Crusades

Aspects of non-noble family involvement in the Order of the Temple

by Jochen Schenk

published in The Military Orders Volume 4: On Land and by Sea, ed. J. Upton-Ward (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2008), 155–161

The Cult of the Cross in the Order of the Temple

by Jochen Schenk

published in As Ordens Militares. Freires, Guerreiros, Cavaleiros. Actas do VI Encontro sobre Ordens Militares, Vol. 1, GEsOS / Município de Palmela (Palmela, 2012), 207–219

Some Hagiographical Evidence for Templar Spirituality, Religious Life and Conduct

by Jochen Schenk

published in in Revue Mabillon, 22 (2011), 99–119

Database of 3rd Crusaders (Aug 2010 version)

by Dana Cushing

***DRAFT ONLY*** This spreadsheet correlates my research identifying approximately 1,000 Crusaders including 8... more ***DRAFT ONLY*** This spreadsheet correlates my research identifying approximately 1,000 Crusaders including 8 individuals from Luebeck who may have been among the first Teutonic Knights. This database is limited to the Third Crusade era (1187-1197 AD). Ultimately, I would like this database project to cover all of the Crusades and to have a permanent (university-based) internet home.

A more polished database is currently under construction -- it includes a "wiki" so that any researcher may add or edit information, a standardized ratings scale for source reliability, more in-depth "mouvance" information, and more bibliographical citations. Comments and suggestions for improvement are welcomed!

If you would like to help construct or host this database, please contact me!

Tra Lega Lombarda e pars Ecclesie. L’evoluzione della seconda Lega Lombarda e la leadership dei legati papali negli anni a cavallo della morte di Federico II (1239-1259)

by Gianluca Raccagni

Società e storia, forthcoming

"Tan grans messions". La financiación de la cruzada de Jaime II de Aragón contra Almería en 1309

by Vicent Baydal

Spanish: El intento de conquista de la Almería nazarí por parte de la monarquía aragonesa, emprendido en 1309 de forma... more Spanish: El intento de conquista de la Almería nazarí por parte de la monarquía aragonesa, emprendido en 1309 de forma coordinada con el asedio castellano de Algeciras, había sido abordado únicamente desde la perspectiva factual. Por el contrario, en el presente artículo tratamos de profundizar en los aspectos materiales y financieros de la cruzada encabezada por Jaime II, aprovechando la rica y diversa documentación procedente del Archivo de la Corona de Aragón. Asimismo, la aproximación económica a los hechos ofrece una visión más detallada de la sucesión de acontecimientos y una nueva valoración de los mismos.

English: The attempt of conquering Nasrid Almeria, launched in 1309 by the Aragonese monarchy in coordination with the Castilian siege of Algeciras, had been focused only on factual perspective. Therefore, in this article we try to delve into the material and financial aspects of the crusade led by James II, combining the rich and diverse documents from the Archives of the Crown of Aragon. Likewise, the economic approach provides a more detailed sequence of historical facts and a new evaluation of them.

 ‘Lignum Salutifere Crucis quod in Prelio Detulerunt’: The Use of Sacred Objects in Battle during the Crusades

by Jan Vandeburie

ISHA Seminar ‘History Used as Propaganda’, 23-27 February 2011, Leuven

"Fate, Prediction and the Threat of Total Destruction in Spain: A Fifteenth-Century Nightmare", International Consortium for Research in the Humanities, University of Erlangen-Nüremberg (Occasional Papers), 26 July 2011.

by Ángel Gómez-Moreno

Versión en español:

http://www.ikgf.uni-erlangen.de/content/event-docs/lecture_gomez-moreno_20110726_fatal_prognostications_spanish.pdf

The Crusading State: The Expedition for the Cruzada Indulgence from Trent to Lepanto

by Patrick O'Banion

The Sixteenth Century Journal (forthcoming).

In the mid-sixteenth century, King Philip II of Spain entered into tense negotiations with Rome over the fate of the... more In the mid-sixteenth century, King Philip II of Spain entered into tense negotiations with Rome over the fate of the bula de la cruzada, a crusading indulgence that had been granted to Iberian monarchs since the Middle Ages.  That indulgence had become a means of defraying the cost of war against enemies of the faith.  But endemic abuses and concerns about the growing power of Spanish monarchs in ecclesiastical affairs led popes and Tridentine delegates to pursue an end to the cruzada.  Philip emerged the victor from this contest and in so doing signaled the co-opting of the medieval crusading tradition by the early modern state.  While these developments abetted governmental bureaucratization and centralization in Spain, they also undermined its economic, social, and religious stability, a risk made acceptable by Philip’s own sense of divine mission.

“Only the King Can Do It: Adaptation and Flexibility in Crusade Ideology in Sixteenth Century Spain,”

by Patrick O'Banion

Church History (forthcoming)

Reforming efforts at the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the challenges of Protestantism, the rise of national states,... more Reforming efforts at the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the challenges of Protestantism, the rise of national states, and the reassessment of just war doctrine, had initiated a moment of crisis for crusading by the mid-sixteenth century.  Indeed, historians have described these trends as signaling the end of the movement.  This article explores the theoretical underpinnings deployed by an elite group of Spanish theologian and churchmen in May of 1567 to shore up their monarch’s claim to a lucrative version of the crusade indulgence granted by popes since the fifteenth century.  By rehearsing traditional arguments, eschewing those they saw as obsolete, and deploying new ones, these theorists expose the remarkable adaptability of crusading.  The integrity of papally sanctioned holy war against the enemies of the faith collapsed in later centuries with the rise of international law and recognition of permanent divisions within the respublica Christiana.  Yet, the ability of sixteenth-century Spanish theorists to recast ideology in the face of shifting intellectual, cultural, and social tides indicates the continuing viability of crusading during a period of inchoateness.

British Historiography on the Crusades and the Military Orders: from Barker and Smail

by Peter Edbury

Cardiff Historical Papers

A discussion of British contributions to crusading studies in the second half of the twentieth century. A discussion of British contributions to crusading studies in the second half of the twentieth century.

Looking Back on the Second Crusade: Some late 12th-century English Perspectives

by Peter Edbury

originally published in Michael Gervers (ed.), The Second Crusade and the Cistericans (New York, 1992)

What did English historians writing a generation later know about the Second Crusade?

WARNING!! Virus... more What did English historians writing a generation later know about the Second Crusade?

WARNING!! Virus reported on the de re militari site 21 Jan.

Crusader Sources from the Near East (1099-1204)

by Peter Edbury

published in 'Proceedings of the British Academy', vol. 132 (2007)

A survey of works in western languages, mostly Latin, composed in the Latin East and which have some bearing on... more A survey of works in western languages, mostly Latin, composed in the Latin East and which have some bearing on Byzatine prosopography.

The Campaign and Battle of Pelagonia 1259, Domus Byzantinus 17-18 (2009-2010)

by Juho Wilskman

The subject of the article is what the descriptions about the battle and campaign of Pelagonia 1259 between “The... more The subject of the article is what the descriptions about the battle and campaign of Pelagonia 1259 between “The Empire of Nicaea” and the coalition formed by the “The Despotate of Epiros”, The Principality of Achaia and the Kingdom of Sicily could tell us about the late Byzantine warfare. The poor attachment of the people involved to their leaders’ cause seems to have largely defined the campaign of Pelagonia. The cities of Macedonia had no great interest in making sacrifices in order to support the Epirotes against the Nicaeans or the other way around. The most decisive factor in the outcome was that the coalition, laid on weak foundations, collapsed as a result of quarrel. In Nicean army on the other hand the commanders were most likely chosen because of their loyalty to Michael Palaiologos not because of their military expertise.

Early in the campaign the Nicaeans made swift winter attack and they also conducted their sieges in aggressive way. These seem to have been quite typical methods of war for Nicaeans. The other methods that Nicaeans used encountering the coalition were more traditionally Byzantine. Apparently they tried to have first a diplomatic solution and find allies (Hungary and Mačva). When the coalition gathered its forces the Nicaeans avoided pitched battles and used harassment, different kind of stratagems and other “indirect” methods of war. The Nicaean army relied heavily on horse-archers, some of them probably natives of the eastern frontier region of the realm, and I find it possible that the army was intentionally customized for the harassment strategy. The late Byzantine military system that relied on the large scale use of mercenaries from different nations made this flexibility possible. The negative side of this system was the potentially poor cohesion of the heterogeneous armies and difficulties to control them. The coalition apparently adopted more aggressive, battle seeking strategy. The main reason for this was probably the difficulty to keep large and expensive army in field for a long time.

According to one description the Nicaeans used battle formation that consisted of several successive cavalry batailles with the infantry behind them. The battle order was very similar to many other Byzantine battle orders that we know from 6th century onwards and the one that the Latins normally used (also in the battle of Pelagonia). Choosing this battle formation probably derived from the assumption that the cavalry would have the active role in the battlefield and the infantry passive. The late Byzantine infantry was often recruited during the campaign and was probably not very effective in open field.

In the conflict between the Epeiros and Nicaea the battle of Pelagonia was above all defensive victory. Despotes Michael held the support of his people and kingdom of Sicily. Nicaea-Byzantium could however achieve territorial gains from The Principality of Achaia, because the ruler of the later was captured.

Korstog og kongemakt-ideologi og praksis. En studie av den europeiske korstogsbevegelsens betydning og påvirkning i det norske riket ca. 1160-1263

by Pål Berg Svenungsen

My Master thesis

Studien er en undersøkelse av forholdet mellom kongemakt og ideologi i norsk høymiddelalder, men med utgangspunkt i en... more Studien er en undersøkelse av forholdet mellom kongemakt og ideologi i norsk høymiddelalder, men med utgangspunkt i en bestemt ideologi; korstogsideologien. Studien dekker tidsrommet ca.1160-1263. oppgaven er todelt. Første del fokuserer på konflikten mellom Magnus Erlingsson og Sverre Sigurdsson, mens andre del fokuserer på Håkon Håkonssons styringstid.

Kalmarleidangen av 1123/1124 i en korstogssammenheng

by Pål Berg Svenungsen

Article published in 'Fortid' nr. 3 2009

Korstogene var noe fundamentalt nytt i sin samtid, siden det var en sammensmelting av tanken om pilegrimsferd med... more Korstogene var noe fundamentalt nytt i sin samtid, siden det var en sammensmelting av tanken om pilegrimsferd med tanken om at vold kunne brukes for å tjene Gud. Resultatet var en hellig krig mot kristendommens fiender, autorisert av pavemakten og gitt visse spirituelle privilegier. Senere har synet på korstogene variert kraftig; fra å bli brukt i en svært nasjonalistisk sammenheng til å bli dømt som moralsk forkastelig. Moderne forskning har imidlertid fokusert mer på korstogenes rolle som en felleseuropeisk bevegelse, som fikk meget stor innflytelse på alle lag av samfunnsliv og tenkning, også her i Skandinavia.

Korstogene – middelaldersk ekstremisme eller

by Pål Berg Svenungsen

Article published in 'Fortid' nr.3 2010

Fredag den 15. juli 1099, sprang den flamske ridderen Letold som førstemann over Jerusalems murer og de kristne... more Fredag den 15. juli 1099, sprang den flamske ridderen Letold som førstemann over Jerusalems murer og de kristne korsfarernes erobring av byen var snart et faktum.1 Det første korstogets suksess var imidlertid en bedrift som viste seg å være umulig å gjenta. Det kan derfor være fristende å spørre seg om dette skyldtes at korstogene i realiteten kun var et utslag av religiøs ekstremisme? Flere momenter taler for at korstogene ikke var representative for det religiøse flertallets holdninger: Korstog var aldri noe majoriteten av kristne deltok i, og blant deltakerne finner vi en overrepresentasjon av den europeiske eliten – spesielt fra den stadig mer framtredende ridderklassen. Var dette dermed utslag av en mindre grupperingers radikale synspunkter, et elitefenomen, eller representerte korstogene en kollektiv oppfatning blant middelalderens kristne i Europa?

Communicating Crusade. Livonian Mission and the Cistercian Network in the Thirteenth Century

by Marek Tamm

published in 'Ajalooline Ajakiri', no. 3/4, 2009

Idea y realidad de cruzada en tiempos de Alfonso X El sabio (1252-1284)

by Jose Manuel Rodriguez Garcia

Tesis doctoral
PhD thesis

Kreuzzüge aus muslimischer Sicht. Die Darstellung der "Franken" in Usāma ibn Munqiḏs Kitāb al-Iʿtibār

by Elif Gömleksiz