Latin Literature and Frankish Culture in the Crusader States (1098–1187) (original) (raw)

When writing the history of his native Kingdom of Jerusalem, Archbishop William of Tyre (c.1130-1186) frequently included extended descriptions of the cities encountered by Crusaders in the Eastern Mediterranean. This paper will investigate the way in which William’s self-identification as a Latin and his extensive education in the universities of Western Europe at the height of the ‘twelfth-century renaissance’ shaped his treatment of the cities of the land in which he was born and raised. William frequently chose to focus on the ancient past of these cities, privileging a reading of the urban landscape that was biblical and classical, to which the crusaders were the natural heirs. Nonetheless, a close reading of the work reveals William’s inability to completely efface the Byzantine and Islamic histories of the cities, disrupting and confusing his orderly account of the urban past. William’s history therefore provides a sense of the complex ways in which the Franks of the Latin East positioned themselves within the long histories of the cities in which they lived.

This thesis explores perceptions of earthquake causality in the accounts of twelfth-century Syria and the ways that medieval views of natural disasters influenced historical writing. Examining the perceived causes, effects, and significance of cataclysmic seismic events provides insight into shared elements of faith perspectives, the role of nature in medieval worldviews, and how chroniclers framed accounts of natural disasters to reflect their religious and political prejudices. Medieval writers believed that natural phenomena were indicative of important world events and imbued with spiritual significance. Chroniclers perceived earthquakes as omens of future disaster or the apocalypse, and associated them with a need for repentance due to their belief that seismic disasters were divine punishment for moral failings. In addition, Christian and Muslim sources utilized these perceptions on divine causality to criticize the failings of political leaders and rival religious communities. These patterns of portrayal possess great significance in the context of the major conflicts and cultural convergences in the twelfth-century Near East. In addition to the theological perspectives and political criticism present in the sources, terrestrial and astrological explanations for earthquakes were prevalent in the twelfth century and often used to complement, not disprove, perceptions of divine causation. Apocalyptic sentiment and crusading spirituality also influenced portrayals of earthquakes, particularly in the Christian sources. These intellectual patterns are evident in earthquake accounts from the period irrespective of religious and cultural differences, but were firmly grounded in the political realities of the Levant during the Crusades. The sources’ methods of portraying seismic disasters, therefore, provide important insight into the worldviews of medieval chroniclers and the broad effects of earthquakes amidst the complex dynamics of twelfth-century Syria.

The principality of Antioch is often seen as a major example of peaceful and fruitful cross-cultural relations between Christians and Muslims in the crusader states. This article asks if and how Antioch’s multicultural character is also reflected in Western medieval historiography. Two examples are in the focus of consideration: the story of the betrayal of a certain man named Fîroûz who helped the crusaders capture the city in 1098; and the way(s) Walter the Chancellor depicted and judged the coexistence of Franks, Oriental Christians and Muslims in the principality in his chronicle of the so-called Antiochene Wars. The question is whether the Latin historiography acted to silence and gloss over the positive surplus value of cultural and religious exchange processes in the Middle Ages. Also it will be asked how we can interrelate the evidence from these texts with other research results to arrive at a persuasive image of the historical reality in the crusader society of Antioch.

This article investigates the family backgrounds of aristocratic participants in the First Crusade. Through an examination of these it explores the ways in which their decision to join the crusade was influenced by the examples of the previous generation of conquerors, the participants in the invasion of Sicily in 1061, the expedition to England in 1066 and the conflicts on the Iberian peninsula. In this way it opens a discussion about the motives and expectation of the First Crusaders. It argues that dreams of conquest and the desire to match an older generation’s martial and political achievements may have been as important a factor in motivating crusaders as religious ideals.

While the main focus is on enslavement by Franks during the First Crusade, it also briefly addresses the treatment of women and children during the conquests of Estonia and Occitania in the Baltic and Albigensian crusades.

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