VII Jean Cartier, circa 1474 (dimensions 32 × 23 cm (12.6 × 9.1 in)). National Library of France.
When the main combat detachment of the campaign and its leaders were withdrawn from the game, the remaining fighters and non-combatants fled in disorder, during which many were killed. About 3,000 people escaped the general massacre and later joined the ranks of the participants in the First Crusade.
IN KONSTANTINOPOL
Meanwhile, other troops of the crusaders set out on a campaign in order to converge at Constantinople. The gathering lasted for several months, but Godefroy de Bouillon and the crusaders from Lorraine were the first to arrive at the meeting place, just before Christmas 1096. The last - at the end of April 1097 - Boemon of Taranta reached the goal with the Normans from southern Italy, followed by Raymond of Toulouse with an army from Provence and Languedoc. When the pilgrims approached Constantinople, serious disagreements arose between the main crusader and the Byzantine emperor Alexei I. In the end, with difficulty, an agreement was reached. The parties entered into an agreement regarding the fate of the territories, which were supposed to be recaptured by the Western pilgrims from the Muslims. The treaty with the Byzantines was not an official alliance. Alexei had to take into account the complexity of the political situation, as well as the reaction of various Islamic states. And in case of failure of the crusade campaign, take into account the sad fate of the popular crusade. As a result, military support from the imperial troops was provided limited. Nevertheless, the help of the emperor gave the crusaders a number of significant advantages.
The Byzantines provided military assistance, including a small army led by the commander Tatikia, who acted as the emperor's representative during the campaign. In addition, the Byzantines had small ships that were used in the siege of Nicea. Indirect support consisted of providing information on the political situation on the ground, geographic and topographic data, and information on the presence of enemy weapons.
HIKE
Towards the end of spring, the crusaders "drew up" a detailed plan of "military operations" against the Seljuk Turks. The warrior knights gathered a huge army, numbering about 70,000 people. This is together with a large number of non-combatants (the so-called "service personnel" of the troops). However, among them there were many who had weapons, knew how to handle them, and thus could, if something happened, stand on a par with the soldiers and fight no worse than them. There were also women among the army: wives, maids and whores. Thus, the "army" turned out to be absolutely huge, and it was clear that such an army had never existed in the 11th century. This army, in quantitative terms, was three to four times larger than the army of William the Conqueror, the same one that invaded Britain 31 years earlier.
It came on May 6, 1067. The main goal of the campaign - the city of Nicaea, which at that time was the capital of the Rum sultanate of Kylych-Arslan, was achieved. The sultan himself was in the east at this time. Trying to somehow gain time in this difficult political situation, the sultan wanted to take the opportunity to seize the ancient Roman fortress of Melitena. But, having received news of the approach of the crusaders to the walls of his native city, where his family remained, he was forced to return.
NIKEA IN THE SIE
The crusaders approached the walls of the city, and its siege began. The Sultan was in no hurry to deploy an army for battle. This gave him the opportunity to either strengthen the military protection of the city, or to take battle with the Christians in the field and thereby force them to lift the siege. On May 16, Kylych-Arslan attacked their army. They lined up camp, intending to block the passage through the southern gate of the city. At the beginning, the crusader detachments missed the moment of striking, but the Provencal army managed to group up and strike back at the enemy. In addition, the Turks were not lucky with the terrain. Attacking the crusaders in the narrow gap between the city walls and the hills overgrown with dense forest, and unable to quickly maneuver, the Turkish horse archers suffered serious losses. The Crusaders, on the other hand, having solid equipment and superiority in physical strength, felt much more confident in battle and had more room for maneuver.
The defeated sultan was forced to retreat, thereby opening the way for the crusaders to the city walls. And a new wave of siege began. To capture the walls of the city, it was decided to use special mechanisms, and the schemes for the construction of these machines and materials for their manufacture were provided by the Byzantines. The crusaders also received ships to blockade the city from the lake, thereby depriving the defenders and citizens of the opportunity to bring food and drinking water by water. In addition to building siege engines, the crusaders undertook to dig a tunnel under the walls of the city.
When a battle ensued, the Sultan's wife tried to flee the city, but was captured by a Byzantine naval team. Soon the defenders of the city realized that the situation was hopeless and decided to secretly negotiate with the Greeks about surrender. The city was surrendered to the Byzantine troops on the night of June 19.
AND AGAIN MARCH
The crusaders planned to move to Syria, Palestine and to their main goal - Jerusalem. The route of movement was laid along the Byzantine military road leading southeast, to Doriley, then crossing the Anatolian plateau and leaving in the direction of Syria. The route made it possible to establish relations with potential allies, the Christian principalities of Armenia, which could provide assistance in the struggle against both the Turks and the Byzantines, the relations of the crusaders with whom cracked immediately after Nicea. The Crusaders wasted no time and continued the campaign at the earliest opportunity. Less than a week later, the first military units withdrew. Given the size of the army and the lack of real command structures, the Crusader army was divided into two groups for convenience. The vanguard, including the small Byzantine detachment of Tatikia, numbered no more than 20,000 people. The detachment included the squads of Boemon of Taranta, Tancred, Etienne of Blues and Robert of Normandy. The main forces following the vanguard numbered over 30,000 men. It included the detachments of Count Robber of Flanders, Godefroy of Bouillon, Raymond of Toulouse and South de Vermandois.
Meanwhile, Kylych-Arslan regrouped his forces and united with the Danishmend Turks, concluding an alliance with them. This gave his army an increase of 10,000 horsemen. The Sultan's plan was to ambush the split troops of the Crusaders.
Having chosen a convenient place, where the two valleys connected, the sultan decided to lure the knights into an open field and surround them just at the moment when the infantry could not cover them. This tactic allowed the Turks to use their numerical superiority in the main section of the battlefield, and the horse archers - room to maneuver. The Ruman sultan did not want to repeat the mistakes made under Nicaea.
DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS
The crusaders learned about the approach of the Turks in the evening of June 30, although they, apparently, did not have accurate data on the number of enemy troops.
Robert of Normandy in the battle with Muslims in 1097-1098. Painting by J. Dassie, 1850
The next morning the vanguard of the Crusaders continued their march into the plain. Then it became clear that the Turks were moving in a large mass, approaching from the south. Revealing the plans of the Turks, the crusaders set up a camp, which could at the same time be a defensive base. It was erected by foot soldiers and noncombatants from the vanguard, they also placed a camp at the exit to the plain of two valleys so that swampy areas of the terrain covered the western approaches. Boemon placed the mounted knights in front of the camp so that they would block the path of the advancing Turkish horsemen. The main Christian army approached from the west, but was still 5-6 km from the vanguard.
AND THE BATTLE STARTED …
As soon as the crusaders had set up camp, a battle broke out. Boemon went against the Turks with the main core of the mounted knights. In doing so, he played into the hands of the enemy. When the knights moved forward, they came under fire from horse archers. Separated from the infantry defending the camp, the knights could not come together in hand-to-hand combat with the nomads, and horse archers showered the enemy with a hail of arrows. At the same time, a small part of the Turkish cavalry attacked the Christian camp and broke into it.
The cavalry of the crusaders was pushed back to the southern end of the camp, where the horsemen were gathered by Robert of Normandy. When order and formation were restored, the knights were able to organize the defense of the southern corner of the camp, where the Turks no longer had such room for maneuver as before.
Battle of Doriley. Illuminated manuscript of the 15th century. "Continuation of the story", Guelmo of Tire. National Library of France.
As the battle progressed, the crusaders gradually began to fizzle out. Fortunately for Boemon and everyone else, help from the main squadron Crusaders arrived around noon. It took several hours for the knights of the main formation to be able to arm themselves and cover the distance of 5-6 km, which separated the two contingents. The reason was the warriors who had beaten off their troops and simply deserters who hindered the advancement of aid to the vanguard. The first to pull up was a detachment led by Godefroy de Bouillon. The knights attacked from the valley from the west, coming out to the left flank of the Turks. At that moment, the latter were still fighting the vanguard knights at the southern end of the crusader camp. Insufficiently protected, and sometimes completely unarmored, the Seljuk cavalry found itself between two forces of knights-crusaders, reliably protected by armor.
Subsequent Crusader reinforcements from the main army under the command of Count Raymond passed through the line of drumlins (long ridges of hills and mountains - the consequences of sliding glaciers) scattered along the western edge of the plain. This natural cover allowed the crusaders to move unnoticed, and helped to enter the rear of the Turkish army.
The appearance of the enemy from this side was quite unexpected for the Turks, who had already suffered serious losses. Their army fled in panic. The battle ended, the pursuit began, during which the crusaders plundered the enemy's camp. However, the losses on both sides were approximately equal: 4,000 people from the crusaders and about 3,000 people from the Turks.
Battle scheme.
Results …
Doriley became an iconic site for the Crusaders. Yes, they were in danger due to the lack of a unified command, thereby allowing the enemy to attack them already on the march. However, the crusaders still had the ability to act harmoniously, with a single force, as a result of which the first battle in the field was victorious.
A well-thought-out strategy for conducting a battle was a consequence of the high leadership qualities of the princes of the crusaders, who were able to quickly respond to new and unusual circumstances and serve as an authority for the soldiers. The Battle of Dorileo opened the way for the Byzantines to liberate Anatolia, and it allowed the Crusaders to continue their march to Syria.
AND A FEW NUMBERS …
The forces of the opposing sides
CRUSADERS (approximately)
Knights: 7000
Infantry: over 43,000
Total: more than 50,000
TURKS - SELDZHUKI (approximately)
Cavalry: 10,000
Total: 10,000
