On Peregrinus, Part II: Getting to know the crusaders

The Call for Crusade

Villains and history

At first glance we not only see a man using “Vikings” to remove the Pope currently in Rome and replace him, but Urban also claimed to have the crown of Christ and his authority to pardon sin. Clergy proselytized murderers, that they might redeem themselves by killing the enemies of God.  Or so it seems when one views the events and facts of the Call for the Crusades without context. Timeline study is no way to understand history, for instance:  It is widely believed that FDR wanted to participate in World War II.  The economic stimulus of wartime industry provided a means to bring America wholly out of the Great Depression.  It is a matter of fact that, in 1941 the Japanese told the office of President FDR they were going to attack.  Naval intelligence intercepted communications confirming that a Japanese fleet had indeed mobilized and was somewhere in the Pacific.  The newest ships, and fleet of Air craft carriers were sent out of Pearl Harbor not long before the attack took place, and the vessels left there were ignorant of the impending attack. Without context these facts thus presented, make a convincing case that FDR allowed the Japanese to kill thousands of Americans for no other reason than to further his agenda. The truth however, was that poor communication in military command and government had caused the intelligence to fall through the cracks.

Perception is as influential in reading history as it is in our everyday life.  It is easy to find examples of “Christians” that waged cruel war for seemingly petty reasons or simply for greed.  Constantine, Charles Martel, and Charlemagne are but a few.  These men killed without mercy in the many wars they waged.  It is appalling to modern civilized society to think of such things, but how many of us have fought?  Most men and many women attended public schools and had to find their place in the social hierarchy.  Some gained popularity and respect through great achievements while others, lacking talent and good will, gain respect through intimidation.  In my own experience in public schools, I found that fights were regular and the result always the same; One got their way and one was beaten into submission.  What would have been the outcome had arms been available? Furthermore what would the result of such a contest be if every strong armed schoolyard bully had an army at his/her disposal?  With that in mind are we really so different, so much more civilized and refined than those that came before us?  There is an old saying: An argument between neighbors is war between princes.  It’s likewise pointless to debate the piety of Constantine, Charles Martel, and Charlemagne because only God knows their heart. The only thing that we can say for certain is that they acted similarly to all others of their era. What separates them from their peers is not their kind hearts, and civilized manner but the results of their achievements.  They saved Christendom from certain destruction and they died flawed, forgiven men believing in Jesus Christ.   

Deus Vult ( God Wills It! or as the gentlemen say: "I'll see your Jihad and raise you a crusade")

In the late 11^th century, Roman Emperor Alexius I wrote to various western authorities, including Pope Urban. Alexius begged the Pope to send knights which might be used as mercenaries, to defend against the Muslim conquest of his lands.  The call for additional forces went largely, though not completely, unanswered because the western powers were either defending against Norman invasion or were busy increasing their own power.  Pope Urban recognized a golden opportunity and seized it.  He wanted to solidify his position as the legitimate Pope, be restored to Rome, and stop the senseless violence that had been ravaging the Frankish kingdoms since the death of Charlemagne.  He went on what politicians today call, the campaign trail. 

“He (Pope Urban) saw, moreover, the faith of Christendom greatly degraded by all, by the clergy as well as by the laity, and peace totally disregarded; for the princes of the land were incessantly engaged in armed strife, now these, now those quarrelling among themselves. He saw the goods of the land stolen from the owners; and many,

who were unjustly taken captive and most barbarously cast into foul prisons, he saw ransomed for excessive sums, or tormented there by the three evils, starvation, thirst, and cold, or allowed to perish by unseen death. He also saw holy places violated, monasteries and villas destroyed by fire, and not a little human suffering, both the divine and the human being held in derision. When he heard, too, that interior parts of Romania were held oppressed by the Turks, and that Christians were subjected to destructive and savage attacks, he was moved by compassionate pity; and, prompted by the love of God, he crossed the Alps and came into Gaul.”-Fulcher

He toured France, Italy, and the parts of Germany where he could safely do so, condemning the sins of men and the German “Anti-Pope.”  He preached many sermons but the sermon that became legendary, was that given at Clermont. Here it is, at length, as recorded by Fulcher of Chartres:

"Dearest brethren," he said, 'I, Urban, invested by the permission of God with the papal tiara, and spiritual ruler over the whole world, have come here in this great crisis to you, servants of God, as a messenger of divine admonition. I wish those whom I have believed good and faithful dispensers of the ministry of God to be found free from shameful dissimulation. For if there be in you any disposition or crookedness contrary to God's law, because you have lost the moderation of reason and justice, I shall earnestly endeavor to correct it at once, with divine assistance. For the Lord has made you stewards over His family, that you provide it with pleasant-tasting meat in season. You will be blessed, indeed, if the Lord shall find you faithful in stewardship. You are also called shepherds; see that you do not the work of hirelings. Be true shepherds and have your crooks always in your hands. Sleep not, but defend everywhere the flock committed to your care. For if through your carelessness or neglect the wolf carries off a sheep, doubtless you will not only lose the reward prepared for you by our Lord, but, after having first been tortured by the strokes of the lictor, you will also be savagely hurled into the abode of the damned.

In the words of the gospel, Ye are the salt of the earth'? But, it is asked, If ye fail, wherewith shall it be salted?' Oh, what a salting! Indeed, you must strive by the salt of your wisdom to correct this foolish people, over-eager for. the pleasures of the world, lest the Lord find them insipid and rank, corrupted by crimes at the time when He wishes to speak to them. For if because of your slothful performance of duty He shall discover any worms in them, that is to say any sins. He will in contempt order them to be cast forthwith into the abyss of uncleanness; and because you will be unable to make good to Him such a loss. He will surely banish you, condemned by His judgment, from the presence of His love. But one that salteth ought to be prudent, foresighted, learned, peaceful, watchful, respectable, pious, just, fair-minded, pure. For how can the unlearned make others learned, the immodest make others modest, the unclean make others clean? How can he make peace who hates it? If anyone has soiled hands, how can he cleanse the spots from one contaminated?

For it is written, If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the pit. Accordingly, first correct yourselves, so that without reproach you can then correct those under your care. If, indeed, you wish to be the friends of God, do generously what you see is pleasing to Him. "See to it that the affairs of Holy Church, especially, are maintained in their rights, and that simoniacal heresy in no way takes root among you. Take care lest purchasers and venders alike, struck by the lash of the Lord, be disgracefully driven through narrow ways into utter confusion. Keep the Church in all its orders entirely free from the secular power; have given to God faithfully one-tenth of the fruits of the earth, neither selling them, nor withholding them. Whoever lays violent hands on a bishop, let him be priests, or nuns, and their servants, or pilgrims, or traders, and shall have despoiled them, let him be accursed. Let thieves and burners of houses and their accomplices be excommunicated from the church and accursed. Therefore, we must consider especially, as Gregory says, how great will be his punishment who steals from another, if he incurs the damnation of hell who does not distribute alms from his own possessions. For so it happened to the rich man in the Gospel, who was punished not for stealing anything from another, but because, having received wealth, he used it badly. "By these evils, therefore, as I have said, dearest brethren, you have seen the world disordered for a long time, and to such a degree that in some places in your provinces, as has been reported to us (perhaps due to your weakness in administering justice), one scarcely dares to travel for fear of being kidnapped by thieves at night or highwayman by day, by force or by craft, at home or out of doors. Wherefore, it is well to enforce anew the Truce, commonly so-called, which was long ago established by our holy fathers, and which I most earnestly entreat each one of you to have observed in his diocese. But if any one, led on by pride or ambition, infringes this injunction voluntarily, let him be anathema in virtue of the authority of God and by the sanction of the decrees of this council."

There were many sermons preached at Clermont.  Pope Urban preached there for several days, it would’ve been called revival had it taken place in modern evangelical America. In his account Fulcher highlights something that is all too often omitted from the history books, the role of the Church.  There were nobles present at Clermont but the target audience was clergy, not kings.  Why would he speak as though the clergy were accountable for the sin and lawlessness of kingdoms rather than those who bore the crown?  As you might recall from previous posts, the Western Roman Empire did not fall suddenly, but due to poor policy, political weakness, corruption and more than a few socio-economic catalysts, it declined to the point of collapse.  People lost faith in the government, the politicians and influential citizens in Rome either went to Byzantium (The Eastern Roman Empire) or chose to serve one of the Roman Dux, later known as Dukes. 

The end of centralized government meant the end of safe travel.  The decline in travel and trade resulted in a decline in the exchange of ideas and technology.  Civilization in Europe became siloed, limited according to the resources and fancies of individual kingdoms. The Papal crown, as it were, was needed because Western Europe had nothing holding it together.  The Church was the last thread of the old Roman stability and civilization. It was charged with restoring God’s peace by acting as the conscience of kings and moral compass of his people.  If the Kings and the people were cruel, it was because the clergy was ineffective.  The only thing preventing a true dark age, was the light of the Church. 

Knights and Warriors: getting to know the Peregrinus

Unlike the Eastern Roman Empire, 11^th century Western Europe offered limited career opportunities.  Wealth and power was almost completely limited to the nobility.  Farming, skilled trades, and mercantile/shipping were the most common means of employ but all depended on a well-armed patron for security.  Trades were taught through apprenticeships and difficult to come by.  E.g. the son of a farmer was most likely to become a farmer.  If he wished to seek his fortunes elsewhere he could either go to sea, raid, or become a mercenary soldier (Which involved raiding and sea/river going).  Mercenaries were often poor knights and men that made their living by attacking and robbing the rivals of their patrons.  Some became successful and earned lands and titles. They in turn hired warriors of their own, who likewise hoped to win fame, fortune and titles for themselves.  A glimpse of medieval society can be seen in this quote attributed to Pope Urban:

"Let these who for a long time have been robbers, now become soldiers of Christ. Let those who once fought against brothers and relatives now fight against barbarians, as they ought. Let those who have been hirelings at low wages now labor for an eternal reward. Let those who have been wearing themselves out to the detriment of body and soul now labor for a double glory. On the one hand will be the sad and poor, on the other the joyous and wealthy; here the enemies of the Lord; there (on crusade) His friends."

Most of us hear the word, knight and think of: 

but there's a difference between the military culture in the age of Chivalry in Chaucer’s time, or that of the Gentlemen Soldier of the Victorian era and the “Knights of the Dark Ages” that embarked on the first crusade.  The Knights of the Round Table, and other such fanciful depictions are not all together absent in the 11^th century or any other time for that matter, but such virtue and honor was hardly the standard.  When Rome “fell” in the west, it was at the hands of Christianized barbarians, not pagans.  The only organized power left standing was the Catholic Church.  The clergy’s role as mentioned before was to influence the warlords of Europe to act with Christian character as best they could. It is for that reason that Pope Urban spent the better part of his sermon at Clermont on the failures of the clergy in their sacred charge.

 Given the nature of petty kingdoms and serfdom, there were no nations.  Loyalties varied from king to noble, & there were no standing armies like those of more recent history.  Armies were expensive to maintain, knights were well trained and fairly disciplined but the bulk of the army of this period were not full time soldiers.  Medieval infantry or “men-at-arms” varied in skill and professionalism, most received little formal training; this is especially true of the crusades which called for every single, able bodied man to take up arms and join the army bound for the Holy Land.

Knights were the politicians of the age, and though they acted more like mafia dons than congressmen, they were the official representative of their people.  it is true that some indulged themselves in acts of cruelty, but as a whole they were held to fairly high standards of character, and accountability by the Church.  The positive affect of the Church on medieval Europe is, I think, most evident during the period of the First Crusade.  Challenges and remonstrance echoed through Europe and were heartily answered.  Imagine, yourself as knight holding court with your peers.  A priest, whose role, station and authority was well known by all is given audience and begins as follows:

“You, girt about with the badge of knighthood, are arrogant with great pride; you rage against your brothers and cut each other in pieces. This is not the (true) soldiery of Christ which rends asunder the sheep-fold of the Redeemer. The Holy Church has reserved a soldiery for herself to help her people, but you debase her wickedly to her hurt. Let us confess the truth, whose heralds we ought to be; truly, you are not holding to the way which leads to life.

You, the oppressors of children, plunderers of widows; you, guilty of homicide, of sacrilege, robbers of another's rights; you who await the pay of thieves for the shedding of Christian blood—as vultures smell fetid corpses, so do you sense battles from afar and rush to them eagerly. Verily, this is the worst way, for it is utterly removed from God! If, forsooth, you wish to be mindful of your souls, either lay down the girdle of such knighthood, or advance boldly, as knights of Christ, and rush as quickly as you can to the defense of the Eastern Church. For she it is from whom the joys of your whole salvation have come forth, who poured into your mouths the milk of divine wisdom, who set before you the holy teachings of the Gospels.”

Entreaties like these were made in courts all across Europe.  Some took up the cross to escape debt, death, or imprisonment.  Some for promise of spoil, or to indulge themselves in pre-pardoned atrocities.  Many more embarked out of a sense of duty and piety alone.  The nature of the true motivation of each nobles’ oath may be discerned easily enough by his actions, many of which were recorded by multiple sources on both sides.

Rules of Engagement:

The Catholic Church had not yet developed the moral code of knighthood that is known today as Chivalry.  (That’s right, Chivalry would not exist without Christianity) It’s easy to assume that there were rules of war after reading the statement above but perhaps rules is too strong a word.  Etiquette is a more accurate description, as rules imply consequences.

Good Battle Etiquette:

  As previously mentioned, the first crusade took place before the age of chivalry. The viking age had ended just a few years prior so ROE varied according to the fancy of the belligerents.  Generally the knights claiming to be Christian had the good motives and were also just rulers (Just does not = nice).  One might reasonably expect the following from an army well lead by a Christian knight:

•  An enemy if found at a disadvantage, even in flight was fair game (Live to fight another day? I think ye not!). 
•  Robbing from your enemy, or indigenous noncombatants was accepted and considered by both parties (yes those being robbed knew their lot) as the fortunes of war (Do not pass woe, do not collect 200 Denarii).  
• Quarter was typically expected by and given to knights and or men of noble birth (Thanes,  Earls, etc.)  Most nobles were worth more alive, and were ransomed back at a fair price.  War could be a profitable game for the nobility, and many poor knights moved their way up the food chain in this manner. A noble that was found cast a shore in Norman or Danish territory for example, fully expected to be relieved of all his valuables, and to be held until his ransom was paid.
•  If besieging a city, the city was first offered terms of surrender (Not always unconditional).  If the governor of the city determined to resist, he (Attacking or defending leader) would usually request that the women and children be allowed to leave unmolested before the attacks commenced, and full quarter was expected to be given to them.    

Poor Battle Etiquette: aka what to expect from an invading Norman army

 Indiscriminate Rape and murder of innocent people was considered bad form by most men-at-arms and nobles.  However all those remaining inside a besieged city expected such actions.  Even if the knight was himself against rape and murder  given the character, circumstances, and discipline of the rank and file, he could do little to prevent it.  The nature of soldiers of the era (and nearly all those thereafter) were well known. When the common people heard an army was going to be in the area (armies rarely arrived before news of their approach) the typical medieval villager would have three options:

1.   Send a representative to parlay with the leader of the army for safety.
2.   Flee into the forest/wilderness or the local castle
3.    Stay hoping the army would leave you and your family unmolested. 

Many villagers opted for option three because they were rarely the targets of aggression, being the local food source, the invaders benefited from their productivity just as their local lord did.  Unfortunately bands of villains, which could be found in any army as they are even today, would stray from the main body and terrorize the countryside simply for the pleasure of mischief.  Fleeing into the forest was typically the best option for two reasons: 

 1. because the castle may be taken and those within were often all put to the sword.  

 2. because even if the leader of the attacking force promised to leave your village alone,          foraging parties from the attacking force or those of your "friends" in the castle, may              come requisition your goods and......  your ladies. 

Warrior culture, especially that of the Danes, Normans & Germans (Gauls or Teutons as they were called) were still influenced by, if not loyal to, the old gods of war. Desperation and greed were all important factors to the atrocities that happened in the crusades, just as they are in modern day warfare and are even common place in our own inner cities.  If you’re reading this and saying to yourself: “What does this dude know about what life was like in  the Middle Ages!?”  I could tell you that, as a fan of history, I’ve studied the period for years. I could tell you that, I’m using direct quotes from crusaders themselves and other eye witness accounts from Greeks and Arabs alike,  but that probably wouldn’t convince you.  The argument here isn’t that the crusaders were all good people, or that atrocities are to be excused because, as they say “That's their culture.”  Neither were they the warped, right-wing, Christian terrorist some would have you believe.  The argument is one of human nature and the culture and conditions of life in the ashes of the old Western Roman Empire. 

Should you require a lesson, I recommend that you put on your finest suit and take an evening stroll through Sunny Side in Houston, Ninth Ward New Orleans, or O Block in Chicago.  If you survive your visit, come back to this blog and please post your commentary.  There are good, noble people and leaders in every culture, but “culture” is a little word with a big meaning and human nature is one of the few things that never changes. Mankind can be brutal, war was and always will be terrible.  It brings out the very best and the very worst in us.  The people of the Middle Ages knew more of human nature than any anthropologist living in the United States today! 

 

The end result of a Viking raid

Ekkehard writes:

“Yet, since each one may be known by his fruits, even as wolves are recognized under sheep's clothing, those same deceivers, especially these who are still alive, may be questioned as to what port they sailed from, according to their vows, and how they crossed the sea without ships, or in what battles and places they worsted so many pagans with their small forces, what fortresses of the enemy they took there, and, finally, at what part of the wall at Jerusalem they had their camp, and so forth. And those who have nothing to answer as to the alms which they have hypocritically taken from the faithful, or as to the many bands which they have misled and murdered for plunder, and, above all, as to their own apostasy, may be compelled to do penance.”

Mobilization

This map is flawed but it does show the routes taken by the main army.  Hugh, Raymond, Godfrey, & Bohemond were not the only knights in command of The Crusade. The only error I suppose is that Nicaea and all the territory below it, should also be colored green.  The armies of Islam were nearly at the gates of the Byzantine Capitol. (The gateway to Western Europe)

        The most famous knights of the western world made preparations for the journey.  They appointed stewards for their lands, recruited men to boost their number, raised funds, often to the point of financial ruin. They chartered ships and or made arrangements for a long overland march with one of the two bodies of forces that made up the official Army. The Crusader Army was made up of  nobility from nearly every, if not every, Christian kingdom in western Europe.  It was divided into two parts, one was to march through the lands of the Teutons, the Hungarians, and finally the Greeks.  The other marched through Rome, left Italy by sea, and marched on to Constantinople.  Some knights, bigger in deed than in purse, made little provisions and hoped to win riches along the way, or perhaps carve out a kingdom for themselves.  A great many others, embarked on the journey without making any preparations whatever.  A cult-like priest named Peter the Hermit recruited thousands of men, women and children of all classes, and characters with the promise that what ever their past sins were, all would be forgiven if they left immediately for the Holy Land, trusting in God alone to provide for their needs. Other war-bands mobilized as well but only one army was destined to reach the end of the journey.