DECLARATION OF REVIVAL OF THE KINGDOM OF JERUSALEM
We know that Richard not only heroically stormed Acre, but also slaughtered the hostages. And we know that Saladin showed a rare nobility. Both sides fought very brutally — this is a fact, both sides had their own ideals and on both sides there were people who fought for them to the last drop of blood — this is also a fact, and Muslims also had «some kind of truth» — and this is also a fact.
But this does not prevent us from being 100% on the side of the crusaders, simply because we belong to the same European Christian civilization as they did, and they defended this European Christian civilization. They are ours for us; the Saracens are strangers. It does not follow from this that the Crusaders were sinless and flawless, nor does it follow that the Saracens were pure evil incarnate. Simply — we are not interested in the question of «the truth from the other side», because we have our own truth and we do not need someone else’s, and each his own. And when arises the question «Crusaders or Saracens?», the answer is obvious, despite any «ambiguities».
Is it possible to revive the Kingdom of Jerusalem of the Crusaders? The answer to this question, at first glance, is within the absolute competence of the Vatican. However, on June 15, 1994, official diplomatic relations were established between Israel and the Vatican. By doing so, Vatican totally renounced the historical inheritance of the Kingdom of Jerusalem having recognized of LEGITIMACY the state of Israel. They did not even attempt to bargain on the sovereign status of the Vatican buildings and lands in the territory of Israel.
The Military Order of Malta and the Military Order of the Holy Sepulcher originating from the Kingdom of Jerusalem humbly obeyed the authority of the Roman clergy and the Israeli officials, contenting themselves with the miserable status of religious and charitable associations courting pilgrims.
When armies retreat, the time comes for lonely heroes. Do they exist, those Defenders of the Crusader spirit? Yes, they do. And they still honorably bear the title of the Kings of Jerusalem. The two of them are: King Felipe VI of Spain and Karl von Habsburg (the Imperial House of Austria). Let us not concentrate on why there are several candidates to one historical throne. There is something more important than that.
Diplomatic relation between Spain and Israel were established on 17 January 1986. In October 2011 Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and his spouse Princess Letizia arrived in Israel for a two days’ official visit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic relations. It means that King Juan Carlos I of Spain (father of Felipe VI) who abdicated from the throne in 2014 in favor of his son, ceased himself, since 1986, to be the titular king of Jerusalem, for, having recognized and established the diplomatic relations with Israel, he lost his right (if any) to the Jerusalem crown.
The Head of the Imperial House of Austria believes that he has the right to the title of the king of Jerusalem. It may be true but the problem is that in 1961 (having received a generous compensation from the authorities of the Republican Austria) Crown Prince Otto von Habsburg waived his rights to the throne, and for that, was allowed to return to Austria in 1966 and became a citizen of the Austrian Republic. His son Karl von Habsburg became «Head» of the Imperial House of Austria in 2007. The Habsburgs have sold their monarchial rights and have become citizens of the republic, thus losing any rights to the throne FOREVER of their own free will!!!
By way of conclusion it may be summarized that the centuries-long history of the titular kings of Jerusalem has come to an ignominious end.
In view of the fact that neither the ancient knight orders, nor the Holy See, nor the “candidates” to the throne of Jerusalem set the objective to recover the Kingdom of Jerusalem, we, the members of the Order of the Jerusalem Cross, take upon ourselves this VOW AND OBEDIENCE. We invite the interested persons to join us in our initiative.
Those who will participate in the revival of the kingdom will elect a worthy monarch in accordance with the rules and laws of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, let us do our best and make every effort to bring this day closer. Propaganda for the revival of the kingdom becomes the responsibility of every member of our Order.
When Jerusalem fell down under the strikes of Saladin’s hordes, the crusaders moved away to the shore of the Holy Land and there they went on safeguarding the kingdom that became smaller and smaller after each Saracen intrusion. The Christians had to move from the conquered Acre to Cyprus that became afterwards the Kingdom of Cyprus and of Jerusalem at the same time. But after Cyprus was turned into a Venetian colony in 1489, the crusader kingdom was simply forgotten.
Meanwhile, this historical experience creates a legal precedent and shows that it is possible to recover the Kingdom of Jerusalem in any part of the world. Everywhere where we, through labor and exploit, would acquire sovereign plot of land could be rightfully called his part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The 7th day of April 2019. Moscow.
The day of the liberation of Jerusalem by the troops of the 1st Crusade on July 15, 1099 is the day of the main order holiday. How it was?
On June 7, 1099, an army of crusaders, numbering about fifteen thousand infantry and up to one and a half thousand spears (both knights and just mounted warriors), approached Jerusalem, the garrison of which consisted of (approximately) a thousand professional Egyptian soldiers and several tens of thousands of armed Muslim townspeople. The walls of the city, reaching eighteen meters, its size and the small number of crusader troops made the siege a very difficult undertaking, if not impossible in principle. At any moment, a new Muslim army could come to the rescue of the city, as happened earlier, during the siege of Antioch. The emir of Jerusalem, Iftikar al-Daula, prepared well for the siege: all the wells around the city were destroyed and poisoned, the Christian population was expelled or intimidated, trees were cut down, and everything that could serve as a help during the siege was destroyed.
All this did not give any hope of a proper siege, and the crusaders were not going to conduct it: their quick march to Jerusalem put the army in a difficult position, there were no allies, no reserves, no siege weapons. Therefore, after six days, the first assault began, in which the Christians had only one siege ladder. Of course, he failed, and, as they say, the first warrior to reach the wall lost both hands.
The crusader army suffered, and if the lack of food was somewhat alleviated by the grain delivered from Ramla, then water became a real problem: many died from poisoning or dehydration, according to eyewitnesses, even for big money it was impossible to get really drunk, while it was only about dirty water.
The situation continued to deteriorate, soon the news came that the Genoese squadron had been defeated by the Egyptian fleet … But on the other hand, six surviving ships, with an invaluable cargo — grain and all kinds of materials necessary for preparing the assault, were able to break through to the crusaders in mid-June. At the same time, it became known that a new Egyptian army was coming to the rescue of the city. The crusaders began to prepare for the assault, spending three weeks creating a siege park (towers, stairs, battering rams, catapults).
Hatred, which grew day by day, reached its peak during this siege. Muslims, almost every day, dragged crosses onto the walls and defiantly urinated and spat on them. The Europeans responded by publicly executing prisoners, sometimes using their bodies as catapult stones, and once sending a living Muslim into the city. He collapsed to the ground before reaching the wall and soon died…
When in early July the crusaders marched around the city barefoot, singing psalms with palm branches in their hands, this aroused even greater hatred of the Muslims, who responded with shots and curses. Five days later, the assault began.
On July 14, 1099, detachments of Europeans went into battle for the liberation of the city sacred to them. As expected, the bombardment of the city walls did little damage, while the Crusaders, moving their siege towers and battering ram, had a much harder time. The assault was preceded by cunning: a few weeks before it began, the crusaders defiantly built a high, at the level of the city walls, a siege tower, opposite the quadrangular city tower in the northwestern part of the city. Seeing this, the Muslims especially fortified themselves there, preparing to repel the attack. However, the tower turned out to be a surprise: on the night before the assault, it was dismantled, like designer parts, and assembled again, in another area: the Saracens were struck like a thunderbolt when they saw the new positions of cars and tents the next morning.
Gottfried of Bouillon, who carried out this maneuver, began the assault by overcoming the first, low wall, in order to then be able to bring his tower to the main wall. To help in this attack was an iron-studded battle ram, which the crusaders dragged to the city under the cover of ballistas and shooters. Soon he broke through the wall and caught fire, set on fire by the defenders. Then it became clear that the battering ram, standing in the gap, was preventing the tower from being brought up and the roles completely changed: the crusaders tried to completely destroy it, and the Muslims tried to put it out by pouring water. The Europeans have won.
Meanwhile, the attack of Raymond of Toulouse and his French failed: the Muslims, who were expecting an attack precisely there, fired so heavily that the attackers could not even really approach the walls. Night has come.
In the morning, Raymond’s soldiers tried to bring the tower down again, but the defenders managed to set fire to it, and it fell apart. Meanwhile, attacks from several directions still forced the Muslims to divide their forces, and Gottfried managed to use this. His men rolled the tower to the main wall and fought a desperate battle. He himself was in the thick of the battle, on the top floor of the tower. The risk was so great that at some point a crusader standing next to him was blown off his head by a shot from a Muslim ballista. The defenders tried to use a secret weapon — they dropped a huge log soaked in a mixture resembling Greek fire on the way to the tower, but the crusaders were ready and extinguished it with vinegar, which they had prepared in advance. The log was removed and the movement continued.
The defenders of the city, emboldened by the hope of the Egyptian army hastening to their aid, doubled the number of darts and stone balls sent by their catapults. With particular stubbornness they sought to destroy the tower of Gottfried, on which a golden cross sparkled. The Duke of Lorraine saw his soldiers and squires fall next to him, but stubbornly moved forward, as if considering himself charmed by arrows and cannonballs. Time passed past noon, and the fate of the battle was still undecided. Many of the attackers began to lose courage, and the enemies immediately noticed this, which they announced with joyful cries. And then, a miracle happened. Suddenly, the crusaders saw a radiant horseman on the Mount of Olives, who, shaking his shield, pointed to Jerusalem. Gottfried and Raimund noticed him first and at the same time exclaimed: «Saint George is coming to our aid!» The sight of the heavenly rider lit the souls of the besiegers with sacred fire, caused them a great upsurge, and the battle unfolded with renewed vigor. Despite all the obstacles, Gottfried’s tower was the first to reach the enemy walls. The Lorraine hero, surrounded by his brothers and vassals, jumped over the drawbridge onto the platform of the wall and crashed into a crowd of terrified enemies. The decisive moment came — the crusaders grabbed the ladders and climbed the wall, the Muslim defense in the northern part of the city completely collapsed. Soldiers following their leader clear the area, descend into the streets and drive the fugitives.
At the same time, the crusaders break down the Kedar gates, and new crowds rush into the city, shouting: “God wants it so! That’s God’s will!» The leaders of the crusaders meet in the square of the fallen Jerusalem; they embrace, cry for joy and rush on to complete their victory. Jerusalem was taken on Friday, July 15, 1099, at three o’clock in the afternoon.
