The First Crusade (1095–1099) was launched by Pope Urban II with the goal of reclaiming Jerusalem and other sacred territories in the Holy Land from Muslim control. Jerusalem held deep religious significance, not only for Christians, but also for Jews—as the historic center of Jewish worship—and for Muslims, who had ruled the city since the 7th century. The crusade was sparked by a call for aid from the Byzantine Empire, which faced pressure from Seljuk Turks, and quickly evolved into a massive religious and military campaign. It ended in a surprising and bloody success for the crusaders, culminating in the capture of Jerusalem in 1099.
As you’re about to see, this war against Muslims included some very questionable practices that were shocking even by medieval standards of warfare. After reading this post, you’ll never think of this historical event in the same way again!
An Introduction to the First Crusade
The First Crusade was a failed attempt to wrest Jerusalem from Muslim control. When the crusaders arrived at Ma`arra in 1098, they encountered the remains of the Muslim dead, who had been killed by their own people.
Armed with this grisly discovery, the Franks cannibalized the corpses of Muslims in retaliation for what they saw as cannibalism on behalf of the enemy.
The Frankish Invasion of Muslim Spain
The Franks continued their invasion of Muslim Spain. They reached Ma`arra on October 20, 1098 and were able to capture it after a long siege that lasted from September 8 until October 22. It was at this time that the Franks resorted to cannibalizing Muslim dead for survival.
The Siege of Ma`arra
After capturing Ma`arra, the Franks found themselves in a difficult situation. Fearing starvation, Tancred led a raiding party of 700 knights to seize supplies from Ma`arra. They found no food there, but they did find a large number of Muslim dead – many killed by Christians.
Tancred’s raiders stripped the dead of their clothing and armor, then dismembered them. We had some cooked meat from these carcasses, wrote one knight.
The Aftermath of Ma`arra
over a dozen spoken or written accounts described this act of cannibalism, but with major differences in the detail. Many historical sources describe how the Franks cannibalized the bodies of dead Musilims in the city of Ma`arra, but mostly they differed in their details of the event.
Through an examination of the different accounts, we find that these acts of cannibalism were not limited to the city of Ma`arra, but also occurred at other Muslim cities taken by crusading forces during 1096–99.
After examining three specific accounts, we can see that some aspects of crusader cannibalism seem to have been more ritualistic in nature, while others appear to have been motivated by hunger or hatred for Muslims. Regardless of motivation, these actions are shocking when we examine them closely.
The Impact of Cannibalism on the First Crusade
The cannibalism of the First Crusade has been a controversial topic of discourse for centuries. Cannibalism is a crime against humanity, but it was also the most powerful tool in the Franks’ arsenal during their conquest of Ma`arra.
