Charles V of France and Emperor Charles IV feast while the Siege of Jerusalem is re-enacted, from the Grandes Chroniques de France, c.1380. Alain Le Toquin/akg-images.
Called by Pope Urban II in Clermont in 1095 with the aim of taking Jerusalem and other Holy sites from Muslim control, the First Crusade culminated in the capture and bloody sacking of the Holy City on 15 July 1099. Fusing fervent devotion with savage military ferocity, the Crusade unleashed shockwaves that were far-reaching.
