As a cook and lover of food I began to wonder what foods were available for crusaders to eat. As it turns out prior to the crusades much of the food eaten in Europe was bland and was not varied. When the Crusaders met with the eastern world they were exposed to a new variety of food and spices. In Jerusalem many different foods were available from fresh fruits and nuts to chilled wine and juices. With the introduction of these new and expensive foods many franks began to eat extravagantly spiced meals to show off their wealth. The meager tables of Europe benefited greatly from their exposure to the extravagant tables of the Levant.
And what is food without drink. As it turns out the depictions of drunken feasts in Europe were more then just celebrations. There was very little clean water in Europe and drinking contaminated water was a health hazard. By drinking beer or other forms of alcohol one can eliminate the risk posed by unclean water as the alcohol kills any bacteria in the water. The drunken revelry was often a heath necessity not a celebratory measure.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Varangian Guard
As I read the section in Madden about the Fourth Crusade, I saw that a group known as the Varangian Guard were mentioned several times. I thought it was an elite Byzantine unit but it turns out that they were actually Anglo-Saxon mercenaries. Apparently, following the Norman conquest of England, there was a substantial emigration of Saxons and some former Housecarls found employment in the Emperor's bodyguard, the Varangian Guard. The descendants of these English immigrants comprised the Guard encountered by the Crusaders in 1204.
As a unit, the Varangian Guard dated back to the mid-tenth century, when Constantine Porphyrogenitus recruited Christianized Russians (Scandinavian migrants, mostly) to act as marines. Their ferocity eventually earned them a position as imperial guards. At the battle of Manzikert, the Guard was virtually wiped out, defending the Emperor to the last man. This probably allowed for the Saxons to acquire positions within the rebuilt unit.
Unlike the provincial Byzantine forces, the Varangians apparently put up a good fight during the Crusader assaults on Constantinople, using their two-handed battle-axes to devastating effect. Here's an interesting link about the Saxons' role in the Guard: http://www.deremilitari.org/resources/articles/pappas1.htm
As a unit, the Varangian Guard dated back to the mid-tenth century, when Constantine Porphyrogenitus recruited Christianized Russians (Scandinavian migrants, mostly) to act as marines. Their ferocity eventually earned them a position as imperial guards. At the battle of Manzikert, the Guard was virtually wiped out, defending the Emperor to the last man. This probably allowed for the Saxons to acquire positions within the rebuilt unit.
Unlike the provincial Byzantine forces, the Varangians apparently put up a good fight during the Crusader assaults on Constantinople, using their two-handed battle-axes to devastating effect. Here's an interesting link about the Saxons' role in the Guard: http://www.deremilitari.org/resources/articles/pappas1.htm
Greek Fire
While reading Geoffrey of Villehardouin's account about the 4th Crusade and the siege of Constantinople, I saw that there was a brief reference to "Greek Fire," an innovation used by the Byzantines. I decided to look up a bit of the history behind the development of the weapon. The exact date of its invention by the Byzantines is up for some debate, but it was definitely instrumental in their defense against the incoming Arab nations beginning in 672 C.E. So by the time of the 4th Crusade it was no longer a new weapon, having been used for many centuries previously. In fact, it appears that the use of "Greek fire" might have been discontinued by the Byzantines by the time of the 4th Crusade. Perhaps if the Byzantines had had the means to employ it, the siege of Constantinople would have turned out differently...
The actual contents of this "Greek fire" are not known for sure; the Byzantines kept the formula secret, and it appears that they were successful in that regard. Contemporary experts suspect that the ingredients combined to create "Greek fire" included petroleum and resins. The Byzantines not only created the mixture, but developed a pretty effective apparatus that would shoot the liquid fire onto other ships, through the use of pressure and a pump. I guess you could think of the entire weapon being, in a sense, like a flamethrower...
One of the defining characteristics about the "Greek fire" which made it so legendary (and devastating) was that it couldn't be put out with water, so it was a pretty effective weapon. The Byzantines used it for centuries to defend and expand their empire. Unfortunately for the residents of Constantinople, they either couldn't use it during the siege of 1203 by the 4th Crusaders, or it was ineffective in defending the city, for the city eventually fell to the crusaders.
The actual contents of this "Greek fire" are not known for sure; the Byzantines kept the formula secret, and it appears that they were successful in that regard. Contemporary experts suspect that the ingredients combined to create "Greek fire" included petroleum and resins. The Byzantines not only created the mixture, but developed a pretty effective apparatus that would shoot the liquid fire onto other ships, through the use of pressure and a pump. I guess you could think of the entire weapon being, in a sense, like a flamethrower...
One of the defining characteristics about the "Greek fire" which made it so legendary (and devastating) was that it couldn't be put out with water, so it was a pretty effective weapon. The Byzantines used it for centuries to defend and expand their empire. Unfortunately for the residents of Constantinople, they either couldn't use it during the siege of 1203 by the 4th Crusaders, or it was ineffective in defending the city, for the city eventually fell to the crusaders.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Thoughts on Runciman
In preparation for the recent in-class debate, I was reading Steven Runciman's famous "The Summing-Up," from his "A History of the Crusades, vol. 3." Granted, I have not read his entire book; however, I was quite surprised by the quality (or lack thereof) of his chapter.
Throughout these ten pages of text, Runciman makes unsupported claims, doubles back on his arguments, and, reveals an extreme bias that feels more like blind accusation than scholarly hypothesis.
One example of this is Runciman's flat statement on the link between the Crusades and the beginning of the Renaissance. He argues that the Crusades had virtually nothing to do with Europe's emergence from the "Dark Ages," and consequent transformation to the period we now entitle "rebirth." However, one of the tenants of the Renaissance period was a push back towards classical learning, facilitated by access to ancient texts taken from the Byzantine Empire and the Middle East (a result of the Crusades). In addition, as Runciman himself points out later in his paragraph, the Crusades did facilitate and open trade between Europe and the Levant, another element in the development of the Renaissance.
Another example is Runciman's analysis of the Muslim world. He argues that the Crusades, by providing a distraction, drastically weakened Muslim presence in the in the Middle East. It is important to note, however, that the Muslim world was divided by both ethnic and religious sects. Turks, Abbasids, and Fatimids were all Muslim and enemies; they had been fighting wars before the Crusaders entered the picture, and they continued to fight when the Crusaders left. The Ottoman Empire, whose principal religion was Islam, lasted another half dozen centuries until the beginning of the twentieth century. Moreover, even with Crusader presence in the Middle East, Muslim influence still remained both strong and powerful.
One last example to offer: on pp. 398-399, Runciman writes: "The Italian Renaissance is a matter of pride for mankind. But it would have been better could it have been achieved without the ruin of eastern Christendom." However, his very next sentence is: "Byzantine culture survived the shock of the Fourth Crusade. In the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries Byzantine art and thought flowered in splendid profusion." How is it possible that eastern Christianity both was ruined and flourished at the same time?
Overall, I was very disappointed with Runciman, although it made my debate preparation a bit easier.
~C. Erba
Throughout these ten pages of text, Runciman makes unsupported claims, doubles back on his arguments, and, reveals an extreme bias that feels more like blind accusation than scholarly hypothesis.
One example of this is Runciman's flat statement on the link between the Crusades and the beginning of the Renaissance. He argues that the Crusades had virtually nothing to do with Europe's emergence from the "Dark Ages," and consequent transformation to the period we now entitle "rebirth." However, one of the tenants of the Renaissance period was a push back towards classical learning, facilitated by access to ancient texts taken from the Byzantine Empire and the Middle East (a result of the Crusades). In addition, as Runciman himself points out later in his paragraph, the Crusades did facilitate and open trade between Europe and the Levant, another element in the development of the Renaissance.
Another example is Runciman's analysis of the Muslim world. He argues that the Crusades, by providing a distraction, drastically weakened Muslim presence in the in the Middle East. It is important to note, however, that the Muslim world was divided by both ethnic and religious sects. Turks, Abbasids, and Fatimids were all Muslim and enemies; they had been fighting wars before the Crusaders entered the picture, and they continued to fight when the Crusaders left. The Ottoman Empire, whose principal religion was Islam, lasted another half dozen centuries until the beginning of the twentieth century. Moreover, even with Crusader presence in the Middle East, Muslim influence still remained both strong and powerful.
One last example to offer: on pp. 398-399, Runciman writes: "The Italian Renaissance is a matter of pride for mankind. But it would have been better could it have been achieved without the ruin of eastern Christendom." However, his very next sentence is: "Byzantine culture survived the shock of the Fourth Crusade. In the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries Byzantine art and thought flowered in splendid profusion." How is it possible that eastern Christianity both was ruined and flourished at the same time?
Overall, I was very disappointed with Runciman, although it made my debate preparation a bit easier.
~C. Erba
Friday, February 19, 2010
Albigensian Crusade
I was doing some research for an essay topic and came across the Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229). Although many people believed crusades to be a call to arms against Muslims, this was not always the case. Christians often took up the sword against other Christians and non-Muslims as an attempt to get rid of heretics and those who threatened the power of the church. In 1208, Innocent III set out a campaign against the Albigenisian region and called it a crusade (figures, right?). It actually seems to me like the crusades did start out to deliever Jerusalem and their Christian brothers from the 'non-Christians', but the more people started getting comfortable with the idea, the more they started throwing around the word crusade as an excuse to do their will freely. Anyway... I won't get started on that!
So Innocent set out against this region. They believed the beliefs of these people to be 'heretical' to those of Christians. They believed that Jesus was never a man, but a spirit, although they did accept him as the son of God. They thought the Catholic church corrupt and full of sin. Their religion believed that the church and the pope himself were working for the devil.
When Raymond became the Count of Toulouse and refused to take put down the Albigensians, Innocent III had him excommunicated and eventually, when Raymond found out the Pope's army was coming after him, he begged forgiveness and joined the crusade against his own people.
The crusade ended in 1220 when the Peace of Paris Treaty was signed.
Within a century, Albigensianism ceased to exist.
I find this certain crusade extremely interesting!!!
So Innocent set out against this region. They believed the beliefs of these people to be 'heretical' to those of Christians. They believed that Jesus was never a man, but a spirit, although they did accept him as the son of God. They thought the Catholic church corrupt and full of sin. Their religion believed that the church and the pope himself were working for the devil.
When Raymond became the Count of Toulouse and refused to take put down the Albigensians, Innocent III had him excommunicated and eventually, when Raymond found out the Pope's army was coming after him, he begged forgiveness and joined the crusade against his own people.
The crusade ended in 1220 when the Peace of Paris Treaty was signed.
Within a century, Albigensianism ceased to exist.
I find this certain crusade extremely interesting!!!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Google Timelines
I was poking around the internet as a young adult is apt to do, and I discovered that the creative geniuses at Google have come up with another cool search engine. With this one you can search a key word (I used crusades, go figure) and then it will search the web for articles or pages that mention the keyword and a date. The timeline is also very adaptable and you can search specific years or look over a specific time period. I always love timelines to help get my dates in order and see what events could have affected each other and which ones are chronologically separated. So enjoy this new feature and I'm sure this will come in handy in other subjects besides the Crusades.
http://www.google.com/search?q=crusades&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&sa=X&tbo=p&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbs=tl:1,tl_num:100,tll:1200,tlh:1209&ei=-zJ-S9CFL4W1tgeU1MzEDw&oi=timeline_histogram_main&ct=timeline-histogram&cd=1&ved=0CLwDEMkBKAE
(Disclaimer: I might be the only one who does not know about this and as my girlfriend has informed me it has been around for a while, but I just found it so it seems exciting to me)
http://www.google.com/search?q=crusades&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&sa=X&tbo=p&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbs=tl:1,tl_num:100,tll:1200,tlh:1209&ei=-zJ-S9CFL4W1tgeU1MzEDw&oi=timeline_histogram_main&ct=timeline-histogram&cd=1&ved=0CLwDEMkBKAE
(Disclaimer: I might be the only one who does not know about this and as my girlfriend has informed me it has been around for a while, but I just found it so it seems exciting to me)
Crusader 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer
I found cool article about Howitzer when I searched for Crusader. So I decided to do some research about this Crusader 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer.
The Crusader self-propelled howitzer was a result of the Crusader program launched by U.S. Army to make a replacement for the Paladin. The Crusader was planned to be fielded in 2009, but the program was terminated by the Department of the Defense due to its low efficiency for its cost. Even though the Crusader achieved firing rate of 10.4 rounds per minute in live firing trials in 2000,(which was a lot of improvement from Paladin's maximum firing rate 8 rounds per minute and sustained rate of fire of 1 round per 3 minutes) it had low mobility and precision. The Crusader can be found in Cannon Park at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Source - Paladin
- Crusader
The Crusader self-propelled howitzer was a result of the Crusader program launched by U.S. Army to make a replacement for the Paladin. The Crusader was planned to be fielded in 2009, but the program was terminated by the Department of the Defense due to its low efficiency for its cost. Even though the Crusader achieved firing rate of 10.4 rounds per minute in live firing trials in 2000,(which was a lot of improvement from Paladin's maximum firing rate 8 rounds per minute and sustained rate of fire of 1 round per 3 minutes) it had low mobility and precision. The Crusader can be found in Cannon Park at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Source - Paladin
- Crusader
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