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Events on Saturday 15 July 1099 1
1099Siege of Jerusalem -- 15 July 1099The Crusaders reach Jerusalem in June 1099 and besiege it with approximately 12,000 men. After five weeks, an assault on 15 July 1099 breaches the walls. The sack of Jerusalem that follows is horrific: the Muslim and Jewish populations are massacred. Contemporary Crusader chronicles describe the killing with evident satisfaction; Arabic and Hebrew sources describe it with horror. Godfrey of Bouillon, elected defender of the Holy Sepulchre, reportedly wades through blood to pray at Christ's tomb. The capture of Jerusalem is the culmination of the First Crusade -- and the beginning of a 200-year attempt to hold it.