The First Crusade captured Jerusalem in 1099. The city fell after a five-week siege, completing the crusaders' principal military objective and leading to the establishment of a Latin Christian kingdom in the Holy Land.
The crusade had been launched after Pope Urban II called for an expedition at the Council of Clermont in 1095. Crusader armies traveled across Europe and the Byzantine Empire, capturing or negotiating the surrender of several important cities before reaching Jerusalem. They began the siege on 7 June 1099.
The besiegers initially lacked enough equipment to overcome Jerusalem's walls, but Genoese ships arriving at Jaffa supplied timber and materials for constructing siege towers. On 15 July, crusaders breached the defenses and entered the city. The capture was followed by extensive violence against Jerusalem's Muslim and Jewish inhabitants, as well as local Christians.
The victory was followed by the creation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, with Godfrey of Bouillon becoming its first ruler with the title Defender of the Holy Sepulchre. The date is often confused with 1095, the year of the crusade's proclamation, or 1096, when the main expedition began moving east. Neither year marks the capture of Jerusalem.