Monthly Archives: February 2023

End of the Fatimid Dynasty: Saladdin in Egypt, 1171

Posted on February 18, 2023 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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Seljuk Turks Defeated in Samarkand, 1141

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Ruth

The Battle of Qatwan took place very, very far from the Holy Land, so it didn’t appear to have a direct connection at first. But it was the beginning of the end for the Seljuk Empire, which had been ruling … Continue reading →

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Second Crusade: Prester John’s Letter, 1165

Posted on February 17, 2023 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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Second Crusade: Queen Eleanor

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Ruth

If you singled out just one person to stand for the Second Crusade, it should be not King Louis or King Conrad, but Queen Eleanor. She is one of the pivotal figures in European history. Eleanor was the grand-daughter of … Continue reading →

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Second Crusade: the Kings, 1147-8

Posted on February 17, 2023 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 February 17, 2023 by Ruth

The fall of the County of Edessa to Zengi prompted Pope Eugenius to begin a new call for a Crusade. Although he and Bernard of Clairvaux intended their persuasion to influence kings and counts, many other people heard these arguments … Continue reading →

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Bernard of Clairvaux and the Templars

Posted on February 17, 2023 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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Egypt: Another Ismaili Split, 1132-40

Posted on February 17, 2023 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 Ismailis, when … Continue reading →

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The Komnenos Imperial Family, 1118-46

Posted on February 17, 2023 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, 1127-46; the Fall of Crusader Edessa, 1144.

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Ruth

The Crusaders put new pressure on the fractured Muslim world. The First Crusade clearly only succeeded because Baghdad’s power had been so shattered by infighting and Turkish conquest. In order to repel the invaders, the Turks had to unite and … Continue reading →

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