CHAPTER XXII

The Effect of the Crusades

Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, Till earth and sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat; But there is neither East nor West, Border nor Breed nor Birth, When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth. RUDYARD KIPLING: Ballad of East and West.

The sacred fire of enthusiasm for the "Cause of God" still flickered faintly in Europe during the years that immediately preceded the fall of Constantinople. Our own Henry V., during his lifetime, sent out a knight of Burgundy, Gilbert de Lannoy, to see what chances there were of the success of a new Crusade; and Henry's dying words showed that he had not forgotten his design. "Good Lord, Thou knowest that mine intent had been, and yet is, if I may live, to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem."

But with the fall of Constantinople, all further hope of wresting the Holy Land from the infidel came to an end. Never again did a prince of the West set out to recover those "holy fields," and to this day they are ruled by the Sultan of Turkey.

It is said of Columbus that he had in mind the idea of stirring up an Eastern War in the "Cause of God" before there had dawned upon him the vision of that Western {277} enterprise which was to open the gate to a new world. And that religious zeal did not die with the Crusades is to be seen in the constant stream of pilgrims to the Holy Land which, for a hundred years, followed the final defeat of Christendom, and which, suspended though it was during the spiritual apathy of the eighteenth century, has continued down to the present day.

But the Age of Warfare was over when Constantinople fell, and with the dawn of that great awakening of thought and literature which we call the Renaissance, men turned away from bloodshed to the joys of discovery and enterprise in a new world.

A little later, when the Wars of the Reformation broke out, and Europe took up the sword anew, the whole spirit of the Western world had changed. The East had lost its glamour, and the antagonism between religious and political parties had waxed so hot in Christendom that the old feud between Christian and pagan was entirely laid aside.

Yet the Crusades, in spite of their apparent failure, had done a great work. First and foremost they had succeeded in deferring the rule of the Turk in Europe, and by the constant checks they offered to his progress, had prevented him from conquering anything but the merest fringe of the West. The advantage of this, apart from considerations of religion, will be seen at once if we compare the condition of the subjects of the Sultan with that of the more progressive of the Christian races of Europe.

But the benefits conferred upon Europe by the Crusades are by no means only of this negative character. The Saracen of the Middle Ages was a learned and cultured gentleman, skilled in medicine, in music, and in various {278} other sciences, and, generally speaking, as much superior to the rough uneducated Crusader of the Western World as he was to the savage Ottoman Turk.

Foes though they were in name, there was always a certain amount of friendly intercourse between the Crusaders and the Saracens, and the former were bound to be affected in some degree by the civilisation of the latter. Sometimes a dark-faced "leech" would return in the train of a Crusading baron to Europe, and there would teach some of his mysteries of healing to the rough-and-ready doctors of the West.

To the Arabs we owe our "Arabic" system of numbers, used instead of the clumsy Roman figures, and the knowledge of the decimal notation, by which nearly every civilised country except our own reckons its money. From Architecture to Geography, all those branches of knowledge which distinguish the educated from the uneducated mind, may be traced back to the keen and subtle intelligence of the East.

Next perhaps in importance comes the opening up of the East to the West for purposes of Commerce. Many a knightly Crusader thought it no shame to carry on an extensive trade in the silks and spices of Palestine in order to fill his coffers upon his return and that he might be recompensed for the expenses of his undertaking. The constant crossing and recrossing of the Mediterranean soon set on foot a steady stream of commercial enterprise between the seaports of Italy and those of Syria, and the existence of a Latin Empire of Constantinople impelled Venice, the main cause of its establishment, to still closer communication with the East. To her, as "the Southern terminus of a great land trade-route," was carried the produce of England, {279} Norway, Flanders, France and Germany as to a huge market, and she distributed it throughout the Eastern world, receiving in return the wealth of the latter to be carried back to Europe. It was only when the discovery of America opened up an entirely new field of enterprise that this great stream of commerce began to diminish.

Another effect of the Crusades was upon the great world of literature. Such a unique event as a Holy War was bound to inspire the writers of history even in the days when such writers were rarely to be found. William of Tyre was only one amongst several chroniclers of the First Crusade, and the story of the Crusades of later days have been vividly told by Richard of Devizes, Villehardouin and the Sire de Joinville, many of whose telling descriptions have been quoted in the pages of this book.

It was but natural that the gallant adventures of the Crusaders should form the theme of many of the epics and _chansons_ of Chivalry. Charlemagne, Roland and Bevis of Hampton may never have seen the Holy Land, but they became the heroes of Crusading exploits nevertheless; while Richard Lion-Heart and Godfrey of Boulogne, actual leaders in the Holy War, became the central figures of more or less impossible legendary adventures.

Through all this stream of literature ran that quickening, inspiring spirit of hope--perhaps the greatest gift of the Crusades to a world which, in the years between the Empire of Charlemagne and the Renaissance, might easily have fallen into a deadened condition of indifference and disruption.

This is scarcely the place to speak of the great unifying effect upon Europe, nor of the influence of the {280} movement upon the feudal conditions of the time; but we have seen enough to know that the Western World was decidedly the better, spiritually, mentally and physically, for that gigantic failure which we know as the Crusades.

{281}

List of Books Consulted

The following books have been especially useful in the compilation of this little volume. My thanks are also due to Messrs Dent for permission to use some extracts from Sir Frank Marzials' charming translation of Villehardouin's Chronicle and that of the Sire de Joinville in their "Everyman" series.

Archer and Kingsford. _The Crusades; the Story of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem_. Chronicles of the Crusaders by _Richard of Devizes, Geoffrey de Vinsauf and the Sire de Joinville_. F. W. Cornish. _Chivalry_. Sir G. W. Cox. _Crusades_. W. E. Dutton. _History of the Crusades_. J. F. Michaud. _History of the Crusades_. H. Stebbing. _History of Chivalry and the Crusades_. Gibbon's _Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_.

{282}

Index

Aaron, 20 Abraham, 11, 16, 33, 29 Abu Bekr, 18, 24 Abu Talib, 12, 16, 18, 20 Acre, 130, 131, 132, 135, 136, 137, 149, 152, 153, 154, 202, 210, 212, 243, 244, 245, 251, 255, 256, 257, 259 Adam, 20 " and Eve, 11 Adela, wife of Stephen of Blois, 103 Adhemar, Bishop of Puy, 62, 91, 92 Aleaume of Clari, 190 Alexandria, 38, 199 Alexios, Emperor of the Eastern Empire, 54, 58, 64, 65, 70, 73, 74, 77, 78, 79, 103, 173, 174, 178, 180, 181, 182, 186, 187, 188 Allah, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 28, 29, 31, 40, 273 Amalric, King of Jerusalem, 119 Amina, 12 Amrou, 38, 39 Amurath, 270, 271 Andrew, King of Hungary, 201, 202, 207 Anjou, Men of, 138 Antioch, 74, 81, 82, 86, 88, 92, 93, 102, 103, 104, 105, 113, 127, 193, 251 Arabia, 10, 37 Aragon, King of, 253 Arnulf, 97 Artois, Count of, 227, 228, 230, 233 Ascalon, 101, 142, 145, 147, 149 Ascension Day, 241 Attaleia, 113 Austria, Duke of, 201 Ayesha, 27 Auxerre, Count of, 253

Babylon, 94, 146, 178, 225 Bagdad, 43, 54, 103 Baldwin, King of Jerusalem, 51, 68, 69, 81, 85, 86, 102, 103, 105, 108, 117, 119 " of Bethune, 156 " Count of Flanders 162, 192 " Son of John of Brienne, 214 Balian of Ibelin, 123, 124 Balkans, The, 268 Barbarossa, Emperor Frederick 126, 127 Barons' War, The, 252, 255 Barthelemy, Peter, 90, 92, 93 Bavaria, Duke of, 201 Beauvais, Bishop of, 150 Becco, William, 199 Bedouins, 139, 226, 227, 236 Berengaria of Navarre, 128, 130 Bernard of Clairvaux, 107, 108, 109, 110, 117, 161, 218 " of St Valery, 98 " the Wise, 43 Bethlehem, 95, 211 Bevis of Hampton, 279 Bibars, Sultan, 251 Blanche, Queen Regent of France, 219, 244, 245 Blondel, 158 Bohemond of Antioch, 73, 74, 77, 81, 82, 87, 88, 89, 91, 92, 102, 103, 104, 105, 193 Boniface, Marquis of Montferrat, 167, 168, 174, 175, 178, 181, 188, 193 Brindisi, 196, 209, 210 Burgundy, Duke of, 139, 149 Byzantine, Province in the Peloponnesus, 268 Byzantine, Cæsars, 274

Cadesia, Battle of, 36 Cæsarea, 102 Cæsars, Byzantine, 274 Canabus, 188, 189 Cantacugenus, 267, 268 Charlemagne, 40, 43, 279 Charles, Emperor, 43 " V., 51, 270 Children's Crusade, The, 199 Church of the Blessed Virgin, 43 " of the Holy Sepulchre, 44, 46, 47, 98, 102, 120, 211 " of the Nativity, 96 " of St Mary, 50 " of St Peter, 90, 208 Clairvaux, Abbott of, 108, 109 Clement III., Pope, 126 " IV., Pope, 251, 252 Columbus, 276 Conon of Bethune, 180 Conrad of Germany, 109, 110, 111, 112, 114, 117, 130, 131, 135, 149, 150, 151, 156 Constantine, 35, 271, 272, 274 Constantinople, 35, 38, 39, 54, 58, 63, 65, 66, 68, 70, 73, 74, 77, 78, 103, 104, 110, 112, 114, 173, 178, 179, 184, 185, 187, 193, 194, 251, 265, 267, 268, 270, 271, 272, 273, 276, 277 Couci, Lord of, 238 Crusades, The, 10, 255; _First_, 10, 44, 49, 50, 55, 65, 78, 87, 107, 108, 117, 279; _Second_, 108, 109, 113, 114, 117; _Third_, 126, 128, 145, 155, 158, 244; _Fourth_, 159, 161; _Fifth_, 161, 163, 173, 193, 214; _Sixth_, 195, 200, 201; _Seventh_, 213, 217, 219; _Eighth_, 219, 243, 251; _Ninth_, 251, 255 Cypriotes, The, 129 Cyprus, Island of, 128, 152, 201, 245, 247, 259, 264

Damascus, 36, 37, 117, 121, 153 Damietta, 203, 204, 207, 208, 222, 225, 230, 233, 234, 239, 243 Dandolo, 162, 163, 165, 176, 193 David, Sultan, 66, 79, 81, 85, 88, 91 Doge of Venice, 162, 163, 164, 165, 170, 175, 176, 177, 181, 193 Dorylæum, 82 Ducas, John, 266

Edessa, 86, 103, 108 Edward I., 252, 255, 256, 258 Egypt, 13, 30, 35, 38, 43, 47, 119, 121, 194, 203, 204, 207, 217, 222, 225 El Amin, 13 Eldred, 47 Eleanor, 109, 110, 256 El Hakim, 44, 45, 54 Emir of Joppa, 255, 256 Emmaus, 95, 153 England, 47, 53, 94, 101, 102, 155, 157, 204, 244, 256, 278 Euphrates, The, 32, 38 Eustace, 68 Eve, and Adam, 11

Fall of Jerusalem, The, 119 Fatima, 14, 29 Flanders, 117, 162, 168, 192, 279 Flemings, The, 185 Forduce, 57, 58, 61, 102, 104, 108, 110, 117, 135, 162, 195, 196, 202, 204, 220, 245, 253, 279 Foucand, Lord of Merle, 227, 228 Frederick II., 194, 207, 208, 210, 211, 212, 213, 218, 220, 221, 235, 236 French Crusaders, 255 Fulk, 162, 167, 175

Gabriel, 15 Gate of St Romanus, 274 Genoa, 195, 196, 251, 256, 272 Geoffrey of Perche, 167 " de Rancogne, 113 " of Sargines, 233, 234 " de Villehardouin, 163, 164, 165, 166, 169, 170, 173, 182, 186, 189 " de Vinsauf, 124, 137, 140, 141, 142, 146, 150, 152 Gerard, Grand Master of Hospital of St John, 50, 121, 122 Gilbert de Lannoy, 276 Godfrey of Boulogne, 50, 68, 69, 70, 73, 74, 77, 81, 91, 97, 101, 102, 105, 201, 279 Godwin, Earl, 47 Golden Gate, The, 191 " Horn, The, 273 Gotschalk, German priest, 66 Grand Master, of Templars, 228, 257 Gregory IX., Pope, 209, 212, 214, 215, 220 " X., Pope, 257 Guardian of the Redeemer's Poor, 50 Guiscard, Robert, 55 Guy of Lusignan, 119, 120, 121, 123, 129, 130, 131, 135, 138, 150, 152

Hamza, 19 Harmozan, 36 Haroun-al-Raschid, 40, 43 Hegira, The, 26, 33 Helena, 35 Henry II., 126, 127 " III., 244, 252, 255 " V., 276 " VI, The Emperor, 157 " Emperor of Germany, 159 " Count of Champagne, 131, 151, 152 " King of Cyprus, 259, 260 Heraclius, 30, 35, 123 Hildebrand, 55 Hinnon, 95 Holy City, The, 10, 31, 35, 38, 43, 55, 56, 87, 94, 98, 102, 119, 121, 123, 125, 126, 148, 152, 153, 155, 211, 212, 216, 217 " Father, The, 161 " Lance, The, 91, 93 " Sepulchre, The, 35, 46, 47, 50, 51, 101, 138, 180, 216, 244 " War, The, 9, 10, 51, 53, 92, 93, 109, 118, 162, 193, 194, 195, 201, 209, 218, 255, 279 " Week, 191, 210 Hospital of St John, The, 50 Hospitallers, Knights, 50, 51, 52, 105, 117, 137, 138, 140, 141, 204, 210, 211, 229, 238, 251, 256, 260 Honorius, 208, 209 Hugh of Vermandois, 69, 70, 92 " the Merchant, 156 Hungarians, The, 268, 270 Hungary, 47, 63, 66, 67, 69, 170, 175, 201, 271

Iblis, 11 India, 13, 269 Innocent III., Pope, 161, 162, 194, 195, 200, 201, 208 Isaac, Greek Emperor, 127, 129, 173, 174, 180, 182, 183, 184, 187, 188 Isabella, Queen, 151 Ishmael, 11 Israel, 130 Israelites, 38, 61 Italy, 13, 57, 69, 78, 128, 202, 278

Jacob, 37 Jehoshaphat, 147 Jerusalem, 10, 20, 26, 34, 35, 37, 43, 47, 50, 51, 52, 56, 58, 61, 77, 87, 92, 94, 95, 98, 103, 105, 107, 108, 114, 117, 121, 122, 123, 148, 152, 153, 155, 160, 163, 164, 193, 208, 212, 214, 216, 218, 233, 244, 249, 251, 252, 254, 256, 264, 270, 276 Jews, The, 15, 26, 29, 32, 37, 38, 44, 209 Joanna, 148 John of Brienne, 201, 202, 203, 204, 207, 208, 212 " of England, 157, 158, 194 " St, Knights of, 51 Joinville, Sire de, 219, 222, 225, 227, 228, 229, 230, 235, 236, 237, 241, 243, 246, 252, 253, 254, 279 Joppa, 94, 142, 145, 146, 148, 153, 155, 159, 160, 161, 211, 217, 244, 251 Jordan, The, 121, 147, 202 Joseph, 20 Jura Mountains, 168

Kaaba, 11, 17, 19, 29, 30, 31 Kadija, 13, 14, 17, 20 Kerboga, 89, 90, 91 Khalil Sultan, 258, 263 Khosru, 34, 35, 36 Knights Hospitallers, 50, 51, 52, 105, 117, 137, 138, 140, 141, 204, 210, 211, 238, 251, 256, 260 " of St John, 51 " Templars, 51, 105, 117, 120, 137, 138, 148, 204, 210, 211, 212, 227, 228, 238, 251, 256

Laodicea, 104, 105, 112 Latins, The, 216 Lebanon, 81 Leopold, Duke of Austria, 132, 156, 157 Libanus, Mountains of, 94 Lombards, 103, 104, 168 Lombardy, 77, 168, 174 Louis, Count of Blois, 162, 169 " of France, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 117 " IX., King, 213, 219, 221, 222, 229, 233, 238, 239, 241, 242, 243, 246, 249, 253

Malek-Camhel, 211, 213 Mansourah, 228, 237 Manuel of Constantinople, 269 " Greek Emperor, 110, 111, 112 Marseilles, 128, 168, 196, 199 Matthew de Clermont, 263 " of Paris, 215 Maynard, 156 Meander, River of, 112 Mecca, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 270 Medina, 20, 23, 26 _Melech Ric_ (King Richard), 142 Middle Ages, The, 277 Mizpeh, Mount, 95 Mohammed, 12-20, 23, 24, 26-35, 39, 132, 241, 269, 270-273 Moriah, Mount, 51 Moses, 23 Mosque of Omar, 211 Murad, Turkish Chieftain, 268

Navarre, King of, 213, 253, 255 Nazareth, 211, 245, 251, 255 Nicæa, 54, 65, 66, 78, 79, 81, 111, 112 Nicephorus, 40, 43 Nicholas, 195 " IV., Pope, 257 Nile, The, 194, 203, 207, 225 Normandy, 136, 155, 157, 244 Notre Dame, Church of, 167

Odo, Duke of Burgundy, 166 Olives, Mount of, 97, 98 Omar, 36, 37, 38, 39, 211 Orkhan, 266, 268, 271 Orontes, River of, 81, 94 Othman, 39 Otho of Germany, 194, 207, 208 " de Grandison, Sir, 258, 259, 260, 263 Ottoman Empire, The, 266

Palæologus, Michael, 251, 265, 266 " John, 268, 271 Pelagius, Cardinal, 204, 207 Pentelema, Island of, 247 Persia, 12, 34, 35, 36, 269 Peter of Brittany, 240 " the Hermit, 55, 56, 57, 62, 63, 64, 65, 78, 91, 96, 98, 107, 161, 218 " Lord of Bracuel, 190, 191 Philip de Montfort, 234, 235 " of France, 52, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131, 132, 135, 136, 157, 194, 207 " of Germany, 174, 177 " of Nemours, Lord, 241, 242 " the Bold, 255 Placentia, Council of, 58 Poitiers, Count of, 225, 241, 242, 243 Poitou, Men of, 138 Poland, King of, 271 Porcus, 199 Prophet, The (Mohammed), 17, 20, 24 27, 28, 31, 32, 34 Ptolemais, City of, 199

Ramadan, 14 Ramleh, Town of, 94 Raoul, Lord of Conci, 228 Raymond, Count of Toulouse, 62, 74, 77, 78, 80, 81, 90, 92, 93, 96, 101, 102, 103, 104 Raymond, of Tripoli, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123 Red-Cross Knights, 52 Reinaldo, 65, 66 Reginald of Châtillon, 119, 120, 121, 123 Renaissance, The, 277, 279 Richard, Earl of Cornwall, 215 " of Devises, 128, 130, 132, 135, 279 " Lion Heart, 127, 128, 130, 131, 132, 135, 136, 137, 139, 141, 142, 145-159, 215, 244, 279 Robert of Clari, 189, 190 " of Normandy, 69, 78, 81, 82, 95, 101 Roderick, "last of the Goths," 39 Roland, 279 Rome, 9, 31, 34, 35, 196, 208, 210, 271

Saladin, 119, 121, 123, 124, 125, 129, 130, 132, 142, 146-150, 153, 155, 159, 185, 207, 237 Saphadim, 124, 146-150, 154, 155, 159 Seljukian Turks, The, 54, 55, 87, 266 " Sultan, The, 266 Sicily, Island of, 61, 128, 131, 155, 207, 247, 255 Simon de Montfort, 162, 178 Sion, Mount, 96 Soissons, Bishop of, 167 " Count of, 229 St Andrew, 90 St Chrysostom, 81 St Denis, 222, 254 St Dominic, 218 St Francis of Assist, 218 St George, 92, 94 St Louis, 252, 254, 255 St Mark, 181, 182, 245 St Nicholas, 230 St Paul, 85 St Peter, Church of, 81 St Sophia, Church of, 188, 189, 192, 273, 274 St Theodore, 92 Stephen of Blois, 103, 105 " of Chârtres, 89 Sweyn, Son of Godwin, 47 Syria, 13, 29, 30, 87, 146, 184, 214, 216, 217, 278

Tabor, Mount, 202 Tamerlane, Chief of Tartar hordes, 268, 269 Tancred, 81, 85, 91, 102, 104, 105, 128, 157, 165 Templars, Knights, 51, 105, 117, 120, 137, 138, 148, 204, 210, 211, 212, 227, 228, 238, 251, 256 Temple, Church, The, 53 " The, 147 Theobald of Champagne, 219 Thrace, Plains of, 70, 267, 268 Tiberias, 121, 122, 123, 132 Tower of David, The, 101 Tristan, Knight, 49 Truce of God, 46 Tunis, 247, 248, 254, 255 Turkey, Sultan of, 276 Turkestan, 54, 269 Tyre, City of, 87, 94, 123, 131, 135, 150, 151, 155, 160 Tyrol, The, 158

Urban II., Pope, 56, 57, 58, 61

Walter of Brienne, 165 Walter, Lord, 226 " the Penniless, 63-66 William de Pratelles, 146 " Longsword, 203, 228, 229 " of Tyre, 279 " Longchamp, 158 " the Conqueror, 47, 89

Yolande, Daughter of John of Brienne, 209

Zeuzhi, Sultan, 108

* * * * *

TOLD THROUGH THE AGES

Legends of Greece and Rome Favourite Greek Myths Stories of Robin Hood and his Merry Outlaws Stories of King Arthur and his Knights Stories from Herodotus Stories from Wagner Britain Long Ago Stories from Scottish History Stories from Greek Tragedy Stories from Dickens Stories from the Earthly Paradise Stories from the Æneid The Book of Rustem Stories from Chaucer Stories from the Old Testament Stories from the Odyssey Stories from the Iliad Told by the Northmen Stories from Don Quixote The Story of Roland Stories from Thucydides The Story of Hereward Stories from the Faerie Queene Cuchulain: The Hound of Ulster Stories from Xenophon Stories from Shakespeare Stories from Dante Famous Voyages of the Great Discoverers The Story of Napoleon Stories of Pendennis and the Charterhouse Sir Guy of Warwick Heroes of the Middle Ages The Story of the Crusades The Story of Nelson Stories from George Eliot Froissart's Chronicles Shakespeare's Stories of the English Kings Heroes of Modern Europe The Story of King Robert the Bruce Stories of the Scottish Border The Story of the French Revolution The Story of Lord Kitchener Stories of the Saints The Story of St Elizabeth of Hungary In Feudal Times The High Deeds of Finn Early English Travel and Discovery Legends of Ancient Egypt The Story of the Renaissance Boyhood Stories of Famous Men Stories from French History Stories from English History Famous English Books and their Stories Women of the Classics In the Days of the Guilds Science through the Ages

_Other volumes in active preparation_

End of Project Gutenberg's The Story of the Crusades, by E. M. Wilmot-Buxton