The Aftermath of the First Crusade

Crusades – The Founding of the Crusader States, 1099-1124

In this course, Dr Nicholas Morton (Nottingham Trent University) explores the foundation of the Crusader states in the decades following the First Crusade. In the first module, we think about some of the impacts of the First Crusade – the theological impact of a wholly unexpected victory against a heathen enemy, the commercial impact of newly-opened markets in the New East, and so on. After that, we think about why it was that the Crusader states were not able to survive in the decade following the First Crusade, but actually to grow and prosper, despite being surrounded by hostile forces. In the third module, we turn to the Crusader states' attempts to push inland, focusing in particular on the Battle of the Field of Blood, before moving on in the fourth module to think about the reaction to the Crusader states from the points of view of the Franks' enemies: the Turks in Aleppo and Damascus, and the Fatimids in Egypt.

The Aftermath of the First Crusade

In this module, we think about the impact of the First Crusade, focusing in particular on: (i) the confirmation – assumed from the unexpected success of the First Crusade – of God's support for Holy War; (ii) the elevation of particular individuals and their families to hero-status, e.g. Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemond of Taranto, Raymond of Saint-Gilles, etc. and the creation of family traditions of crusading; (iii) the deepening of trade links between the major maritime powers of Europe – the cities of Pisa, Genoa and Venice – and the cities of the Near East; (iv) the creation of new church infrastructure – bishoprics and archbishoprics – in the newly-conquered territories; (v) the increased contact between the Franks and the Muslim communities of the Near East, especially the Arabs and the Turks; (vi) the increased contact between Franks and the Christian communities of the Near East, including the Armenians, Jacobites and Copts; and (vii) the proliferation of songs celebrating the crusades (known as chansons de geste), which embedded the achievements of the crusaders in western European culture.