Abstract
This article critically examines the Latin and vernacular evidence for
participation from the British Isles in the expeditions associated with
the First Crusade (1096–99), bringing together for the first time the full
array of relevant medieval material which suggests such involvement.
Although contemporary accounts of the crusade emphasise the
universality of Pope Urban II’s appeal within Western Europe, there
is very little reliable evidence that England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland
contributed any sizeable force to the Christian armies travelling overland
to the East, demonstrating that the early crusading recruitment was
often culturally and geographically restricted. This article adds to the
narrow corpus of material depicting insular contribution to the crusade
the testimony of the Siège d’Antioche, a lengthy epic Anglo-Norman
poem, which retrospectively inscribed involvement of peoples from
the British Isles onto the narrative of the First Crusade. It suggests
furthermore, based on thematic and stylistic evidence, as well as direct
textual references, that at least one stage in the development of this
extant narrative should be associated with the Angevin literary milieu
during the rule of Henry II (1154–89) and his sons. Its portrayal of
crusaders from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England shows that, in
the late twelfth-century Angevin realms, the crusade, retrospectively
viewed as a central site of Christian heritage and memory and a crucible
for the formation of knightly and heroic values, could not be envisaged
without the involvement of the wider Angevin world.
participation from the British Isles in the expeditions associated with
the First Crusade (1096–99), bringing together for the first time the full
array of relevant medieval material which suggests such involvement.
Although contemporary accounts of the crusade emphasise the
universality of Pope Urban II’s appeal within Western Europe, there
is very little reliable evidence that England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland
contributed any sizeable force to the Christian armies travelling overland
to the East, demonstrating that the early crusading recruitment was
often culturally and geographically restricted. This article adds to the
narrow corpus of material depicting insular contribution to the crusade
the testimony of the Siège d’Antioche, a lengthy epic Anglo-Norman
poem, which retrospectively inscribed involvement of peoples from
the British Isles onto the narrative of the First Crusade. It suggests
furthermore, based on thematic and stylistic evidence, as well as direct
textual references, that at least one stage in the development of this
extant narrative should be associated with the Angevin literary milieu
during the rule of Henry II (1154–89) and his sons. Its portrayal of
crusaders from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England shows that, in
the late twelfth-century Angevin realms, the crusade, retrospectively
viewed as a central site of Christian heritage and memory and a crucible
for the formation of knightly and heroic values, could not be envisaged
without the involvement of the wider Angevin world.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 29 |
| Journal | English Historical Review |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 19 Feb 2019 |
Keywords
- medieval
- crusades
- First Crusade
- Angevins