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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 70 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 The Crusades
| The Byzantine Emperor Alexius asked for help from Pope Urban II in defending Byzantium from the Turks. The Byzantine Equivalent of the Pope is the Patriarch, who was the Patriarch of Constantinople when Alexius made his call for a Crusade? | History of the Crusades
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Nicolas III Kyrdinates. Nicolas III Kyrdinates was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 1084- 1111. Both Cosmas and Eustatius were prior to Nicolas where as John was after him.
Walter Sansavoir of Poiss. Walter and Peter the Hermit managed to make it to Constantinople. Most of their army was wiped out in the area of Hungary. They were responsible for violence against the Jews in the Rhineland prior to their crusade.
Count High of Vermandois. Hugh reached Constantinople first. He chose to take the sea route and his fleet was disrupted by a storm. He was 'arrested' and brought to Constantinople.
Nicaea. Nicaea was re-incorporated into the Byzantine Empire on June 19, 1097. The Crusaders did most of the fighting but the Turks surrendered to the Byzantine Emperor Alexius.
Firuz. Firuz was probably an Armenian convert who was unhappy with the length of the siege and his conversion. He let Bohemund's men climb a ladder up the tower and attack the city.
| After the capture of Antioch, the Crusaders themseleves were besieged. Peter Bartholemew claimed a certain relic was buried under the cathedral of Antioch. What relic did he believe was there? | History of the Crusades
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The Holy Lance. Peter supposedly did find a fragment of the Holy Lance in the cathedral. This relic provided inspiration for the Crusaders who fought their way out of the city and defeated the Turks.
| Peter Bartholemew continued to have visions and eventually overstayed his welcome in Antioch. He was put through an ordeal. How did he die? | History of the Crusades
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Burnt to Death. Peter Bartholemew was forced to run down a hallway which had a floor of burning logs. Many believe Peter made it through but some of Bohemund's men at the end of the hall pushed him back into the fire.
Godfrey of Bouillon. Godfrey was named the first King of Jerusalem. Baldwin adminstered Edessa and Raymond was to have Tripoli, but died enroute.
| This Arab leader arrived on the scene in 1126. He was given Alleppo and had his eyes on Damascus rather than the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He did not allow his troops to drink but was an alcoholic himself. Who was he? | History of the Crusades
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Imad ed-Din Zengi. Zengi took Edessa from Joscelin who now led the city. His son Nur ed-Din married into the Damascus Royal family.
| Louis VII's wife had an affair (while Louis was on the Crusade) with her older Uncle Raymond. Who was Louis' wife? | History of the Crusades
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Eleanor of Aquitane. Eleanor later married Henry II after divorcing Louis. She is known for her literature on courtly love.
| This battle resulted in the capture of Jerusalem in 1187. Reynald de Chatillion and Guy de Lusigian were both captured. What was the name of this battle? | History of the Crusades
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The Battle of the Horns of Hattin. The soldiers were surrounded on an extraordinarily hot day. They were suffering from dehydration and hunger which made it easier to defeat them.
| He was the last Byzantine Emperor of the House of Comnenius. He ended the Byzantine Dynasty which originally asked for help from the Pope in the West. Who was this man? | History of the Crusades
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Andronicus. Andronicus was killed in a riot that brought Isaac II to power. Alexius III later de-throned him. This instability in the Byzantine throne led to the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders.
The Children's Crusade. He and another young man named only Nicolas began preaching that children should embark on a Crusade to regain the Holy Land. They were universally praised by the common people but ended up being ignored by the Pope. Many died or were taken in by families on the way through France and Italy, others were rumored to have been sold into slavery.
| The Crusaders who embarked on the Fifth Crusade decided to attack Northern Africa instead of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. What was the name of the first city the Crusaders took in August of 1219? | History of the Crusades
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Damietta. They took Damietta a city of about 80,000 before the siege. By the end only 3,000 people were left, 100 who were able to fight.
| This Crusading Monarch was able to broker a deal with al-Kamil in 1228 in which he gained Jerusalem, Bethelhem, and the coastline. He also gained eight years of peace and in turn left the Dome of the Rock to the Muslims. Who was he? | History of the Crusades
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Frederick II. Frederick II was the infamous king who was excommunicated for not leaving for the Crusade at the proper time. He was criticized for regaining the Holy Land through diplomacy rather than at the end of a sword.
| This group is responsible for halting the Mongols under Genghis Khan from reaching Europe. Who were they? | History of the Crusades
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Mamluks. The Mamluks defeated the Mongols at the Battle of the Pools of Goliath. Genghis Khan had been advancing. He took Baghdad in 1258 and smothered the Caliph in a carpet.
Urban II. Urban II was elected as Pope in 1088. He died in 1099.
Abbasids. A tricky question because although the Abbisids had the official power of the Islamic world, the real power lay in the hands of the Seljuk Turks.
Peter the Hermit. On 21st October, 1096 the People's Crusade ended. The Sultan of Nicea, Kilidj Arslan, helped bring an end to this insane expedition. Peter was in Constantinople at the time.
15 July 1099. The Crusaders captured the city on the 15th July 1099. They massacred almost everyone there. They did not even consider that some of the people had the same religion as theirs.
Godfrey of Bouillon. Godfrey was also known as Godfrey of Lorraine. There were two people to choose from, Raymond IV and Godfrey. Godfrey didn't take the title of King. He called himself the Protector of the Holy Sepulchre (Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri). Still, that Frankish part is known in history as the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Godfrey died in Jerusalem on the 18th of July 1110. His brother, Baldwin II, took the title of King.
| Prelude to the Crusades! The total defeat and capture of this Byzantine Emperor at the Battle of Manzikert (Aug 19, 1071 AD) by Alp Arslan, Seljuk Sultan of Rum, proved to Western monarchs that Byzantium had forfeited the right to be the defenders of the Holy Land. Which Emperor was it? | Mighty Monarchs III (the Crusades)
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Romanus IV. Romanus IV (r. 1067-1071 AD) was captured and his army (more precisely those soldiers that did not desert or abruptly change sides during the battle) were massacred. He would be released after less than a month (the Sultan wanted a weak and grateful monarch on the Byzantine throne). During his brief captivity Michael VII (r. 1071-1078 AD) had assumed the throne and had Romanus hunted down and blinded before he could reach Constantinople. Nicephorus III (r. 1078-1081 AD) would continue to lose ground to the Turks. Alexius I (r. 1081-1118 AD) would begin to turn the tide during his reign.
| This Byzantine Emperor made the fateful mistake of sending an embassy (March 1095 AD) to Pope Urban II asking for aid from the West to help against the Seljuk Turks. Which Emperor was it? | Mighty Monarchs III (the Crusades)
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Alexius I. Alexius I (r. 1081-1118 AD) is considered the founder of the Comnenus Dynasty (even though his uncle Isaac I had been emperor earlier 1057-1059 AD). He was succeeded by his son, John II (r. 1118-1143 AD), his grandson, Manuel I (r. 1143-1180 AD), his great-grandson, Alexius II (r. 1180-1183 AD), and finally by a another grandson, Andronicus I (r. 1183-1185 AD).
| After Pope Urban II had declared a Holy Crusade, a motley collection of lesser nobility and common people launched the so-called 'People's Crusade' in 1095 AD. Which individual was nominally their leader? | Mighty Monarchs III (the Crusades)
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Peter the Hermit. After Urban II declared the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont (Nov 18-28, 1095 AD), Peter began to preach around France. He would also travel to Germany gathering more pilgrims. He reportedly arrived (Jun 1096 AD) at the border of the Byzantine Empire with about 60,000 people.
| Before crossing into Imperial territory the 'People's Crusade' stopped in the town of Belgrade (part of the Kingdom of Hungary). A riot between the 'Crusaders' and the Hungarians soon broke out which resulted in the death of about 4000 Hungarians. Which event began the riot? | Mighty Monarchs III (the Crusades)
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an argument over the price of a pair of shoes. Shoes?
| Firuz, after being recently fined by the authorities for blackmarketeering, betrayed this Turkish city to Bohemond, Prince of Taranto (leader of the Norman contingent from southern Italy) on the evening of June 3, 1098 AD. Which city was it? | Mighty Monarchs III (the Crusades)
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Antioch. Firuz was on watch in one of the towers when he lowered ladders down allowing a small contingent of Norman soldiers to gain access. They quickly seized the tower's gate and opened it. Before the sleeping citizens knew it the streets were filled with rampaging Normans. Bohemond, contrary to an earlier oath, would not return the city to Alexius I, Byzantine Emperor.
Jerusalem. The Crusaders first sighted Jerusalem on Tuesday June 7, 1099 AD. The siege began that very day and lasted til July 15, 1099 AD. After the city fell there was a wholesale massacre of the entire Muslim and Jewish population.
| After this Crusade Leader was declared 'King of Jerusalem' (Jul 17, 1099 AD) he reportedly said 'I will not wear a crown of gold where my master had worn a crown of thorns.' Which individual was it? | Mighty Monarchs III (the Crusades)
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Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lower Lorraine. Godfrey would refuse to use the title of 'king.' Instead he took the title 'Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri' (Protector of the Holy Sepulchre).
| The fall of this city on December 24, 1144 AD to the Muslims under Zengi, prompted Pope Eugenius III to declare the Second Crusade in 1145 AD. Which city was it? | Mighty Monarchs III (the Crusades)
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Edessa. It would take the Pope a year to gather enough support from the monarchs of Europe before he officially declared the crusade (Dec 1, 1145 AD). He was aided in his efforts by St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
Louis VII, the Young. Louis VII (r. 1137-1180 AD) was the son of Louis VI (r. 1108-1137 AD). Louis VIII reigned 1223-1226 AD). Louis IX (r. 1226-1270 AD) would lead the Seventh (1248-1254 AD) and the Eighth (1270 AD) Crusades.
Conrad III. Conrad III (r. 1138-1152 AD) was accompanied by his nephew Frederick, Duke of Swabia, on the crusade. Frederick would succeed his uncle as Holy Roman Emperor and reign til 1189 AD.
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