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,…
The Madonna and the Crusades
The Madonna and the Crusades An important element in the motivation of the Crusaders was the veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and of Mary Magdalene. An image of…
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),…
Church and Knights of the Holy Seoulchre
Queen Melisende's Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the object of desire for pilgrims in the Middle Ages. Some sought to undergo a ceremonial…
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…
Via Plama Pilgrimage
The Essence and Importance of Pilgrimage The idea of pilgrimage is that at the end of the journey there is something worth the effort—a kind of Holy Grail. The best…
Via Dolorosa and the Custodia
The Custodia de Terra Sancta The Franciscan Order was founded in 1219, twenty years after Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn (Saladin) conquered Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Already with the founding of the Order…