Reading Guide 11: the First Crusade
A. The Crusades: Fulcher of Chartres
1. What caused Pope Urban II to call the Council of Clermont in 1095?
2. What did the Council of Clermont have to say about warfare within
Europe? Whom did it try to protect?
3. What reasons for the crusade did Urban mention? What reward(s) would
crusaders receive?
4. The crusades are sometimes said to mark the beginning of chivalry,
or Christian knighthood. How might Urban's exhortation be interpreted as
imposing Christian values on knights?
5. Note the digression about Urban's troubles with Guibert, the anti-pope.
Guibert was the archbishop of Ravenna whom King Henry IV had elected as
"pope" in 1080, at the synod of Brixen. He continued to operate as
pope, garnering support from certain areas of Germany, until his death
in 1100. His "papal" name was Clement III, although of course he was never
acknowledged as legitimate by the Catholic Church. Pope Urban II reigned
from 1088 to 1099.
6. What does Fulcher call the "crusade"? (not a crusade, that's for
sure). Why is this interesting?
7. Who took up the call to crusade? Was it only knights? What
about common people?
8. What happened at the siege of Antioch? How did the crusaders react
to adversity? Whom did they blame?
9. How did the Christians finally capture the city? How does Fulcher
explain this? What did they do to the Turks?
10. The story of the Holy Lance is a famous one. What Fulcher doesn't
tell you is that almost immediately after capturing Antioch (after an 8
month siege), a new Turkish army appeared and began to besiege the Christians
within the city. As the first siege had exhausted almost all the provisions
of the city and countryside, things looked grim for the crusaders. It was
at this low point that the Lance was miraculously found (in a dream).
Emboldened by this sign from God, the famished crusaders marched out of
Antioch and defeated the Turkish army. At that point, certain of
the leading churchmen began to question whether the lance was really the
lance that had pierced Christ, or was in fact a hoax designed to boost
morale. What does Fulcher think? What does his explanation
tell us about medieval people's credulity, or lack thereof?
11. How did the crusaders go about capturing Jerusalem?
12. How did the crusaders treat the Muslims in Jerusalem? Why did they
act in this way?
B. The Crusades: Solomon Bar Simson
Notice that the Jews also consider Jerusalem a holy city. The "Ishmaelites"
are the Muslims.
1. How did the crusaders treat the Jews they encountered along the
route to Jerusalem? Why?
2. What did the Crusaders demand of the Jews of Speyer?
3. To whom did the Jews turn for refuge and defense? What happened
at Worms?
4. What happened in Mainz? What role did the local bishop play?
5. What action did Rabbi Kalonymos take? Was it effective?
6. What was the Christians' justification for their actions?
7. How did the (Christian) burghers of Mainz react when the crusaders
came by?
C. The Crusades: Ibn Al-Athir
1. Western historians begin the Crusades in 1095, with the Council
of Clermont. When and where does a Muslim historian begin the crusading
movement?
2. What did Roger, king of Sicily, think about crusading? What
were his motives and goals?
3. What is the attitude of Yaghi Siyan, ruler of Antioch, towards other
religions (ie., towards Christianity)? How does this differ from the western
Christians (ie., the crusaders)?
4. Compare and contrast Ibn Al-Athir's account of the siege of Antioch
with the description given by Fulcher. How do they differ? How are
they similar? How can you account for the differences?
5. How united were the Muslims of the Middle East? How many different
factions were they? Did this play a role in the crusaders' success?
6. How did the Crusaders deal with Muslims in captured cities? Why
did they act this way?
D. Anna Comnena - use her to gain the Byzantine perspective.
Note she discusses Peter the Hermit.