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Booklet 2: The impact of the First Crusade - Coggle Diagram
Booklet 2: The impact of the First Crusade
Crusaders returning to the West
Most crusaders left for home after completing their crusader vow; they returned home as heroes, but were often physically and financially worse off
As a result of their absence they had to reclaim their lands and rights on returning, yet some Genoese crusaders secured huge treasures in gold, silver and gemstones from the battle of Ascalon; others brought back relics such as Robert of Flanders who took home the arm of St George and Lord Riev of Lotieac who brought back a fragment of the cross
However, Hugh of Vermandois and Stephen of Blois who had left during the siege of Antioch were sent back to the east to fulfil their crusading vow
Songs about the crusaders' success composed in France formed the basis of epic songs such as Chansons d' Antioche and Chansons de Jerusalem; these heroised the actions of leading crusaders and inspired future crusaders, Bohemond standing out due to his courage in battle and becoming an idol to western knights
As a result of the success of the First Crusade, crusading became widely accepted in the Latin West and created a 'crusading movement'; whilst Urban II had intended the crusade as a 'one off', Frankish settlements in the east would need to be consolidated and defended and popes could manipulate knights as a powerful new weapon
Outremer - Frankish settlements in the East
The Franks remaining in the east had to stabilise their conquest and establish a rule of government, also to extend their territory
Four settlements were established: The Principality of Antioch, The County of Edessa, The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the County of Tripoli
1099: Godfrey de Boullion became 'Defender of the Holy Sepulchre', after refusing to take the title king until his death in 1100
Baldwin of Boulogne ruled as Count of Edessa, until becoming king of Jerusalem on his brother's death
Raymond of Toulouse remained in the East and took more land which eventually became the County of Tripoli
As ruler of Antioch, Bohemond attempted to extend his authority and retain his control over Antioch in face of Alexius' demands for it to be returned to him; he returned to Italy to recruit for a crusade against Byzantium which was ultimately unsuccessful
Tensions between the Franks and Byzantines also arose when Anulf of Chocques became the new patriarch designate of Jerusalem which ignored the rights of the Greek Church in the East; Asbridge argues that this signals 'a clear breakdown with the policy of cooperation with Byzantium.'
Byzantines
The crusader army had helped the Byzantines to recover Nicaea and the coast of Asia Minor but the loss of Antioch to Bohemond was an issue that was to cause increased tension between the Franks, the West and Alexius
Violent anti-Byzantine propaganda circulated in the west and its reputation was severely damaged
Written accounts in Gesta Francorum and an account by Raymond of Aguilers give a very negative picture of emperor Alexius and his failure to assist the crusades
The First Crusade can therefore be seen as a failure to unite east and west Christendom to improve relations between the Latins and Greeks
Frankopan argues that a new Byzantine empire emerged; the economy was in bloom, expenditure on the army was controlled, the tax system was overhauled and prosperity was returned to the empire
Muslim Near East
Whilst the Muslim east reacted with shock and horror to the sack of Antioch and the massacre at Jerusalem, which even by medieval warfare standards was brutal, fundamental divisions in Islam remained and prevented a coordinated response once the bulk of the crusaders had returned to the west
Philips argues that their failure to react was crucial as it gave the Franks the chance to conquer and then consolidate their presence in Outremer
A deep-rooted fracture separated Sunnis of Syria and Iraq and Shi'a Fatimids of Egypt
Rivalry between Turkish rulers of Damascus and Aleppo continued; in Baghdad rulers were preoccupied with their own power struggles
Whilst Asbridge suggests the events of the crusade 'barely registered a tremor', in the Muslim world, isolated Muslim voices did call for a collective response
Al-Abiwardi from Baghdad called the crusade 'a time of disasters' and Ibn-al-Khayqat, a Damascus poet expressed regret at the willingness of Muslims to be pacified by Christian bribes and weakened by internal rivalry
Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami from Damascus delivered public lectures on the merits of Jihad and the urgent need for a collective Islamic reaction to the First Crusade, yet their words went unheeded until Muslim divisions could be united