Crusader debris found on Mount Zion

Debris from crusader attack on Queen of Jerusalem found on Mount Zion - Archaeology - Haaretz - Israel News | Haaretz.com

Excavations carried out on Mt. Zion have found a destruction layer dating to the 12th century C.E., when Baldwin III stormed the crusader citadel in order to wrest power over Jerusalem from his mother, Queen Melisende.

The intriguing layer of black ashy deposits, dated to around 1153 C.E., was discovered on the west side of the excavation site on Mt. Zion by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte this summer, led by Shimon Gibson, James Tabor and Rafi Lewis.

That said, a coin found in this layer was identified by coins expert Robert Kool of the Israel Antiquities Authority as belonging to the “rough series” of coins issued by Baldwin III, possibly starting in 1152 or 1153. The coin attributed to Baldwin III raises an interesting historical episode. It was in 1152 that Baldwin III (who reigned from 1143-1163) came to Jerusalem, to wrest power from his mother, Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1153 through no design of her own. Melisende at the time was residing in the palace next to the citadel on the west side of the city.

Read More At Haaretz dot com

Women of the Crusade of 1101

Reprinted with the kind permission of author extraordinare Nan Hawthorne:

Women of the Crusade of 1101 - Backdrop to Beloved Pilgrim

Researching the Crusade of 1101 for my novel, Beloved Pilgrim, I asked the wuestion, "Were women involved at all in the crusade?" My protagonist, after all, was a woman who disguised herself as a man in order to fight as a knight. I put together a short essay on the topic for Christopher Gortner's Historical Boys blog called "Women Fighters in the Crusades".

The vast majority of women who went on crusade were peasant women and women from religious orders. Some of them fought, though not as part of the formal military. Nevertheless three noblewomen stand out for their connections to this devastating event in history.

Ida of Formbach-Ratelnberg, Margravine of Austria

Little is known about the Austrian Margravine Ida, born Ida of Formbach-Ratelnberg. She was born in 1055 the daughter of Rapoto IV of Cham, also known as Itha, and married to Leopold II, Margrave of Austria. Their son, Leopold III, was a deeply religious man who gave a great deal to the Church and was later canonized a saint. Ida was reputed to be the most beautiful woman in Europe in her youth. She was in her mid-forties when she decided to travel with Duke Welf of Bavaria’s contingent in the Crusade of 1101. In the Turkish ambush of this party at Heraclea in September 1101 Ida was either killed or captured. Nothing is known of her fate other than a rumor that she became part of a harem and was the mother of the great Turkish leader Zengi. This is, however, not possible as Zengi was born before the Margravine even came to Turkey.

 

Anna Komnena, Byzantine Princess and Historian

One of the first female historians in the West, Anna Komnena was born on December 1, 1083, to Byzantine Emperor Alexios I and his wife, Irene Doukaina. She was the author of an account of her father’s life, The Alexiad. She was extraordinarily highly educated in history, mathematics, science and Greek philosophy, and, although against her parents’ strict instructions, also in the lusty folktales and legends of her people. Her books are full of anecdotes about the famous people of her time, full of her personal observations of such men as Bohemond of Taranto, whom she called “a habitual rogue”, and Raymond de St. Gilles, whom she liked. She was married at 14 to Nikephoros Bryennios, a fellow scholar and historian, with whom she had a long – 40 years -- and fruitful marriage.

Anna believed she was the rightful heir to her father’s throne, being the firstborn, crowned at her birth, and having her mother’s strong support for herself and her husband. Legend has it that her younger brother John took the imperial ring when he came to bid his dying father goodbye. The Church declared him Emperor John II. Anna and her husband twice attempted to overthrow John and were possibly part of the attempted murder plot against him at his coronation. They were unsuccessful. After her husband’s death, Anna retired to the convent of Kecharitomene, founded by her mother, where she lived until her own death in about 1153.

Anna’s unique contribution to the history of the Crusades comes not from eyewitness accounts but from her relationship with members of her own family who fought in the First Crusade and her ability to record the Byzantine concerns over the excesses of the crusaders whom they feared would overrun the empire.

Adela of Normandy, Countess of Blois

Adela was the daughter, sister and mother of four kings of England, William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders being her parents. Her brothers, William I Rufus and Henry I were not the only other kings, as her son, Stephen of Blois, seized the crown before Henry’s daughter, Matilda, could be crowned.

Her only role in the Crusade of 1101 is her reputed insistence that her husband, Henry-Stephen of Blois, one of the riches men in Europe, return to the Holy Land after failing to fulfill his oath to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Some have claimed he had shown cowardice at the Siege of Antioch, but this is not certain. He did however abandon the mass of the pilgrims during the Battle of Merzifon in 1101. He subsequently was killed at the Battle of Ramleh in 1102.

During her husband’s long absences and after his death Adela acted as an able regent. She died on March 8, 1137, at the convent where she had retired. Her son Stephen, King of England, was not her most accomplished progeny, as Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, was one of the m most acute statesmen and patron of architecture and more of his time.

Elisabeth von Winterkirche and Maliha may be fictitonal, but you can read their story and see one theory of what happened to Margravine Ida in Beloved Pilgrim, by Nan Hawthorne, now available in print and Kindle on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and as an ebook on Smashwords.

About Nan

Nan Hawthorne is a historical novelist who lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and doted-upon cats. She has been in love with history and historical fiction since, at four, she discovered the Richard Greene “The Adventures of Robin Hood” television series. She wrote her first short story at seven, then launched into the letters and stories with a teen friend that ultimately became her first novel, AN INVOLUNTARY KING: A TALE OF ANGLE SAXON ENGLAND (2008).

The author of one nonfiction work on women and body image, she now concentrates primarily on historical novels set in the Middle Ages. Her latest novel, BELOVED PILGRIM, looks at gender identity and self-realization during the chaotic and doomed Crusade of 1101. She writes several blogs on historical themes, owns the medieval-novels.com catalog and also Internet radio station, Radio Dé Danann.

Dispelling the Myths of Eleanor of Aquitaine

From Medievalists.net:

One of the popular images of the Crusades is the story of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine taking 300 of her ladies-in-waiting with her on the Second Crusade during the years 1147-49. While this particular tale has long-been debunked, a recent article has shown that many other aspects of Eleanor’s role, and the overall effort of women during the Second Crusade has been emphasized too much.

Conor Kostick’s article, “Eleanor of Aquitaine and the women of the Second Crusade,” which appears in the book Medieval Italy, Medieval and Early Modern Women: Essays in Honour of Christine Meek, shows that female participation was likely much smaller during the Second Crusade than it was for the First Crusade at the end of the eleventh century. Kostick believes that the crusade preaching that took place in the lead up to the march to the Holy Land was more aimed at getting people with a military background to commit to the crusade, and avoided encouraging non-combatants, including women, into participating.

Kostick comments that even several academic writings have mistakenly placed various noble women as taking part in the Second Crusade, when it is clear that they had come to the Holy Land during other events, some of which occurred decades earlier. The author writes that there is “quite strong evidence that the whole idea of a contingent of noblewomen has arisen through a mistaken assembly of certain associations between some of these women and crusading.”

Kostick also writes about a particular episode during the Second Crusade, when Eleanor tried to convince her husband, King Louis VII, to campaign in support of her uncle, Raymond, prince of Antioch. When the French king decided against this idea, Raymond, in the words of the chronicler William of Tyre, “planned, either violently or with secret machinations, to seize from the king his wife (Eleanor) who consented in this same plan as she was a foolish woman.” Another account suggests that Eleanor was planning to divorce Louis during this episode, but the plot was foiled when Eleanor was forcibly removed (effectively kidnapped) from Antioch by Louis’ advisors.

After this episode, the chronicle accounts do not mention any more activities by Eleanor for the rest of the crusade.

Interview with Conor Kostick

History Books In Review

Time Travelers Guide to Medieval England - by Ian Mortimer
Review:"The Time Travelers Guide to Medieval England is a surprisingly engrossing read, even if you don’t particularly care about history. For anyone who enjoys history, they’ll be engrossed by the facts that dispel the history taught about that time frame, for instance, the aristocracy had indoor plumbing. An easy read, you can pick it up and read any chapter."

A World By Itself: A History of the British Isles - editor Jonathon Clark
Review: "Perhaps the most surprising thing about Clark’s book, which consists of six chronological sections written by eminent specialists, is that it is supposedly aimed at a general audience. In fact, it is almost impossible to imagine a lay reader finishing this book, because it could hardly have been written in a more off-putting style."

The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land - by Thomas Asbridge
Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades - by Jonathon Phillips
Review: "Both of these books take us back to the period in western history when belief in the afterlife was paramount. The Church's message was terrifyingly simple: there was no avoiding the consequences of sin. Urban II, an ambitious and ruthless Frenchman, launched the movement with a brilliant new formula: wipe the slate clean by going on the crusade. All the vicious and violent misdeeds that were occupational hazards for medieval warriors and their entourages would be cancelled. For the knightly classes the "neatest aspect of all is that they could continue fighting – only now their energies would be directed towards the enemies of God, rather than their fellow Christians"."

St Bernard of Clairvaux

Ok - this has been nagging away inside my head for some time.

Why did Bernard of Clairvaux NOT go on Crusade.

Yes, he was busy whipping up support and shaming all and sundry into taking the Cross; he was closely associated with those who founded the Templars. And yet, to my limited knowledge, this man never stepped foot in the Holy Land - either as a pilgrim or crusader. Why?

Other notable Churchmen took up the pilgrim's staff - Adhemar of Puy is the most notable - and the entourages of the nobles of the First Crusade were chock full of ecclesiastics.

For a man who threw himself whole-heartedly behind the Crusading ideal - he is rather conspicuous in his absence.

He was 63 when he died in 1153 - however his age offered no hinderance to his constant travels throughout (modern-day) Europe drumming up support for the Crusades.

My question is: for one so fervant in his support - why did he not actively take the Cross??

Helping Women Worldwide

The New York Times has an article listing a number of organisations dedicated to helping women in developing countries.

Here are some of the groups that specialize in supporting women in developing countries. In addition, there are many outstanding aid groups, like International Rescue Committee, Unicef, Save the Children and Mercy Corps, that are not listed below because women and girls are not their only focus. This is not a rating, screening or exhaustive list; it is a quirky compendium of groups both small and large that we've seen in action. Consider it a starting point for further research.

Two useful Web sites to consult for more information about aid groups are charitynavigator.org and givewell.net.

Take a look through the worthy list then check out these inspirational stories in "The Women's Crusade".

A Little Light Reading

A couple more books to add to the ever growing TBR pile:

• The Hidden History of Women’s Ordination: Female Clergy in the Medieval West by Gary Macy
• "Das KZ Bordell" (The Concentration Camp Brothel) by Robert Sommer (review @ Deutsche Welle)
• The Crimson Rooms by Katherine McMahon
• The Road to Jerusalem by Jan Guillow
  

Reading "God's War"

At the moment I am reading "God's War" by Christopher Tyerman. Its heavy going as the book is basically (an understatement really) a history of the Crusades - all of them! Not just those to Jerusalem, but literally all of them.

I have finished with the First through to Fourth Crusades, and have begun on the Albingensian Crusade.

Word of caution - if you know nothing of the Crusades - don't read this first! I pride myself in knowing something of this subject, but even I am finding the book (over 1000 pages) to be a rather weighty tome. But continue on I shall and will render my verdict sometime in the not too distant future.

Review - Duchess of Aquitaine - Part II

This review of Margaret Ball's "Duchess of Aquitaine - A Novel of Eleanor" continues on from my previous post - "Review - Duchess of Aquitaine".


Okay - I finally finished the book - emphasis on the finally!

My thoughts - well, I am reminded of a novel on Eleanor's early years that I read over 20 years ago - the title and author escape me, but the image on the cover of the novel is still vivid - Eleanor, seated on a throne with the image of Abbot Suger standing ominously behind her.

Margaret Ball's novel deals specifically with Eleanor's life from the death of her father (1137) up until her impending marriage to Henry II (1152).

I am sorry, but for all of Margaret's bragging, I found the book rather stale. The blurb on the back " .... gloriously illuminates the life of one of the most powerful, resourceful, and fascinating women in all history .." is a bit of an over-statement. This could possibly be due to the fact that I am on extremely familiar terms with Eleanor myself, so I knew what was coming. Except for one little item - Sybilla of Anjou!

Yes, Margaret, you too failed in your "careful and sounder research". You made the mistake of many authors and biographers who preceeded you. Sybilla did not participate in the Second Crusade - her husband Thierry did, but not Sybilla. A little more careful research would have revealed that she was in fact in Flanders putting down a rebellion - which is documented. Or is this "artistic liberty" ??

As the novel ends in 1152, I will be presuming that a sequel will no doubt be forthcoming. A little more diligence Margaret a second time around.

And yes, dear readers, I do realise this is a novel - a fictional account of Eleanor's earlier years - but Margaret herself, put out the challenge - but I will leave it for you to do your own digging!

Review - Duchess of Aquitaine

Many people have commented on Margaret Ball's retelling of the early life of Eleanor of Aquitaine - many a time I had passed over this book, until now.

Picking it up at my local library and flipping through the back section, I came across "A Conversation with Margaret Ball". Here the author was asked a number of questions - yet the one that struck me most was as follows:

Question: How did you conduct your research for "Duchess of Aquitaine" ?

Answer: "I don't want to sound conceited, but .... I believe I did more careful, and sounder, research on Eleanor that many of her biographers have done. Without naming names or pointing fingers, let me just say that I've found evidence that several generations of "serious" historians who have copied one another's footnotes without ever checking the originals."


Interesting approach from someone who is writing a fictional account of a well know 12th Century woman. The answer many have had more of a sting to it had Margaret been writing a factual account of Eleanor.

She concludes with a section titled "On Historical Fiction and Artistic License" ... and the following sticks out for me:

" ... The fact is that you can't adhere to historical fact when writing a novel set in the 12th century. There's simply too much we don't know; too many places where you have to make your best guess and settle for that."


That's the gem of historical fiction - you can ad lib a little without offending anyone. I have come across a number of novels in which events have been so blurred that many a different scenario was plausible - which is ideal for the historical fiction author. And that just makes the novel all the more interesting - you want to go and find out for yourself. In fact, Margaret herself puts forward a rather interesting theory of her own, and I've read some rather interesting ones myself concerning Eleanor. For those unable to distinguish between fact and fiction, well ..... I really don't know what to tell you.


Anyway, I am still in the process of reading this book and will post a final review once I am done.

Maria of Antioch

(dc.1182)

Empress of Byzantium

Maria was the daughter of Constance of Antioch (d.1162) and Raymond of Poitiers (d.1149), sister of Bohemond II, Prince of Antioch and Baldwin, and was cousin of King Baldwin III of Jerusalem (d.1162). Maria was famed for her beauty, rivalled only by Melisende of Tripoli. A marriage alliance was sought between Antioch and Constantinolpe, and Maria was married to Emperor Manuel (Dec.1160).

Unfortunately for her, Maria was not popular and was disliked by people of Constantinople as a Latin (they being Greek). After the death of Manuel (1180), Maria was regent for her son Alexius II (1180 - 1182). It was during this time that Maria took a lover, her advisor Alexius Comnenus.

But Maria's regency was opposed by her stepdaughter Maria Comnena (daughter of Manuel by a former wife) and her husband Ranier of Montferrat (brother of Conrad, who married Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem). Maria begged for aid from her brother-in-law Bela III of Hungary - but this was not forthcoming.

Andronicus Comnenus was sent for by popular acclaim and was crowned co-Emperor. He eventually assumed total control of Constaninople. Maria was condemned to be strangled, her son forced to sign the warrant by new Emperor Andronicus. Her son was murdered two months later (1182).

~~~ Melisende (first pub: 1998 Women of History)

Sybilla of Anjou

Countess of Flanders

Sybilla was the daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou by first wife Arenberga of Maine. She was the sister of Geoffrey of Anjou, who married Empress Maud, daughter of King Henry I of England. She was initially betrothed (1113) to William the Aetheling, heir to King Henry I - they were not married as he was drowned off the coast of Normandy (1120). Her father Fulk undertook his first visit to the Holy Land (1120) - on his return, he abdicated and handed over control of the County of Anjou to Geoffrey (who had married Maud by now).

Sybilla married Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders - whom she bore a son Philip. Meanwhile, in the East, her father had married a second time, to Melisende, daughter of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem (1129) and was soon crowned King of Jerusalem (1131). Her husband Thierry visited her father Fulk in Jerusalem (1139), and took part in the Second Crusade (1147/1148) - as part of the entourage of King Louis VII of France. There is no evidence to suggest that Sybilla also accompanied her husband on this journey East.

Sybilla was the stepdaughter of Queen Melisende of Jerusalem (who was the second wife of her father Fulk). Her husband Thierry covetted the fief of Damascus but this lead to quarreling among the crusaders and effectively put an end to the crusade. Thierry returned to Flanders. Her husband made a third trip to Palestine (1157) - gained some lands near Antioch. Sybilla accompanied her husband back to Palestine - she refused to return to Europe with husband (1158). Instead, she stayed on as a nun in abbey of Bethany at Jerusalem.

On Melisende's death (1161), Sybilla succeeded to her influence in royal family and the Church till own death. Her husband Thierry made his fourth pilgrimage to Jerusalem (1154/1165) - he even appealed for a new crusade (1169). By the time her son Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders reluctantly came East (1177) as a crusader, both she and her husband were dead.

~~~ Melisende (first pub: 1998 Women of History)

Alice of Jerusalem

Princess of Antioch

Alice was the second daughter of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem (d.1131) and Queen Morphia (dp.1129), thus half Armenian through mother. She was the sister of Melisende, Hodierna and Joveta. She married Bohemond of Antioch (1126). After the death of her husband (1130), she assumed the regency of Antioch for her 2yo daughter Constance.

Alice was very ambitious, and wished to rule as reigning sovereign not regent. To achieve this end, she would do homage to Aleppo if it guaranteed possession of Antioch.

Her father King Baldwin II, however, removed her from the regency and banished her to Lattakieh, assuming the regency himself. Guardianship of her daughter was given to Joscelin of Edessa. Alice ultimately submitted to her father in rather bad grace shortly before his death (1131). Above all, she opposed the overlordship of King Fulk (her sister Melisende's husband) - and in this she had support of Pons of Tripoli, Joscelin II of Edessa, and William and Garenton of Zerdana. King Fulk headed north whilst she remained at Lattakieh - her dower lands. She then sent an embassy to Constantinople, offering her daughter Constance in marriage to the son of Emperor (1135).

The following year Alice returned to Antioch (1136). However, greater matters were afoot. It seemed that there were many noble lords who preferred not to have Alice as regent and were eager for her daughter Constance to be married and for her husband to assume power in Antioch. To achieve this end, secret plans were made for her daughter's marriage - plans Alice herself was ignorant of. The chosen groom was Raymond of Poitiers, uncle of Eleanor of Aquitaine. In order for the secret plan to be successful, Raymond paid court to Alice feigning interest in marriaging her (c.1136) - she was barely 30. Then, suddenly and secretly Raymond married the very young Constance and assumed power in Antioch.

There was nothing Alice could do, and she was forced to return to Lattakieh, where she died a short time after.

~~~ Melisende (first pub: 1998 Women of History)