The Trials and Tribulations Of Life On A Medieval Crusade

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The life of a medieval crusader could be tough to say the least with the prospect of severe hardship never far away. Crusades took different forms, in different places for different reasons. The type of crusade most people will think of will be the ones fought in the Holy Land with the aim of retaking lands, even Jerusalem itself, from Muslim forces. But, of course, there were other types of crusades as well. The battle between Islam and Christianity didn’t just take place in the east. In the 700s, Islam took control of Iberia and for nearly 800 years retained a presence in the peninsula until the surrender of Granada in 1492. In northern Europe, efforts were made to conquer and Christianise areas that remained stubbornly pagan.and crusades were called against supposedly heretical groups in southern France. So, crusades, as you can see, took different forms and for those participating, challenges of all kinds that would have to be overcome.

Even the Man who called what would be known as The First Crusade, Pope Urban II, was well aware of the magnitude of what he was asking from his Christian flock across Europe. Urban had been asked by the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Komnenos for help against the Seljuk Turks. Urban would heed the call. In a letter written in late 1095, Urban relayed a tale of woe from the east with Jerusalem having been captured by the Turks and churches being destroyed. Urban’s preaching for the crusade would be overwhelmingly successful as Europe’s Christians responded in huge numbers. But Urban was under no illusions as to what he was asking from his Holy army.

In his sermons, Urban bluntly told his crusaders what they could expect. Sickness, hunger, thirst and many other trials and tribulations awaited them. But such was the strength of feeling against the apparent injustices facing their fellow Christians in the east, that such hardship would prove to be no deterrent.

One of the first obstacles to overcome for crusading armies was, of course, making the long journey to their destination, both by land and by sea. The crusading armies would have to travel through various kingdoms and territories and, understandably, this caused tension among the local people. A potentially aggressive army marching through your land was not exactly a welcome sight. The crusaders would need to stock up on food and provisions and during the early stages of The Second Crusade, tensions boiled over as the crusaders were accused of plundering in an overly aggressive manner. The Byzantine emperor Manuel Ii had sent an army to keep an eye on the crusaders and a battle broke out between the Byzantines and crusaders with the Byzantines winning the day. Fighting enemies was one thing, fighting people supposedly on your side quite another.

 

When they did arrive on crusade, in particular for those in the Holy Land and Egypt, the Christians faced the distinct disadvantage of being in terrain that was completely alien to them with summer heat being absolutely oppressive. One tactic that was used by the enemy was to poison the water in wells. Thirst could become truly diabolical and unbearable.

And famine for a crusading army was never far away either. After taking Antioch during The First Crusade, the Christians were then besieged by a Muslim army which then led to a terrible famine inside Antioch. Men resorted to eating the innards of goats and even the head of a horse. Some would resort to taking blood from horses that were still alive.

To us today, such suffering seems almost senseless, considering the effort that was undertaken to go on crusade. Travelling thousands, only to be surrounded by fearsome and hostile enemies, to be gripped by Hunger, thirst and disease, commonplace In medieval armies, not just crusaders, may seem Baffling. But context must be added. Crusaders are sometimes seen as being opportunistic, self serving individuals looking to enrich themselves. That’s too simple. The sheer effort it took to go on crusade, whether to the heat of the east or the cold of Northern Europe, and stay there even if the crusade was evidently not going to be successful, could not have been fueled merely by material gain. The promises made by Urban Ii and then later Popes of remission of sins would have had a tremendous impact on men and women in a deeply religious age.

The harsh reality of a crusade should not be underestimated. During The Second Crusade, the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III wrote how, during a journey that was to last 20 days, food ran out half way through. And during The First Crusade, Stephen, Count of Blois, father of the man of the same name who would become king of England in 1135, initially wrote enthusiastically about the crusade. But his enthusiasm gradually ran out. Before the capture of Antioch, Stephen left the siege and feigned illness before his eventual departure for home. Unfortunately, he got an ear bashing from his wife on his return to the west. He gave in and returned eastwards where he was eventually killed. Crusading was hard not just on the common soldier but also on the more powerful figures leading the crusade. It’s perhaps not surprising that the success of the crusades was mixed at best.