Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/188

 1 76 THE LATER MIDDLE AGES Norman Bohemond of Tarentum in Southern Italy, with his nephew Tancred ; and Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lower Lor- The Great raine. But at best the army was a collection of troops Army. commanded by captains, most of whom were quite as much bent on personal aggrandisement as on any higher object. The Emperor Alexius had wanted a western army to help him in the recovery of his own dominions. The great host of the crusaders, which arrived before Constantinople, was thinking of nothing less than of serving him. However, he made a con- venient compact with them, under which they did homage to him as his ' men ' for so long as they should remain in his territory. It was apparently understood that the boundary of Imperial territory was to be drawn somewhere beyond the range of Mount Taurus, outside of which limit the crusaders might take what they chose for their own. So the crusaders marched through the Seljuk dominion of Asia Minor, defeating the Turks on their way, but hardly troubling Capture of themselves about securing the country. Edessa Edessaand beyond the Euphrates was secured, and shortly Antioch, 1098. a f terwar d s Antioch fell after a long siege. It was fortunate that rivalries were as prevalent in high places among the Mohammedans as among the Christians. Bohemond managed to keep Antioch to himself. It was not till next year that the main force appeared before Jerusalem and began the siege of the Holy City. Jerusalem was Jerusalem carried by storm ; there was a great slaughter of the taken, 1099. Moslems, and the Christians were masters of the Holy Places. Palestine was not to be made a present to the Greek emperor; the conquered territory was to be a Latin principality. Raimond of Toulouse had become discredited by the obviousness of his self-seeking j Bohemond was disposed of at Antioch j Robert of Normandy declined to be a candidate for the Crown of Jerusalem ; and Godfrey of Bouillon, than whom probably no worthier choice could have been made, was elected. Character- istically, he declined to wear a kingly crown in the city where the Saviour had been crowned with thorns, but he accepted the office laid upon him.