Jerusalem served as a focal point of religious and political significance throughout Byzantine and medieval history, from Helena's discovery of the True Cross and construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the fourth century to its conquest by Persia in the seventh, when the True Cross was seized, the male population killed, and survivors sold into slavery. Heraclius restored the relic there after his victory over Persia, but the city subsequently fell to Muslim forces, and it was later seized by the Turks in 1077, disrupting the pilgrim trade and ultimately providing the stated pretext for the First Crusade, which ended with its capture in a bloody assault. The city also figured in ecclesiastical politics, its bishopric being among the eastern sees consulted on the Bulgarian church question, and its ancient temple was the site of Julian's failed attempt to rebuild it and thereby refute Christian prophecy—an effort ended by earthquake.
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What each episode says
Episode 4 (2 mentions)
The holy city where Constantine's mother Helena found the True Cross and built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most important of her ecclesiastical foundations in the Holy Land.
“Jerusalem by Constantine's mother, St. Helena.”
“the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem.”
Episode 5 (1 mention)
Site of the Jewish temple that Julian tried to rebuild in order to refute Christ's prophecy that it would not be rebuilt until the end times. An earthquake destroyed the attempt.
“Realizing that Christ had prophesied that the Jewish temple at Jerusalem would not”
Episode 8 (1 mention)
Jerusalem is mentioned only in connection with the solid silver menorah that Titus had seized from its temple in 71 AD, which appeared among the spoils in the triumph of Belisarius.
“solid silver menorah that Titus had seized from Jerusalem in 71 AD. At the climax of the ceremony,”
Episode 10 (8 mentions)
Conquered by the Persians who captured the True Cross, killed all male citizens, and sold the rest into slavery, leaving the holy city almost deserted. Heraclius installed the recovered True Cross there after his victory, only to have to remove it personally when the Muslims besieged the city. Eventually Jerusalem fell to the Muslim forces.
“Jerusalem had been avenged, but the True Cross had not been recovered.”
“The way was now clear, and without hope of rescue, Damascus and Jerusalem fell.”
“to slip into Jerusalem to remove the True Cross, and started on the long road to Constantinople.”
Episode 12 (1 mention)
One of the three supposedly neutral eastern bishoprics Basil referred the Bulgarian ecclesiastical question to; as an eastern see, it predictably ruled in favor of Constantinople.
“Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.”
Episode 14 (5 mentions)
The stated objective of the First Crusade — the Turks had taken the Holy City in 1077, making it unsafe for the pilgrim trade. Brownworth notes that Urban II's speech at Clermont made the capture of Jerusalem, not the defense of Constantinople, the crusade's goal; the crusaders took it in 'a most unchristian bloodbath' just before the turn of the century. A crusader state in Palestine was something Alexios could live with, possibly even useful as a buffer state.
“The object was not the defense of Constantinople, but the capture of Jerusalem.”
“When Baldwin I, who would later become King of Jerusalem, was summoned to the throne room,”
“Bowman stayed behind as the rest of the crusading army left to batter down the walls of Jerusalem,”
Episode 15 (6 mentions)
“and sent a tremor of fear across the occupied kingdom of Jerusalem.”
“he cleverly suggested that Cairo would be a much better initial target than Jerusalem.”
“seduced by the prospect of rich rewards and a welcome rest before heading to Jerusalem.”
Episode 17 (1 mention)
“Put it in the second century. What does Jerusalem have to do with Athens in the West?”
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