About the lecture

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.

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.