About the lecture

In this module, we think about the crusaders' motivations for going on crusade, focusing in particular on: (i) the various reasons why someone might choose not to on crusade: the length of the journey, the high casualty rate, the time away from home, the expense, etc.; (ii) the view that crusaders were motivated by money, the support for this view in the sources, and the arguments for and against this view; (iii) the view that crusaders were motivated by religion, the support for this view in the sources, and the arguments for and against this view; (iv) the view that the crusaders were motivated by considerations of chivalry (i.e. 'being a hero'), the support for this view on the sources, and the arguments for and against this view; (v) the extent to which people might have been persuaded by a range of motivations; and (vi) the question of who got to decide whether they went on crusade or not.

About the lecturer

Dr Nicholas Morton is a specialist in the history of crusading and the Medieval Mediterranean between the tenth and thirteenth centuries. More recently he has begun to focus specifically upon the theme of inter-faith relations between Christianity and Islam in this region. He has published extensively on topics connected to this subject area, writing a range of monographs and scholarly articles. He is also an editor for the Ashgate series Rulers of the Latin East.

Currently Dr Morton is completing a monograph exploring the First Crusaders' attitudes and behaviour towards the various non-Christian peoples they encountered during their campaign. This will be a highly revisionist work addressing many key scholarly and public orthodoxies surrounding the nature of Christian/Islamic interaction during the crusade.