Account for the success of the First Crusade.

[Note the dates of the First Crusade and its success] The First Crusade (1095-99) accomplished its stated aim of recapturing Jerusalem from its Muslim rulers in 1099, placing it, and considerable parts of Palestine, under Roman Catholic rule. [Detail the various reasons given for the First Crusade’s success] The success of the First Crusade has been attributed to individual genius, such as that of Bohemond of Tarranto (particularly evident at the Siege of Antioch (1097-98)); the crusaders religious zeal enabling them to continue in the face of suffering and heavy losses, and boosted by such events as the finding of the Holy Lance at Antioch; and the fragmentation of their Muslim opponents, such that they often did not support each other or provide a unified opposition to the crusaders.[Assess relative importance - inevitably the answer is that all these factors played some part, but a hierarchy needs to be suggested to show analytical skill] Individual genius is evident in Bohemond, who was largely responsible for the fall of Antioch, Adhemar of Le Puy, at Dorylaeum and as a unifying force, and Urban II, in promoting and sanctioning the crusade - but Adhemar and Urban died before Jerusalem fell and Bohemond was absent in Antioch. The religious zeal of the crusaders was what led them to respond to Urban’s call, remain at Antioch in the face of difficulties until Bohemond secured an entrance, and was a motivating factor in Adhemar’s participation. Moreover, work by Riley-Smith has shown that most crusaders received little in the way of material rewards, suggesting zeal’s considerable importance. The failure of the Second and, especially, Third Crusades to achieve similar success reveals how individual genius (such as Richard I) and zeal were ultimately ineffective against a more unified Muslim opposition (latterly under Saladin), suggesting the overriding importance of Muslim division for the First Crusade’s success.