Crusaders Breach Ma'arrat: Massacre and Cannibalism
Crusaders breach the walls of Ma'arrat al-Numan and slaughter roughly 20,000 inhabitants before turning to cannibalism amid severe starvation. This brutal episode shattered any remaining hope for a holy war fought with Christian mercy, leaving a stain on the First Crusade's legacy that historians still debate today.
December 12, 1098
928 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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