The First Crusade (1095–9) has often been characterised as a head-to-head confrontation between the forces of Christianity and Islam. For many, it is the campaign that created a lasting rupture between these two faiths. Nevertheless, is such a characterisation borne out by the sources? Engagingly written and supported by a wealth of evidence, Encountering Islam on the First Crusade offers a major reinterpretation of the crusaders'attitudes towards the Arabic and Turkic peoples they encountered on their journey to Jerusalem. Nicholas Morton considers how they interpreted the new peoples, civilizations and landscapes they encountered; sights for which their former lives in Western Christendom had provided little preparation. Morton offers a varied picture of cross cultural relations, depicting the Near East as an arena in which multiple protagonists were pitted against each other. Some were fighting for supremacy, others for their religion, and many simply for survival.

motw/Encountering Islam on the First - Nicholas Morton.pdf

Morton, Nicholas;

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

producers:
Acrobat Distiller 10.0.0 (Windows)

Memory of the World Librarian: Slowrotation

Cover 1
Half title 3
Title 5
Copyright 6
Epigraph 7
Contents 9
Figure and Tables 11
Acknowledgements 12
Note on Translations 13
Introduction 15
Terminology: ‘Saracens’, Turks, and Muslims 29
Methodologies 33
Trans-Cultural Borrowing 33
Reality and Representation 35
1 Predicates 41
Latin Christendom on the Eve of the Crusades: Historical Background 41
The Lenses through Which Western Christendom Viewed Islam 55
Theological 56
Chansons and the Voice of Knightly Culture 70
Experiential Factors 79
2 The Launch of the First Crusade 81
Historical Background 81
Objectives 87
Urban II 89
Sources 89
Who Was the Crusade Launched Against? 93
What Was the Stated Purpose of the Campaign? 97
How did Urban Present His Enemy? 99
Participants: Intentions 108
Participants: Foreknowledge of the Turks 111
3 The First Crusade and the Conquest of Jerusalem 125
Encountering the Turks 125
Military Confrontations 127
Hierarchies, Culture, and Religion 134
Encountering the Arabs and Fatimids 149
How Important Were the Turks and Arabs to the Crusaders? 164
Conversion, Evil, and the Problem of Hatred 168
Conclusion 197
4 Aftermath 204
Introduction 204
Identifying the Turks 209
Identifying the Turks’ Allies 214
‘Chaldeans’ and Descriptions of the ‘Saracen’ Religion 217
New Information and Classical Influences 229
The Turks and the Apocalypse 230
East and West 240
5 The Impact of the Crusade 248
Introduction 248
The Military Situation, 1050-1150 250
Islam’s Place on Christendom’s Agenda, Before and After the First Crusade 252
‘Saracens’ in Medieval Narratives Written Away from the Frontier 259
The Holy Land under Christian Control 274
Crusading Fantasy 279
Conclusion 282
Concluding Remarks 284
Bibliography 295
Index 327

The First Crusade (10959) has often been characterised as a head-to-head confrontation between the forces of Christianity and Islam. For many, it is the campaign that created a lasting rupture between these two faiths. Nevertheless, is such a characterisation borne out by the sources? Engagingly written and supported by a wealth of evidence, Encountering Islam on the First Crusade offers a major reinterpretation of the crusaders' attitudes towards the Arabic and Turkic peoples they encountered on their journey to Jerusalem. Nicholas Morton considers how they interpreted the new peoples, civilizations and landscapes they encountered; sights for which their former lives in Western Christendom had provided little preparation. Morton offers a varied picture of cross cultural relations, depicting the Near East as an arena in which multiple protagonists were pitted against each other. Some were fighting for supremacy, others for their religion, and many simply for survival.

A fundamental reassessment of Christian attitudes towards Muslims during the time of the First Crusade. Offering a more nuanced picture, Nicholas Morton challenges the notion that the crusade was a deliberate attack on the Muslim world, and also considers its impact upon European attitudes towards Islam in the long term.

A Fundamental Reassessment Of Christian/islamic Relations During The First Crusade, Combating Its Representation As An Inter-faith Clash Of Civilizations.

2025-10-27