Category Archives: Crusades

Sultan Saladin ends Shi’ite rule in Cairo, 1171

Posted on July 29, 2017 by Ruth

Saladin and Richard the Lion-Heart are the most famous names of the Crusades, and finally we’re getting to their stories. We met Richard via his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine; now we meet Saladin through Zengi’s successor Nur ad-Din. First, why … Continue reading →

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Prester John’s Letter, 1165

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Ruth

“Prester John” was the unlikely name of a legendary Christian king somewhere far in the East. From century to century, people kept hearing and passing on rumors of his wealth and piety. A medieval Obi-Wan Kenobi, he was thought to be … Continue reading →

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Baldwin II’s daughter Hodierna of Tripoli, 1137

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Ruth

Note: this one should have been posted before the Second Crusade entries. Hodierna, Baldwin’s third daughter, didn’t marry until she was about 25 (in 1137). It’s not clear why she stayed home so long when her sister Alice was married … Continue reading →

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Queen Eleanor of the 2nd Crusade

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Ruth

If you singled out just one person to stand for the Second Crusade, it should be Queen Eleanor. She was the grand-daughter of Duke William of Aquitaine, the troubadour who just barely survived the First Crusade. William had gone home … Continue reading →

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Second Crusade: the kings, 1147-8

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Ruth

The Second Crusade consisted mainly of a huge expeditionary force led by the French King Louis VII and the German King Conrad III. Its story is one of great initial promise and high theater, ending in disappointment and disaster. It … Continue reading →

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Second Crusade: Towns and Merchants, 1147

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Ruth

Although Pope Eugenius and Bernard of Clairvaux intended their persuasion to influence kings and counts, many other people heard these arguments and began making drastic changes in their lives, freeing themselves to go and give personal help. But this time, … Continue reading →

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Fatimid dynasty splits and decays, 1101-1140

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Ruth

The Fatimid dynasty always tried to combine pragmatic secular rule with idealistic religion. The Caliph/Imam was not only the war leader and ruler, he was also the holiest descendant of Ismail. We’ve already seen one major split among Ismaili fanatics, … Continue reading →

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St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the great persuader

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Ruth

Bernard was a younger son in a noble family of Burgundy. His normal lot would have been war training for knighthood, but Bernard was clearly a scholarly, literary child who preferred the Church, so they sent him to school. As … Continue reading →

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The Komnenos Family, 1118-1146

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Ruth

The Byzantine Empire was central to all of these events, but we often overlook their role in the Crusader kingdoms since the Franks were so often opposed to the Greeks. The Crusaders acted alone most of the time, after the … Continue reading →

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The Rise of Zengi, 1127-1146

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Ruth

  The mass migration of Turks from Central Asia into the Middle East brought to an end the early and intermediate periods of Islam, when its main divisions were about theology or ideology. While individual Turks may have been as … Continue reading →

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