Crusader Spirituality
Christian Messianic Expectation Towards the end of the first millennium, Christian messianic expectation intensified, especially in Catholic Europe, with a concrete anticipation of Jesus’ return. This led to a renewed…
Templars, Holy Grail and Lance
Spear of Destiny The sanctity of Jerusalem is magnified by its being home to holy relics—both the bones of people and sacred objects. One such relic is the Holy Lance,…
Great Queens of Jerusalem
Queen Melisende of Jerusalem The military orders, the Hospitallers and the Templars, received support from the King of Jerusalem, Fulk of Anjou, and especially from his wife, Queen Melisende (1105–1161),…
Second Crusader Kingdom
The Second Crusader Kingdom Period In 1187, the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem fell to Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn (Saladin). Later in the book, we will see how this looked from the Muslim…