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
What Else Happened on December 12
Emperor Heraclius led the Byzantine army to a devastating victory over Sasanian Persia at Nineveh, personally fighting in the front ranks during an eleven-hour …
A 23-year-old widow chose cash over castles. Maria of Enghien, ruling two Greek strongholds she inherited through marriage, sold Argos and Nauplia to Venice for…
Sigismund of Luxembourg founded it to fight the Ottomans — a knightly order requiring members to wear a dragon coiled around a cross. The catch? You had to be r…
Emperor Sigismund lost Bosnia to his own vassal. So he created a chivalric order to bind his nobles closer — through dragon imagery and shared oaths. The Order …
Kempenfelt spotted the French convoy from *Victory*'s deck — 19 warships escorting supply ships bound for the Caribbean. He had just 12 ships. But the wind shif…
HMS Victory — yes, that HMS Victory, Nelson's ship at Trafalgar — sailed into her first major fleet action off the French coast with 98 guns and a captain who'd…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.