In a recent article dedicated to the Ninth Crusade, we explained that the English prince and future king Edward I landed in Acre in the spring of 1271, ready to confront the Egyptian Mamluks under Sultan Baibars. His army was too small to prevail on its own, but he had an exotic ally with whom […]
Crusades
Posted inMiddle Ages
The End of the Crusades: The Failure of the Last Christian Kingdoms in the Holy Land
On June 16, 1272, the city of Acre awoke to shocking news that quickly spread by word of mouth: that night, there had been an assassination attempt on Lord Edward, son of the English king Henry III, who was in the Near East leading a crusade. A hitman—perhaps a member of the Nizari or Hashashin […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Ancient Inscriptions, Heraldic Shields, and Drawings Deciphered in the Cenacle of Jerusalem Built by the Crusaders
An international team of researchers has succeeded in identifying and analyzing dozens of medieval graffiti in one of Christianity’s holiest sites, the Cenacle of Jerusalem, the place where tradition says the Last Supper took place. At the top of Mount Zion in Jerusalem stands a site of extraordinary religious significance for the three major monotheistic […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Bohemond of Taranto, the Sinister Norman Who Conquered Antioch and Hated the Byzantine Empire
There are quite a few literary and cinematic works about the First Crusade, and in most of them, beginning with the anonymous Gesta Francorum or Torquato Tasso’s famous epic poem The liberated Jerusalem (La Gerusalemme liberata), we find a curious figure who was one of its main leaders, the Norman Bohemond of Taranto. He was […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
The Largest Medieval Altar, Consecrated by Crusaders in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, Found Covered in Graffiti
On July 15, 1149, Jerusalem marked a significant milestone: fifty years prior, European Crusaders had captured the Holy City and established the Kingdom of Jerusalem, ending centuries of Muslim rule. This golden jubilee was celebrated with a grand reconsecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s holiest sites. At the heart of […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
What did the Crusaders eat in the Holy Land?
Researchers from the Archaeobotanical Project of Arsur, located 15 km north of Tel Aviv, have uncovered valuable details about the eating habits of the Crusaders through the analysis of thousands of plant remains found at the site. The site has been continuously inhabited from the 6th century BC to the 13th century AD. Founded by […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Battle on the Ice, the medieval battle fought on a frozen lake
If you haven’t already watched Sergei Eisenstein’s movie, Alexander Nevsky, I recommend that you look for it and watch it, regardless of whether it’s a 1938 black and white film or not. Not only because this director’s titles are still visually fascinating three quarters of a century later, but also because, after reading this article, […]
