To what extent was superior military leadership the reason for success in the first Crusade?

The crusaders set off for the Holy Land expecting to be finding a formidable Muslim force, one that had recently overrun the Byzantine Empire.  However, the reality was a divided and deeply hostile, faction ridden enemy and as a result played a key part in the crusaders ultimate success.  The Muslim world was divided along Sunni and Shiite lines with the added dimension of the arrival of the dominant Seljuk Turks.  The Seljuks had overrun the Sunni territories in the East as well as the Byzantines in 1071.  They had occupied Jerusalem since 1069 but, had themselves become faction ridden.  The death of Malik Shah in 1092 led to his territory being betrothed to his son Barkiyarak and his brother, Tutush.  These were deeply hostile and with Barkiyarak overrun Tutush’s territory after the battle of Rayy.  However Tutush’s followers refused to yield to their new overlord and when the crusaders arrived, many preferred them than their new Muslim protector.  This is most clearly demonstrated with the journey across Anatolia and the Holy Land.  The crusaders were never to be as fortunate again with the confrontation of a divided enemy.  Indeed subsequent crusades all failed and this could be said to be largely due to confronting the united Muslim foe of Zengi, Nurredin and Saladin.  The support for beseiged cities seems to be minimal as can be seen with the attacks on Nicea, Antioch and Jerusalem.  Although some relief forces came, such as from Kerbogha at Antioch, it does not feel to be a universal response to the crusader threat.  It would be some years later that the Muslim world would unite and from that time the crusader states’ existence would be constantly under threat.  At no other time was the Muslim world so disunited and at no other time were the crusaders so successful and so therefore this reason has to be absolutely key for understanding the success of the first crusade.

The initial success for the first crusade relied upon the religious beliefs of the western world.  They were highly motivated by their religious zeal which was manipulated by Pope Urban II.  In his speech, at the council of Clermont in 1095, he persuaded the people to join this crusade through propaganda of their Godly duties and spiritual rewards on offer.  It was at Clermont that the speech was given because it was the biggest indoor abbey in the Western World.  The appeal wasn’t officially recorded, yet several accounts were written after the speech was said.  All of these accounts ironically had elements of the spiritual reward said at the end of the speech – proving how important and powerful it was. However, even he couldn’t have imagined the over whelming support that this appeal attracted.  This meant a successful crusade simply due to the huge numbers of Westerners that took the pilgrimage and fought for their Holy Land.  The potential crusaders included a great variety of hierarchical characters: peasants, barons, but in particular – knights.  The advertising of this holy war especially attracted the knights.  The knights were always known for their ruthlessness.  The Normans in particular have a history of fighting against fellow Christians: The Byzantians, the Sicilians and even the conquering of Britain. This led to the act of penance after each murder.  However, Pope Urban emphasised the fact that going on the crusade was indeed the act of penance.  Therefore they had no worries about repenting. Their primary aim was not to conquer Jerusalem for God as they held no allegiance to the church but the crusade was a personal quest for greatness and destroyed infidel. Yet, even the knights had the fear of going to hell. Thus the chance to fight and kill as an act of penance allowed them to be successful on the crusade both willingly and without fear.  On many occasions during the crusade, the turning point of the battle was morale levels of the crusaders.  In particular, the discovery of the Holy Lance during the siege of Antioch in 1097 by Raymond and Peter Bartholomew motivated the crusaders to continue their efforts to defeat the Muslims because this all mighty discovery proved to them that God was supporting them. The armies were facing great threat from the Seljuk Troops from within Antioch.  After days and days of fighting and in many cases losing, the crusaders, led by Bohemond, were losing motivation and confidence.  Lack of food and supplies contributed to this.  However, the discovery of the holy lance in Antioch gave these crusaders the confidence that God provided them with due to their spiritual beliefs. This meant that on the 28th June 1098 the Crusaders were strong enough to march towards Jerusalem believing that they had the support of God. This common interest brought the troops together making them stronger and brutal.