The First Crusades began as 3 organized bands of mostly French warriors made their way to the East.
The crusading army, which included thousands of men in cavalry and infantry, captured Antioch in 1098.
The crusaders proceeded down the Palestinian coast, avoiding the well defended coastal cities, and reached Jerusalem in June 1099.
The Holy City was taken amid a horrible massacre of its inhabitants.
After further conquests, the crusaders organized 4 Latin crusader states in East.
Surrounded by Muslims, these crusader kingdoms depended on Italian cities for supplies.
Some Italian port cities, such as Genoa, Pisa, and especially Venice, grew rich and powerful in the process.