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The Taking of Antioch in 1097 (The First Crusade) After a difficult four month march through hostile territory, the Crusader army reached the plain outside of Antioch, which stood on the bank of the Orontes River. In command of the strongly defended city was Turkish Chieftain Yaghi-Siyan. A long siege set in that it was as difficult for the Christians to endure as the Turks, with hunger and disease weakening both sides. Finally a garrison ma...

Jerusalem Conquered 1099 (The First Crusade) In January, the First Crusade under Raymond IV of Toulouse, Robert of Normandy, Godfrey of Bouillon, Robert of Flanders and Tancred of Taranto began the long march south from the rolling point of Antioch. By June, the Christian Army of 12,000 knights and 11,000 foot soldiers reached Jerusalem. The city was held by a Moslem garrison under the caliph Al-Mustali of Cairo since the displacement of the...

What does Chivalry mean today and does it even exist any longer? We'd like to think it does, but it does seem to have gotten a bit lost along the way. Today we feel holding a door open, putting a jacket over a puddle, helping an old lady across the street or simply thinking of others is pretty darn chivalric in nature. Sadly we often don't go farther than that. Truth is, it was deep and meaningful on many levels at one time and frankly, it should...