Only 40,000 out of 100,000 crusaders made it to Jerusalem. What happened to the other 60,000? In this episode, Michael Stevens reveals the brutal reality of medieval warfare that history books sanitize. You think you know about knights in shining armor? Think again. The First Crusade wasn't some noble quest - it was eight months of starvation at Antioch, followed by a massacre that left 70,000 dead in Jerusalem's streets. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why the 8-month siege of Antioch nearly destroyed the entire crusading army • How crusaders built a 3-story wooden tower on wheels to breach Jerusalem's walls • The shocking casualty rate that turned 100,000 crusaders into 40,000 survivors 👤 Perfect for: history lovers who want the real story behind the legends, not the sanitized textbook version. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Michael Stevens breaks down the numbers that don't add up [02:15] Eight months of hell: what really happened at Antioch [05:30] Medieval siege warfare: engineering meets brutality [08:00] The Jerusalem massacre that lasted for days [10:45] Why 60% of crusaders never made it home This isn't your high school history class. Stevens connects medieval warfare tactics to modern military strategy, showing how the patterns of conquest and collapse repeat throughout history. When empires clash, ordinary people pay the price. The crusaders thought they were fighting for God. They ended up fighting starvation, disease, and each other. Some victories cost more than defeats. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow When Rome Burns on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: First Crusade, medieval warfare, siege tactics, Jerusalem, Antioch

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----- Keywords: paper money, war stories, american revolution, nazi germany, economic collapse

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