Guglielmo Embriaco and the Siege of Jerusalem
This narratives follows the life of Guglielmo Embriaco, the patriarch of a well-respected Genoese family, and his journey to the Holy Land during the First Crusade—where he emerges not only as a fearless leader but also as an innovative engineer, instrumental in the successful but challenging siege of Jerusalem and also the siege of Antioch (Bent, 1881).
The story begins with Guglielmo or the “Hammerhead”, a nickname bestowed to him affectionately by his troops (Bent, 1881)—he sits in his workshop, tinkering with a piece of olivewood, a soft malleable substrate allowing for Guglielmo to make several intricate cuts. While Guglielmo earned his living as a commercial sailor and merchantmen (like many
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The Genoese, with a reputation in shipbuilding and military machine-making capabilities began to transform the material from their galleys into functional siege machines. Already blockaded in by the Egyptian fleet, it was unlikely that they would be able to sail anywhere so the ships were better put to use. During the next two days, the men worked hard to complete the great siege towers. Even the old men and women did their part in sewing ox-hide and camel-hide and nailing it on the exposed parts of the woodwork as protection against the Greek fire that could be used by Saracens (Bent, 1881). Guglielmo commanded the engineering projects, utilizing the many designs he had prototyped back in his Genoese …show more content…
On top of this, news of an approaching Egyptian army had reached the camp. They knew that had to act fast but with out the necessary siege machines their fighting would just be in desperation. However, all was not without hope, a priest by the name of Peter Desiderius had a divine vision that the crusaders would indeed capture Jerusalem but not until they repented through a fast and to walk in procession barefoot round the walls of Jerusalem (Madden, 1999). If they did all this, they would succeed within nine days. After several noble families gave their support to the priest, a fast was commanded and the procession underwent—the bishops and priests of the Crusade went first, bearing crosses and holy relics, followed by the princes, knights and then foot soldiers; all were barefoot. The Moslems on top of the walls mocked the procession but the crusaders had found a source of inspiration and were fully enthused (Madden,
August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants, (Princeton: 1921), 42-43
For instance, the city was sacked by the Romans in 70 AD, which destroyed most of the city's important religious artifacts. Later, the city was completely destroyed and covered in 135 AD by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Rubenstein delves deeply into the background of the crusade, as many of the events and ideologies that inspired it are critical to understanding its reasoning and justifications. This sets Rubenstein apart from the Madden textbook, which begins at the council at Claremont and does not provide essential background information. Rubenstein's book serves as an excellent introduction to the history of the Crusades.
Foss explains, “What Urban needed was an enterprise, clearly virtuous in serving the ends of Christiandome… in these moments of reflection, the popes mind turned towards Jerusalem.” Urban II reflects back on the first taking of the Holy City after the defeat of the Byzantine Empire in 1071, and begins to question what his people know about the Turkish race and really the ideology of Islamic thought. Foss goes on to examine the ignorance of westerners and needed to be “reminded [by the pope] of the infamous heathens, their cruelty and hatred of Christians,” hoping this would justify the first Holy Crusade. However, Foss identifies the creativity of the Pope’s language to persuade the knights and army of the people to embark on the Holy Crusade based on the Muslims cruel actions turned onto their fellow Christians. Claiming the Muslims “Killed captives by torture…poor captives were whipped…and others were bound to the post and used as a target for arrows.” Foss examines the Popes words as an effective effort of persuasion in creating an army of crusaders to help clean “…Holy places, which are now treated with ignominy and polluted with Filthiness” and any sacrifice in Jerusalem is a “promise of a spiritual reward… and death for
Contrary to many commonly held notions about the first crusade, in his book, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading, Jonathan Riley-Smith sets out to explain how the idea of crusading thought evolved in the first crusade. In his book, Riley-Smith sets out five main arguments to show how these ideas of crusading evolved. Firstly, he argues that Pope Urban’s original message was conventional, secondly that a more positive reaction was drawn from the laity (due to the ideas surrounding Jerusalem), thirdly, that the original message of crusading had changed because of the horrible experiences of the first crusaders, fourth, that due to these experiences the crusaders developed their own concept of what a crusade was, and lastly, that these ideas were refined by (religious) writers and turned into an acceptable form of theology. Riley-Smith makes excellent points about the crusade; however, before one can delve directly into his argument, one must first understand the background surrounding the rise of the first crusade.
Francis of Assisi is one of the most influential personalities in the entire world. In the book ‘Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life,’ Cunningham recounts the life of this humble monk who lived in the medieval times, and shaped the Christian life, which spread in Western culture throughout the rest of history. I believe Cunningham accurately accounts for the life of Francis of Assisi, and in doing so; he provides a trajectory of the Christian faith from its early and historical proponents through its fusion with western culture, and its subsequent spread throughout the world.
Eusebius’ account of Constantine’s conversion is comparable to Gregory of Tours’ accounts of Clovis’ and Gundobad’s conversions to Christianity, in the sense that they all initially called upon the “Christ-God” (albeit Gundobad perhaps indirectly) to come to their aid, which he did, during periods of military crisis. The si...
Urban’s decision to begin the Crusade was based on more than just the idea that he was doing the Lord’s will. The Christian idealism was mind over m...
“To conquer without risk is to triumph without glory. El Cid” Meaning that if there is no risk in taking over a country is taking it without glory. This connects because both of the conflicts in my essay involved glory, and risk and every risk has its rewards.This book talks about the end of the third Crusade.The Third crusade and the Reconquista compare because they are both religious wars involving the retaking of land and lead to pushes into other continents.
Since this paper is my reflection, I will be honest by stating that I am nineteen years old, white, a male, and have been raised in a Catholic family just outside of Louisville, Kentucky. Now why is this important? This is important because the only viewpoint of the crusades that I have studied, prior to my experience with Maalouf, has been from the Christian point of view. Until now, I have yet to place myself in the shoes of those on the opposite end of the sword, shields, and Jihad. History is a touchy subject for me because I have come to learn there is always another side of the story to learn from. This fact leads to the first main thesis of Maalouf’s adventure.
God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades by Rodney Stark, will cause readers to question much of what they know about the Crusades, the Crusaders themselves, and the formidable Muslim forces they encountered along the way in liberation of the Holy Land. Stark gives compelling reasons for the Crusades, and argues that readers should not be too quick in following the lead of historians who cast the Crusaders in less than positive light. Stark makes his case supported by evidence that vindicates the valiant struggles of the Crusaders who accomplished the task of keeping Christianity alive through troubled times.
Just as the Second Crusade began with two different figures, the mission continued to grow into an increasingly disjointed and divided project. ...
St. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria in the year 1182. He was a child every father hoped for, he was filled with life, a determined and courageous individual. He was gifted with rather good looks, qualities that attracted friends and a gift of leadership. His father was an extremely wealthy merchant in Assisi. But this son, his favourite, was the one who broke Peter Bernardone’s heart. The boy turned on his father, and in a vicious event that eventually resulted into a public scene. St. Francis of Assisi stepped away from his father, his business and left his father in a state of immense emotional suffering.
In 1095, Pope Urban II called the first crusade. Happening between 1096 and 1099, the first crusade was both a military expedition and a mass movement of people with the simple goal of reclaiming the Holy Lands taken by the Muslims in their conquests of the Levant. The crusade ended with the capture of Jerusalem in July 1099. However, there has been much debate about whether the First Crusade can be considered an ‘armed pilgrimage’ or whether it has to be considered as a holy war. This view is complicated due to the ways in which the Crusade was presented and how the penitential nature of it changed throughout the course of the Crusade.
In order for the crusades to begin, the Christians needed to gather an army to travel and fight the forces of Muslims. With all the power being held by monarchies at this time, the church needed to be cleaver in order to gain troops to put their lives on the line. To gain the support of these warriors and dedication of men, Pope Urban II (1088-1099) challenged those morals of men by telling them to grab their weapons and join the holy war to recover the land of Jerusalem. It was not the challenge that convinced men to take part in this war. The promise of “immediate remission of sins” attracted the men to stand up for their religion and beliefs while at the same time, promising them a trip to heaven when life comes to an end. With this statement, men instantly prepared for battle which in a very short period of time gave the church power which has been held by the monarchies. Men of rich and poor prepared for battle, some wearing ...
In his historical fiction novel “Baudolino”, Umberto Eco provides the reader with a fantastical view of the history of the period between 1150 and 1204, through the eyes of the homonymous protagonist. The focus is on medieval Europe and Eco comically, yet accurately, chronicles the political and religious upheavals of the time of the Crusades with great attention to historical fact. During the sacking of Constantinople of 1204, Baudolino saves the life of a high-ranking Byzantine historian – Niketas Choniate, an actual historian from the period, and proceeds to tell him the story of his life and how he shaped history, masterfully weaving together fact and fiction. Baudolino is born in a peasant family in Northern Italy.