AD&D - HR7 - The Crusades - Campaign Sourcebook (2e)

Introduction ......................... . 2 Knights, your salvation is secure,
Since God has called you to combat
Chapter 1:Through Crusaders’ Eyes . . . . . 4
The Turks and the Almoravids
Chapter 2 The Saracens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Who have done Him deep dishonor. . . .
Chapter 3: Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Over those whofollow Louis
Chapter 4 Military Orders . . . . .31- Never will Hell have power,
. . . . .42 Each soul will go to Paradise
and Crusading Warfare . . . . . With the angels of our Lord.

Chapter 5 Outremer . . . . . . . . . -Anonymous French song
of the Second Crusade (c. 1145)
Chapter 6: Magic, Monsters,
The Crusades campaign sourcebook is a
and the Supernatural. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..55 historical reference for the ADVANCED
DUNGEONS & DRAGONSmgame. The mate-
Chapter 7: Tales of the Crusaders . . . . . ..70 rial in this book draws from European and
Middle Eastern history from the start of the
Chapter 8: Adventuring Ideas . . . . . . . . . .86 First Crusade in 1095to the conclusion of the
Third, in 1192. Although this setting stands
Appendix: Annotated Bibliography . . . ..94 on its own, it can also supplement an existing
fantasy campaign. Both players and Dungeon
Credits Masters (DMs)can use this book.

Design: Steve Kurtz When the Crusades were first launched at
Editing: Allen Varney the end of the 11th century, Western Europe
Illustrations and Icons: Roger Raupp was emerging from a period of cultural stag-
Maps and Diagrams: David C. Sutherland III nation known as the Dark Ages. The Cru-
Color Map Design: David C. Sutherland 111 sades helped the West define a new cultural
and religious identity. The Church moderated
Typography: Nancy J. Kerkstra and redirected the destructive tendencies of
barbaric knights, forcing them to serve higher
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, AL-QADIM, goals. The West’s exposure to sophisticated
DUNGEON MASTER, and MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM are regis- Eastern philosophy, art, and science during
tered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. MONSTROUS MANUAL and the the era of the Crusades helped lay the foun-
TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. All TSR characters, charac- dations for a new age of cultural rediscovery,
ter names, and the distinctivelikenesses thereof are trademarks owned the Renaissance. At the same time, confronta-
by TSR, Inc. tion with Islam changed the policies and
01994 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. direction of the Western Church forever, giv-
ing birth to a period of religious fanaticism
Random House and its affiliated companies have worldwide distribu- that spawned the terrible Inquisition and the
tion rights in the book trade for English language products of TSR, Inc. religious wars that ravaged Europe during
Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR, the Elizabethan era.
Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors.
The Crusades thus stand at an important
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of crossroads in Western European history, dur-
America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or ing a period known as the Middle Ages or the
artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written con- medieval era. When the Crusades began,
sent of TSR, Inc.

ISBN 1-56076-858-4 9469

TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd
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IJSA
United Kmgdom

2 Introduction

Western Europe was an agrarian, feudal soci- To make best use of this sourcebook,
ety dominatedin political affairs by a military gamers need the DUNGEOMN ASTER@Guide,
aristocracy and in religious matters by the Player’s Handbook, and the basic MONSTROUS
Latin Church of Rome. Most of the DoDula- MANUAL^^ tome. To heighten the Islamic flavor
tion lived in rural farming communk<s. An of the campaign, see the AL-QADIM@Arabian
affluentbourgeoisie, or middle class, of mer- Adventures rulebook for an invaluable source
chants and tradesmen was emerging in the of Arabian character kits, magic, and cam.
towns and cities, but they were still a minor- paign ideas. The MONSTROUCSOMPENDIUM^
ity in a society dominated by nobles, priests, AL-QADIM Appendix includes many monsterK
and peasants. with an Arabian flavor appropriate to a Cru-
sades campaign. This book’s Chapter 6
The first Crusadesjoined all of these parts (”Magic, Monsters, and the Supernatural”)
of society in an endeavor to reach, conquer, discusses spells from the Tome ofMagic. Chap-
and hold the Holy Land against the forces of ter 3, on character creation, reviews kits from
Islam. Despite this beginning, however, later
Crusades became increasingly misguided the PHBR Handbooks (The Complete Fighter’:
and disastrous. By 1291, the last Christian
bastion in the Holy Land fell to the forces of Handbook, Complete Wizard’s Handbook, and
Islam, never to be regained. the rest).

This Sourcebook focuses on the first three 3
Crusades, when the future outlook for Out-
remer (Christian Palestine) seemed bright-
est. Although early Crusades were often
marred by episodes of brutality and reli-
gious intolerance, they also produced tales
of lofty ideals, courage, chivalry, legendary
relics, and divine visitations that are absent
from later Crusades. Adventurers could
thrive in a strangeand alien land, and people
fervently believed in the power of miracles
and the supernatural.

The historical backdrop of the Crusades is
an ideal setting for the AD&D@game. Cham-
pions could seek religious relics, establish a
rich fiefdom, or explore the mysterious world
of Islam. The Crusades provided limitless
opportunitiesfor the devout, the strong, and
the courageous in all classes of society. It was
a time of legends, miracles, and, above all,
adventure.

The Crusades campaign sourcebook lets
gamers run a Crusades campaign in the Holy
Land. Though Crusades took place in Spain,
Eastern Europe, and even southern France
during the same era, this book focuses
entirely on Palestine during the 11th-12th
centuries.

Introduction 3

“Tkefiue is not daunted by the quantity of wood lines the theological principles of a Christian
to bum.” holy war, the romantic ideals of the secular
knighthood, and the simple aspirations of a
-Reynald de Chgtillon, common pilgrim. The following sections
before the Battle of Hattin, 1187 view the Crusades through Frankish eyes.

The Crusades comprise eight major holy wars Holy War
and countless lesser conflicts from the 9th to
11th centuries. Christians of Western Europe The Crusades were not the first European
tried to conquer or maintain possession of wars against Muslim opponents. The Spanish
Jerusalem and the lands of the Bible, held at kings, for instance, had been fighting an inter-
that time by the forces of Islam. The Franks minable war against the Moors since the Sara-
(western Europeans who were once a part of cens captured the Iberian peninsula during
Charlemagne’s empire) captured the Holy the 8th century. Four years before Pope
Land and established the first Crusader Urban’s call to the First Crusade, the Norman
States. These conquerors easily adopted the adventurer Count Roger I of Hauteville con-
idea of a holy war, not only because of reli- quered Sicily, which had been under Muslim
gious arguments but also because their popu- rule since the 9th century.
lar culture and proud history embraced
warfare. In the modern age, politics and reli- When Urban I1 called for Christendom to
gion have split into separate issues, but at the take up the cross and liberate the Eastern
time of the Crusades these two aspects of life Church from the ”barbarians,” he invoked
were inextricably intertwined. Even a nefari- the concept of a holy war. Acting as the suc-
ous adventurer and opportunist like Reynald cessor of St. Peter, and claiming the direct
de Chgtillon could eagerly join a Crusade for authorization of Christ, the Pope supported
both religious and secular reasons: to fight for the First Crusade like no war before it. Fol-
Christ and also carve out a principality in the lowing the example of their spiritual leader,
Holy Land. bishops and priests across Europe portrayed
the Crusade as an honorable and Christian
Though there were certainly a few excep- act of love and liberation.
tions, the vast majority of the Crusaders
were genuinely motivated by religious ideal- By the time of the Crusades, the Latin
ism. They believed that they were fighting a Church had already developed a theological
just and holy war, officially sanctioned by basis for sacred warfare. The devout knights
the Pope. The terrible hardships of the grim, and warriors of Western Europe found a
3,000-mile journey from Western Europe to moral justification for violence extremely
Palestine required not only the strongest of important, inasmuch as Jesus was clearly a
religious faiths, but also a considerable pacifist in word and deed. As recorded in
amount of material treasure to complete; the New Testament, Jesus exhorted his fol-
many knights sold or mortgaged their lands lowers to love their enemies and to turn the
to go. The Crusades were sponsored by the other cheek when they were attacked. When
wealthiest members of medieval society- arrested for heresy and treason, Jesus did
the church and state-for religious, not tem- not verbally defend himself-he even
poral, gain. rebuked one of his own disciples for attack-
ing the authorities with a sword. St. Paul,
Other AD&D game resources, such as the who spread the religion to the Roman
Castle Guide, detail the structure of feudal Empire, reaffirmed the pacifistic tenets of
society in Europe. This chapter provides a Christianity.
Western perspective of the Crusades and out-

4 Chapter One

The Greek Orthodox Church regarded The Legacy of Charlemagne
violence as deplorable and unchristian. Dur-
ing war, Byzantine warriors were forbidden While the clergy pondered theological jus-
the holy sacraments. The Empire further tifications for violence, the typical knight of
distanced its citizens from violence by hir- the Crusading period looked increasingly to
ing foreign mercenaries for its defense. The the ancient legends of Charlemagne and
Eastern Church had the luxury of develop- Roland for role models. Duke Godfrey de
ing behind the shield of the powerful and Bouillon of Lorraine, the first ruler of the
stable Byzantine Empire. The Western Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, could trace his lineage
Church, however, faced several barbarian back to Charles the Great, who also made a
invasions during the Dark Ages and devel- pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the Dark
oped a theology permitting warfare in order Ages. During the First Crusade, Godfrey was
to save itself from extinction. careful to trace Charlemagne’sintended route
to Palestine, following in the footsteps of his
As early as the 5th century, St. Augustine legendary forebear. At the time of the First
reasoned that violence was a morally neutral Crusade, a common knight did not look to
the romantic ideals of chivalry and courtly
act, shaped by the attacker’s intent into a love for inspiration; the knights and militant
good or evil deed. Violence committed out of nobility of the late 11th century were only
anger, hatred, or animosity was sinful and beginning to develop a formalized code of
evil. The same violent act, committed in the ethics, due mostly to urgent prodding from
the Church.
spirit of Christian love, was morally justified,
just as when a father punishes his son for his After the disintegration of Charlemagne’s
own good, or when Jesus drove the money- empire in the 8th and 9th centuries, the politi-
lenders from the temple of Solomon. cal structure of France fragmented into
Although St. Augustine considered a war increasingly small domains and fiefs, each
against Christians wrong, he found a holy dominated by a strong, centralized family.
war against pagans perfectly justifiable. The Knights owed fealty and homage both to
Christians, who believed (at first) that the their liege lord and to their family. They
Saracens were all pagans and heathen bar- swore to uphold the family honor, and their
barians, could thus fight a holy war against lord’s, at the cost of their lives. Bloody feuds
them. between noble families were extremely com-
mon during this era. These vendettas tended
It is unlikely that most of the knights in to escalate in an ever-widening cycle of vio-
Pope Urban 11’s audience would have lence and could span many generations. The
understood the convoluted and complex unfortunate commoners suffered as well,
when their plowed fields became a recurring
reasoning of St. Augustine. Instead, the battlefield. Agricultural yields plummeted,
Pope appealed to the Norman knights of and peasants starved.
France in simpler terms that they could
understand. Urban spoke of a vendetta, During this violent time, the Church des-
calling on the knights to avenge the dis- perately tried to convince the vengeful
honor of Christ and the greater family of knights to adopt more ethical, Christian
Christianity. The knights of Europe still behavior. The knighthood slowly began to
clung to their primal views of honor and seek a new identity, and looked back in his-
revenge at the start of the First Crusade, tory to the glowing legends of Charlemagne.
although they were exploring a new iden- Around the time of the Crusades, medieval
tity which embraced both Christianity and
the noble values of their antique, warrior
heritage.

Through Crusaders’ Eyes 5

troubadours composed chansons de geste, takes out his sword, Almace, and continues to
songs of epic feats or heroic deeds about hack at Saracens until the tide of infidels
Charlemagne and his legendary Peers, the finally overcomes him. The Song of Roland
first paladins. portrays the union between Christianity and
violence, in language that even a dim knight
The Song of Roland, composed in Europe could comprehend.
just after the fall of Jerusalem, vividly cap-
tures both the Crusading mentality and por- Though Roland’s suicidal bravery in the
trays a chivalric ideal that contemporary poem seems reckless and irresponsible from a
knights were to admire and emulate. During modern perspective, the Crusades saw far too
778, Charlemagne’s rear guard was slaugh- many examples of this behavior. In 1118,
Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem, invaded Egypt
tered by Gascons and Basques as the emperor --one of the richest, most powerful countries
withdrew from Spain across the Pyrenees. In of Islam-with only 216 knights and 400 foot-
the Song of Roland, however, the archenemy men! The Franks often placed their trust in
becomes the Saracens, the hated enemy of the God and threw caution to the wind. In many
Crusades, and the poem becomes an epic pitched battles, the Crusaders fought against
struggle between Christianity and paganism. impressive odds. Frequently their immovable
faith and fanatical determination helped
The hero of the poem is Roland, a paragon them persevere and triumph on the battle-
of knightly virtues: A knight should have suck field. On many other days, their bravery
valor, who bears arms and sits astride a good brought disaster.
horse. In battle he is strong andfierce, or else he is
not w o r t h f o u r pence. Roland may not be ter- As we will see in Chapter 6, Lady Eleanor
ribly bright, but he is definitively strong and of Aquitaine, and her son, King Richard Lion-
heart, added the romantic dimensions of
fierce, slaying Saracens by the score on the artistic grace and courtly love to knighthood
battlefield with Durendal, a holy sword of during the Second and Third Crusades.
terrible destruction. The poet takes great Richard displaced Roland as the new paragon
pains to describe how Durendal’s hilt is inlaid of knightly virtues, not simply because of his
with Christian relics: Saint Peter‘s tooth and legendary military prowess but also for his
some of Saint Basil’s blood; some hair from the talents at poetry, dancing, singing, and the
head of my lord Saint Denis and part of the rai- lute. In Lady Eleanor’s tradition of courtly
m e n t of the Blessed Virgin. In the poem, the love, a true knight regarded his beloved lady
Archbishop Turpin fights side by side with like a porcelain statue and worshiped her
Roland, dealing a thousand blows or more to the from afar. The Crusades played a pivotal role
Saracens. When the priest’s lance shatters, he in the transformation of knighthood from a
ruthless and vengeful aristocracy into a more
noble, religious, and somewhat romantic
caste of warriors.

Land of Milk and Honey

The Crusades affected all elements of West-
ern society. The Church mobilized to morally
justify and spread news of the expeditions
across all of Europe. The aristocracy embraced
a new ethical code, based partly on Church

6 Chapter One

teachings and partly on the romantic legends gence, a document that absolved the bearer
of the Carolingian dynasty. The most lowly from all Earthly sins and crimes.
peasant became a soldier in Christ’s army.
Others were convincedby secul
From the outset of the crusading move- Some preachers used a feudal argument in
ment, Pope Urban made it clear that everyone favor of the Crusade:Justas serfs were obliged
(exceptmonks) could participate in the libera- to fight in their lord’s service, so too could
tion of Jerusalemand save the Holy Sepulcher Christians be called to fight for Christ. Some
from the Saracens. Pilgrimswere as numerous viewed the Crusade as a feudal obligation to
God.
as soldierson the first crusades.Insome cases,
Those living in Europe had difficulty distin-
such as the ill-fated People’s Expedition of guishing between the physical Jerusalemin
1096, pilgrims even outnumbered soldiers. Palestine and the spiritual capitol proclaimed
Impoverished and sponsorless,the majority in the Bible. Many embarked on the Crusades
could not hope to make the long, difficult envisioning a rich land of flowing milk and
journey without the constant charitv and honey, where bread fell from Heaven, far
almsgiving of the aristocracy. away from the famine, disease, and misery at
home. To the naive peasant, the Holy Land of
Parishpriests and travelingpreachers spread the Bible promised a new beginning for both
news of the Crusade everywhere in Western their spiritual and temporallives.
Europe. The Crusadesbecame extremely pop-
ular among the conunon elements of medieval Before the expeditions to the Holy Land,
society, because every member of the Christian Europe was struggling to shake off the stag-
community felt as though they could con- nation, decay, and destruction of the Dark
tribute to this glorious cause. Even if they did Ages. With the Crusades Europeansbecame
not make the journey themselves, villagers the Champions of Christendom and the
might pool their resources to send a single Defenders of the Holy Sepulcher. Perhaps the
member of their tiny hamlet. At the least, they key to this startling transformation lies in the
showed generous hospitality to Crusaders creation of an archenemy: the Saracens.
who traveled through their village. They
donated their wealth to the Military Orders,
the defenders of the Holy Land.

By participating in a Crusade, even a hum-
ble serf could ensure the eternal salvation of
his or her soul. Pilgrims from as far away as
England and Norway left the nameless vil-
lages of their birth and traveled thousands of
miles to a magical and legendary country her-
alded in the Bible. Unless they came from a
large town or city, the majority of pilgrims
had never strayed more than a few miles
from home. They had no concept of the vast
distance separating Europe from Palestine.
Despite the hardships and uncertainties of
travel, thousands of men and women trav-
eled the entire distance on foot, upholding
this holy enterprise.

People clearly thought about the Crusades
in many ways. Some sought a papal indul-

Through Crusaders’ Eyes 7

m

The Scaracens

"How dare you slumber in the shade ofcompla- that they are descended from Abraham',
cent safety, leading lives asfiivolous as garden Ishmael, and even today still refer to them-
flowers, while your brothers in Syria have no selves as the Sons of Abraham.
dwelling place save the saddles of camels and the
bellies of vultures? Blood has been spilled! Beauti- Islam also maintains that Muhammad is the
f i l young girls have been shamed, and must now Prophet of God. Muhammad ibn Abdullah
hide their sweetfaces in their hands! Shall the founded the religion of Islam in the early 7th
valorous Arabs resign themselves to insult, and century A.D. Muslims believe that God con-
tacted Muhammad in a series of overwhelm-
the valiant Persians accqt dishonor ing revelations. The Prophet learned these
revelations by heart, and afterward recited
tne Crusades either do them to his followers. During the mid-7th
century Muhammad's literate disciples tran-
in distinguishingbe scribed these accounts into the Quran ("recita-
tion"), the holy book of Islam.
,Arabian, or Moori
About two centuries after Muhammad's
seldom overcame their ignorance, death, his followers compiled accounts of the
after the unprovoked Christian as Prophet's life, including all his words and
northern Syria and Palestine, most actions, in a body of work known as the
rarely encountered these blond, fai Sunna ("the way"). Together with the Quran,
warriors-these Franj. the Sunna forms the foundation of an ethical
personal life for a pious Muslim. In addition
This chapter provides a vrlef ov to guiding the personal life of a Muslim,
the Islamic world's history, religio Islam also provides a complete guide for sod-
and political structure a t the ti
the five Pillars of Faith. The first is a
Islam ion of belief. ("There is no god but
Islam is one of the three great
d Muhammad is the Prophet of
tic religions of the world, along w is is all that Islam requires for offi-
and Christianity. The word isl
means "submission"; its follow ;it does not practice baptism
lims, submit themselves to the or similar initiatory ceremonies. The second
the omnipotent God. The first Pillar stipulates that a Muslim should pray
is that there is no god but
founded on the monotheisti a day (45 minutes to an hour before
Judaism and Christianity, n, midafternoon,sunset, and night-
regard Allah as identical to the Christian
God. In the Book of Genesis, in the direction of the holy city of
Abraham that H e would rshipers must wash their head,
nrogenv intn 8 great natio feet before prayer, and they must

ic. Traditionally the sick, travel-
awaiting battle, and pregnant
xempt from the obligation to
s require the devout Muslim to
he poor on a regular basis (a
egal tax called zakat, "purifica-
ote the first mnnth nf the Mus-

1,7:.

I --=: .. P

TheSaracens 9

lim lunar calendar (Ramadan,”the scorcher”) Jerusalem to be the third holiest city of
to ritual fasting between dawn and sunset. Islam (after Mecca and Medina), for its asso-
ciation with Muhammad’s mystical Night
Finally, a Muslim should make a pilgrimage, Journey.
or hajj, to Mecca at least once during his or
her life, if personal health, finances,and cir- The Muslim World
cumstances allow.
By the time of the Crusades, the Islamic
Muslim doctrine forbids idolatry and the age of conquest in the 8th and 9th centuries
consumption of wine and pork; as usually had long ago burned itself out. During that
interpreted, the former prohibits artistic rep- time the armies of Islam swept across the
resentation of living creatures. It details a Middle East, Persia, North Africa, and Spain.
complete way of life, not just spiritual life Provinces in this vast empire were ruled by
but also practical matters such as criminal sultans, according to the authority of the
law, contracts, banking practices, evidence, Caliph-the descendant of Muhammad and
manners, and deportment. Islam recognizes the central political figure of the Islamic
no distinction between the religious and the World. Perhaps the greatest and most cele-
secular. brated Caliph during this era was Haroun al-
Rashid, immortalized in the fantastic tales of
Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalemare the three The Thousand and One Nights.
holiest cities of Islam. Muhammad was born
in Mecca (c. 570) and lived there until his new By the end of the 11thcentury, however, the
religion’s growing political influence gradu- Muslim world was deeply divided. A rival
ally drew the antagonismof local authorities. Caliphate had arisen in Egypt, whose descen-
In 622, the Prophet and his followers emi- dants were related to Ali ibn Talid, Muham-
grated to Medina,where Muhammad lived in mad’s son-in-law and cousin. The Fatimid
exile and built an Islamic society free from Caliphs of Egypt based their rulership on this
religious persecution. This exile, or hijra, premise, revolting against the authority of
marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Abu Bakr, the first Caliph of Baghdad. The
Muhammad returned to Mecca in 630, under supporters of the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt
trucewith the rulers of the city. When the were called Shi’ah i-Ali (”the followers of
Meccans broke the terms of their own truce Ali”), or Shi’ites. Supporters the Abbasid
and attacked Muhammad’s followers, the Caliphate in Baghdad were Sunnis, because
Muslims conquered the city and soon recon- they (in their view) followed the Sunna (”the
secrated Mecca’s pagan shrines to Islam. The way”) of Muhammad. These sects were bitter
Great Mosque of Mecca became the center of rivals, but their rivalry was political, not reli-
gious. Members of both political factions
the Muslim faith. were Muslims, observing the Quran, the
Jerusalem was first considered a holy city Sharia, and the Pillars of Islam.

to Islam, simply because of its association Whereas the Fatimid Caliph retained its
with the Judaic prophets and Jesus. (Islam sovereignty, the Caliph in Baghdad was
recognizesa line of prophets before Muham- essentially a puppet of the Turks. The Seljuq
mad, including Jesus, whom the Muslims tribe of Turks had swept down out of East
revere as “Aysa bin-Miriam.”Muhammad is Asia and conquered much of Persia. In 1055
considered the last and greatest of the the Seljuqs captured Baghdad, and in 1071
prophets.) In 620, Muslims believe that they decisively crippled the Byzantine army,
Muhammad flew from Mecca to Jerusalem. resulting in the dialogue between the Byzan-
From the Rock in the old Jewish Temple, he
stepped into Heaven and consulted with
Moses and Jesus. Muslims thus consider

10 Chapter Two



Map 1: Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem.

The Dome was built in 691 on the summit of Legend
Mount Moriah to commemorate the spot where
Muhammad is said to have stepped into Heaven. 1.Outer portico
When the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem, they 2. Main entrance
converted the Dome into a Christian church. 3. Site entrance
Saladin reclaimed the city in 1187 and restored 4. Outer ambulatory (area for walking)
the site to its original function. 5. Inner ambulatory
6. Summit of Mount Moriah

After the First Crusade, morale among the Zengi was the first Muslim leader to
Muslims reached its nadir. The Franj enjoyed stand up to the Franj and not only survive,
a fearsome reputation among Turks and
Arabs alike. Following their spectacular suc- but triumph. He proved that the Franj could
cesses at Antioch and Jerusalem,the Franj
seemed almost unstoppable. They humiliated be stopped. The leadership in Baghdad
powerful Egypt on a yearly basis, and they approved of Zengi's success, and soon a
raided enemy lands with impunity. Except for long string of titles preceded his name: The
the vassals of Egypt, most of the nearby, terri- Emir, the General, the Great, the Just, the Aid of
fied Muslim leaders paid them a handsome
tribute to secure the peace. Zengi began the God, the Triumphant, the Unique, the Pillar of
long, slow process of reversing this Muslim
perception of the Franj. Religion, the Cornerstone of Islam . . . Honor of
Kings, Supporter of Sultans . . . the Sun of the
Originally given dominion over the lands Deserving. . . Protector of the Prince of the
surroundingMosul and Aleppo, Zengi began
a campaign against the Franj in 1132with the Faithful. Zengi took delight at this flood of
help of his chief lieutenant, Sawar. Over five praise, and he insisted that his heralds and
years he reduced all important castles along scribes use the entire honorific name in his
the Edessene frontier and defeated the Franj correspondence.
army in pitched battle. In 1144, he captured
the city of Edessa and effectively neutralized Although Zengi was a great military hero,
the first domain established by the Crusaders. he was simply too ruthless and cruel in his
campaigns against Damascus to motivate
his fellow Muslims in a religious war. One
drunken night in 1146 he found fault with
his personal eunuch, Lulu ("pearl"), and
promised to have him executed for incom-

12 Chapter Two

I

petence. That evening, while Zengi slept in desert life in much greater de
a drunken stupor, Lulu grabbed his master’s Intellectually, Ayab scientists of the 11th
dagger, stabbed Zengi repeatedly, and fled
under cover of darkness. century far surpassed the erudition of west-
ern scholars.The Arabs translated the great
Zengi’s heir, Nur al-Din, and his successor, works of the Greeks and built on this leg-
Saladin, were both extremely pious. They endary body of knowledge. Arab mathemati-
rigidly observed the Sunna and the Pillars of cians invented algebra, accurately measured
Islam in both their personal and public lives. the Earth’s diameter, and determined the
Each surrounded himself with religious exact length of the year long before Western
scholars, theologians, and men of learning. In Europe attempted these feats. Arab al-
addition, each pursued an active campaign to chemists searched for the key to turning base
spread religious fervor and propaganda metals into gold while Western witches mixed
among his Muslim subjects. With his sterling herbal medicines in cauldrons.
religious example, Nur al-din began-and his
successor, Saladin, cultivated-a religious Arab physicians were recognized as the
best healers of the world, far surpassing the
war, a jihad, against the Franj. Whereas Zengi barbaric barber-surgeons of the West. Though
the Franks regarded their Hospital of St. John
could rely only on his own soldiers, the call as a major accomplishment, to the Arabs it
for jihad attracted Muslim soldiers from all
across Arabia, Egypt, and Persia. This mas- was a terrifying charnel house. Once the Franj

sive army let Saladin smash the Franj at the invited an Arab physician to practice in one
of their hospitals. The latter treated a knight
Battle of Hattin and blunt the force of Richard who had an arrow wound that had begun to
Lionheart’s Third Crusade. fester in his leg. The Arab physician cleaned
the wound and placed a poultice to help it
The fire of Saladin’s jihad burned out in drain. The Franj doctor, appalled at the treat-
1193 when he died. The sultan’s brother, ment, told the knight: “A demon has infected
Saphadin, had no more stomach for war. your leg, and it must be exorcised.” When the
Once the Lionheart left for Europe, the mili- pious knight agreed, orderlies held the unfor-
tary might of the Franj was effectively neu- tunate down while a sturdy young lad
tralized and there was no need for further brought up a battle axe. They hacked off the
bloodshed. For the time being, Saphadin infected leg, and the knight died on the spot.
believed that peaceful coexistence with the
Franj was still possible. Many decades later, a After the Arab physician witnessed the Franj‘s
jihad would finally purge the Franj from Syria
and Palestine. Until 1291, however, faithful equally horrifymgtreatmentfor a head wound,
Muslims still shared a small part of their he stopped visiting their hospital and advised
homeland with the Franj. his Arab brethren to do likewise.

Arab Culture Finally, the Arabs were astounded by the
Though somewhat lacking in resolve on the
Franj’s treatment of women. N o self-respect-
battlefield, the Arabs enjoyed a rich cultural
tradition that far surpassed that of the com- ing Muslim would allow his wife to walk
paratively barbarous Franj. This section high- around unveiled in public and talk to other
lights the major differences between Arab
and Franj culture. For more about this topic, men. According to the Quran, a man could
refer to the AL-QADIM Land @Fate boxed cam- have up to four wives, so long as he treated
paign set, which discusses Arabian city and
each wife fairly and provided for them
equally. Though Arab women enjoyed far
greater freedom during the Golden Era of
Islam, by the 11th century their position in
society had been restricted almost entirely to

~~

The Saracens 13

the household. This revolved around the moved to Egypt, the last bastion of Shi’ism.
hurim, an inviolable sanctuary where a man There he witnessed the sad impotency of the
kept his wives from the lecherous grasp of Fatimid Dynasty under its viziers.
others. The S h r i u had strict laws condemning
adulterers: decapitationfor the man, death by Hassan completed his religious education
stoning for the woman. Nevertheless, Mus- in Egypt, and soon he adopted a militant
and heretical theology. Like conventional
limsguarded their wives very carefully, often Islam, it held that there had been 11great
Prophets in history, including Moses, Jesus,
appointing eunuchs for this duty. and Muhammad; but according to Hassan’s
The contrast of Western and Arab cultures view, a secret, twelfth Prophet would soon
be revealed. The “hidden imam,” as this
is one of the strongestand most entertaining Messianic figure was called, would lead his
possibilities of a Crusades campaign. Over a faithful in a militant revolution, quickly
wries of adventureswith Frankish characters, overturning the Seljuq oppressors of the
the DM can transform the Saracens from the Arab world. Because this eult believed in the
standard medieval view of Muslims as two- coming of a twelfth great Prophet, they were
dimensional heathens into believable and known as the Twelvers. Hassan’s followers
interesting adversaries, perhaps even close kept their religious convictions a closely
guarded secret, as they were rigorously per-
allies! On the other hand, the DM can run the secuted by the Seljuq authorities.

Crusades from an Arab perspective, with Throughout his life, Hassan remained
Muslim characters attempting to understand devoted to the idea of reforming the Fatimid
Caliphate and destroying the Seljuqs. He
md defeat the barbarous Frunj! established a base of operatiuns in the wilder-
ness near Aleppo by 1090, in an impregnable
rbe AssaEsins mountain stronghold called Alamut (”eagle’s
The Assassins were a dangerous and fanati- nest”). Soon, Hassan became known as the
”Old Man of the Mountain,” and a cloud of
cal sect of Shi’ite Mudims during the 11th-12th secrecy descended on the violent organiza-
tion. The cult’s Seljuq detractors maintained
centuries. Members of thisquasi-religious cult that they used hashish to induce a state of
narcotic bliss, which made them fearless in
supported the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt and the face of death, The name “Assassin” comes
furtheredtheir own political agenda by acts of from the Arabic phrase hashishim, ”users of
hashish.’’
terrorism and murder. TheAssassins ruthlessly
According to Seljuq legend, Hassan would
eliminated or intimidated their opponents. have initiates to his order drugged with
Even the great Saladin dared not publicly con- hashish and taken to a beautiful secret garden
front them. in Alamut, filled with exotic foods and beau-
tiful maidens. When the young initiate
The Assassins were founded around 1090 awoke, still under the effects of the narcotic,
by Hassan ibn al-Sabah, an Arab of great the maidens easily convincedhim that he was
intellect and refined education.According to in a garden of earthly delights in Paradise.
legend, Hassan enjoyed the company of Then Hassan would appear and inform the
scholars like Omar Khayyam, a renowned would-be Assassin that only he-the Grand
Arab astronomer, mathematician, and poet. Master, the Old Man of the Mountain-held
When Hassan was born,around 1048,Shi’ism
had expanded across the Muslim world from
Egypt to include most of Syria. Decades later,
after the Seljuq Turks had conquered Bagh-
dad and become supporters of Sunni ortho-
doxy, Shi’ites quickly grew unpopular outside
Egypt. Hassan detested the Seljuqs and the
Sunni movement they upheld. In 1071 he

14 ChapterTwo

the key to the gate of this Garden. The initiate siege of his own accord. According to legend,
was drugged again (perhaps by a lovely
maiden’s glass of wine) and returned to his on the night after he besieged Alamut, Sal-
austere chambers elsewhere in the strong- adin awoke after hearing a small noise in this
hold. On awakening, the Assassin easily tent. Despite his extensive security precau-
became convinced that he had visited tions, the story goes, Saladin found a poi-
Heaven, a wonderful Paradise that awaited soned cake on his pillow, along with a
him should he perish in the pursuit of the threatening note: You are in our power. Regard-
cult’s ideals. less of what actually happened in the sultan’s
tent that night (some whispered of a secret
Assassins did not fear death. Rather, they
welcomed it, for death would bring a return truce between Saladin and the Grand Master),
to the Paradise they longed for. Hassan en- after this incident, the Assassins never both-
joyed near fanatical obedience from his fol- ered Saladin again.
lowers. Many decades later, when a Grand
Master wanted to impress the Franj with the As the declared enemies of the Seljuq XI-
Assassins’ fanatical loyalty, he invited a tan in Baghdad, the Assassins were usually
on good terms with the Franj. Like the
prominent noble to his secluded mountain Franks, the Assassins opposed all Muslim
stronghold. As the horrified Frunj looked on,
the Grand Master ordered his followers to Sunnites and their leaders as a matter of pol-
hurl themselves from the highest parapets, icy. They sometimes arranged temporary
one by one, until the Franj begged the Old alliances with the Franj, and they paid the
Man of the Mountain to stop the gruesome Franj a handsome tribute. Though the Assas-
display. As a gift, the Grand Master promised sins murdered a few Frankish lords in rare,
the Franj a favor, should his visitor ever re- isolated incidents, in general the cult men-
quire his services in the future. Of course, the aced the Seljuq Turks much more than it
only “favor” a Grand Master could arrange threatened Christians. Assassins only occa-
was murder. sionally eliminated impertinent Franj, the
fools who insulted or publicly opposed the
The Assassins never realized their goal of Assassins-such as the Lord of Tyre, who
reforming the Fatimids, for Saladin deposed captured one of their merchant vessels and
the Caliph in Cairo and established the sover- refused to pay
eignty of the Sunni majority in Egypt. There-
Along with t
after the Assassins spent much of their energy sins were one of the most influential power
trying to eliminate Saladin.O n three separate groups in Outremer (Jerusalem)at the time
occasions, Saladin fortuitously avoided the of the Crusades. Though some members of
Assassins’ blades. Though he gave praise to the Military Orders clearly detested the
Allah for his miraculous survival after each Assassins and their brutal methods, records
incident, Saladin also probably thanked the of the Templars indicate that they accepted
armorers who fashioned his concealed suit of regular tribute from these terrorists. Perhaps
mail, which he wore to bed every night while the connection between these organizations
campaigning.When opposing the Assassins, was closer than can be discerned from histor-
even the great Saladin lived in fear. ical records. At the least, some kind of truce
existed between the holiest orders of Christ-
After the third attempt on his life, Saladin ian chivalry and the infamous Assassins.
marched his massive army to the Assassin
stronghold, determined to raze it to the
ground. A few days later, however, Saladin
abruptly changed his mind and broke the

The Snrncens 15

Character

Almighty, who does notforget the people who In a historical or legendal, zampaign, all
laborfor his name’s sake.” player characters should be human. Garners
can loosen this restriction somewhat for a
-Fulcher of Chartres,1100 fantasy campaign, but remember: The world
is predominantly human and extremely
ble characters bring the
3rusading period to life. This chapter gives xenophobic. The world religions are domi-
d e s and advice for creating memorablenon- nated by humans who view all other races
)layer characters (NPCs)and player charac-
as a threat. Consider the elf, for instance. In
Not all traditionalcharacter classes and kits human society, the traditional forest-
appropriate for every Crusades campaign. dwelling elf-or fairie-is a hated race that
will be discussed in Chapter 5, the level of steals human infants and hides them in
their magical realm, leaving behind a horrid
agic in a campaignstronglyaffects the avail- and sickly changeling to torment their
ibility of player character classes. In historic mothers. Elves are evil monsters, like
ind legendary campaigns, magic plays a lim- gnomes and dwarves, completely opposed
ted and restricted role when compared with to human society and all it stands for. From
,tandardAD&D game fantasy settings. PCs childhood, humans during this era were
ire barred from most wizard kits, and the taught to hate and fear elves, dwarves, and
)ewers of priests are greatly reduced. In a fan- gnomes. Elves steal children. Dwarves and
gnomes (like their cousins, trolls) live under
sy campaign, on the other hand, specialist bridges and devour helpless travelers. In a
izards or even psionicists may appear, but Crusades campaign, the rare demihumans
only at the DM’s discretion. Druids have no are held in contempt and fear by the vast
)lacein a Crusades campaigr human majority.

rable 1:AppropriatePlayer CharacterClasses Society during the Middle Ages was not
)y Campaign only xenophobic, it was incredibly sexist by
modern Western standards. Frankish society
Historical Legendary Fantasy
in Outremer tended to be more egalitarian
Fighter A A A than Europe, but it was still predominantly a
Paladin D A A man’s world. In the Middle Ages the worn
Ranger DM A A an’s role was to get married, tend the home,
Mage DM A work in the fields (or shop), and raise chil-
AT A dren. That’s about it. Heroic women from this
ard NA DM era had to transcend a stultifying, restrictive,
A A female stereotype. During the Crusades,
NA NP many women surmounted these considerable
A I TA hurdles to success or notoriety. They helped
DM defend their cities and castles alongwith their
NA A
Dh husbands, and they ruled domainswhile men
were away on campaign.
le; NA = Not Avail-
able; DM = Class available at the discretionof In a historical or legendary campaign sei-
the Dungeon Mastc ting, women have access to only a few kits.
As priests, they may become Hakimas (wise
women). As warriors, they may only become

Peasant Heroles or Outlaws. A female rogue Table 2: Religiousand Cultural
may choose between a Bandit, Spy, or Mer- Restrictionsby Kit
chant. As a wizard, a woman may be either
a Sorceress or a Witch (Sha‘ir).These restric- Sub-
tions may be waived in a fantasy campaign,
but this may cheapen or (worse yet) com- Relieion Culturt Source
pletely neglect the historical struggle of
women to succeed in a male-dominated Priest C Cl’H
society. Nob1eman C
Pacifist C CPH
Religion and Culture Peasant CPH
CM CPH
Religion was the driving force of the Cru- Scholar M AA
sades. If people did not take religion extremely Moralist M AA
seriously, the Crusades would never have Hakima C,M AA
begun. Religion governs the kits available to C
the players. It is not possible, for instance, to Mystic ccs
role-play a Christian Faris, for instance, or a Warrior Priest

Muslim Monastic Warrior. In the kit descrip- Warrior - F/B CFH
Cavalier 13 CFH
tions that follow, religious restrictions follow C F/B CFH
the kit name in parentheses. Myrmidon C F CFH
Noble Warrior C Any CFH
Religious choices are further complicated Peasant Hero C,M F,Su,Shi AA
by factional differences from culture to cul- Pirate/Outlaw C,M Shi,Su,T AA
ture. A Christian PC, for instance, may belong Askar M su
to either the Latin, Greek Orthodox, or DesertRider M shi,su AP
Armenian Church (seeChapter 4). Faris M
Mamluk I AP
TABLE 2 Legend Monastic C
ccs
Religion: C=Christian;M=Muslim. Warrior
Sub-Culture/Sect: F=Frank; I=Italian;
B=Byzantine; S=Syrian-Christian;A=Armen- Rogue
ian; Su=Sunni;Shi=Shi’ite; T=Turk;
Sources: AA=AL-QADIMArabian Adven- Bandit CN Any CTH
Any CTH
dbook; Beggar C,M h Y CTH
=Com- S,A,Su,Shi CTH
plete Bard’s Handbook; CPH=CompletePriest’s Buccaneer C,M
Handbook; CCS=CrusadesCampaign Source- S,A,Su,Shi CTH
book. scout C/M F/B CBH
SPY F CBH
L Gallant C,M F/B CBH
C F,BJ CBH
k Jester C Su,Shi AA

\ Thespian C Shi AA

Herald C 1,su AA

Barber M FJ ccs
Holy Slayer M

Merchant-Rogue C,M

Pardoner C

Wizard M Su,Shi AA
Sorcerer C,M F,Su,Shi AA

Sha’ir (Witch)

Characters 17

Characters from Western Europe belong to entirely on silver coinage. In the East, how-
the Latin Church by default. In Outremer, ever, gold was comparatively plentiful. Nev-
native Christians belong to either the Greek ertheless, the gold dinar still had considerable
Orthodox or the Armenian churches. Histori- purchasing power. A single gold coin, for
cally,members of differentChristian churches instance, could reportedly feed a peasant
distrusted, resented, or directly opposed each family for an entire month!
other. Certain kits are only available to a few
Christian sub-groups (e.g., warrior priest, In game terms, the dinar and dirham should
monastic warrior). have roughly the same purchasing power as
the standard AD&D game ’s gold and silver
The Islamic world was much more reli- pieces. There are no historical equivalents to
giously unified than Christendom at the time the platinum and the electrum piece (pp and
of the Crusades. Two political factions-the ep). Copper coinage was not standardized
Sunni and the Shi’ite sects-vied for temporal during this period, so the concept of a copper
power, but this did not affect the practice of piece is shaky at best. Aside from gold and
Islam (see Chapter 2). Only the name of the silver currency, many still bartered to obtain
Caliph mentioned in the prayers changed goods.
between a Sunni and a Shi’ite mosque. At the
time of the Crusades, the Shi’ite sect was in Not all equipment from the Player’s Hand-
decline and restricted almost entirely to book is appropriate for the Crusades cam-
Egypt. The majority of Muslims belonged to paign. Some armor and weaponry, such as
the Sunni sect. A Muslim PC must choose a plate armor and firearms, had not yet been
sect at the start of his career, but this does not invented by the Crusades. Consult Table 3 for
limit his selection of kits as it would for a a list of unavailable equipment. If gamers
Christian PC. have access to the AL-QADIMArabian Adven-
tures rulebook, its equipment lists more accu-
Currency and Equipment rately reflect the exotic items available at a
During this era, many different forms of Middle Easternbazaar.

currency saw use in both Christian and Mus- Table 3: Unavailable Equipment
lim societies. In general, the Christian states from Player’s Handbook
of Outremer used the bezant of the Byzantine
Empire. They also used the dinar and dirham Tack plate or brigandinebarding
of the Arab world. Use this simplified conver- Transport canoe, carriage, caravel,
sion rate between the gold bezant, gold dinar, Misc. galleon
and silver dirham: 1bezant (bz.) = 1dinar backpack, crampons, lantern,
(dr.) = 15dirhams (dm.) Weapons lock (good), piton, rope (silk),
signal whistle, thieves’ picks
Typically, conversion rates varied from Armor arquebus, blowgun (barbed
place to place (the weights of most coins, ex- dart), hand crossbow, man-
cept the dirham, varied). For simplicity dur- catcher, sling bullet, khopesh
ing play, however, assume that these coins banded mail, brigandine,
have roughly constant value. The dirham and bronze plate mail, field plate,
dinar were much smaller than standardAD&D full plate, hide armor, plate
game currency. For instance, 100 dirhams or mail, splint mail
80 dinars weighed 1pound.

Before the conquest of the Holy Land, the
Franks were used to currency based almost

18 Chapter Three

A

Characters 19

hgwa!F world. Arabic was not just spoken by Mus-
In a standard AD&D campaign, everyone lims, however. The Syrian-Christian inhabi-
tants of the Holy Land spoke it, and so did
conveniently speaks Common. In the histori- the most modern Western scholars.
cal setting of the Crusades, each cultural
group has its own written and spoken lan- Other languages. Each minority in Out-
guages. For the purposes of nonweapon pro- remer spoke (and in some cases wrote) their
ficiencies, fluency in speaking a language own language. The most prominent tongues
takes one slot, and literacy in that language included Armenian, Italian, Turkish, Ger-
takes a second slot. Learning languages takes man, and Hebrew. These minorities were
considerablepersonal investment, but their often forced to learn other languages to
importance-especiallyin a culturally diverse communicate with those outside their cul-
setting such as Outremer-is paramount. tural community.

French. The conquerors of the Holy Land Names
spoke a medieval French dialect which var- Choosing the proper name is an impor-
ied by their region of origin. Langue d‘oiel
was spoken in the north of France, langue tant part of character creation. Ina historical
d’oc in the south. A t the DM’s discretion,
these dialects may be treated as different campaign, it can be time-consuming to
languages. Both of these tongues were spo- research appropriate names for the setting.
ken in Outremer, but the majority of the The different Western and Eastern naming
Franks spoke the northern dialect. Langue traditions make this task more challenging
d’oiel was the most prevalent Western lan- than usual.
guage spoken in the Holy Land at the time
of the Crusades. In the West, individuals were usually
given a single, personal name. Sometimes
Latin. Latin was the primary written lan- people were identified by a nickname, such
guage of Western Europe. All priests and as Richard Lionheart. More often, when
most scholars learned to read, write, and people traveled, as they did during the Cru-
speak this language, which was invaluable sades, they took their country or town of ori-
when translating ancient Roman texts and gin as their ”proper name.” Thus w e get
Church writings. Official Church documents names like Godfrey of Lorraine or Bohe-
were inscribed in Latin, and all religiouscere- mund of Taranto.
monies were conducted in this language. But
Latin was a dead language, rarely spoken In Arab society, names were much more
outside scholarly or religiouscircles. complicated.Everyonewas given a personal
or domestic name, but this was rarely used
Greek. The Eastern Orthodox Church and in public. A full name also included hon-
the entire Byzantine Empire were based on orific titles and ancestral names. Saladin’s
the ancient Greek language. Though old,
Greek was by no means defunct at the time of full name, for example, was al-Malikal-Nasir
the Crusades. The language was spoken on
the streets of Constantinopleby all Byzan- Salah al-Din (”the king strongly saving the
tines, whom Western Europeansreferred to faith”) Abu ’2-Muzaffer (”the son of Muzaf-
as Greeks. fer”) Yusuf (”Joseph”) ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi
(”of Ayyub of Shad”). On formal occasions,
Arabic. This was the unifying written and the name might include an entire list of
verbal language of the Arabian peninsula, ancestors. As in the West, nicknames were
and once the single language of the Islamic also used, such as Q a d i al-Fadel, meaning
”the talented judge.”

20 ChapterThree

Table 4 Male Christian Names Constance Irene Stephanie
Daphne Isabella Thamar
Aaron Gabriel Matthew Doda Juliana Theodora
Absalom Gauffier Maurice Doletta Lucia Yolanda
Achard Geoffrey Michael Eleanor Lucienne Yvette
Adam George Miles
Adhemar Gerard Odo Table 6:Male Muslim Names
Aimery Gervase Paul
Alberic Gerbold Peter Abdalla Daud Makrisi
Albert Gilbert Philip Abdo Fakhr Maroof
Alexander Godfrey Randulph Abukir Ghada Muhammad
Almaric Gregory Ralph Adil Habid Musa
Ambroise Guibert Raymond Adnan Hakim Mustapha
Arnold GUY Reynald Ahmad Ibrahim Nadan
Arnulf Henry Richard Akura Ismail Nawal
Baldwin Hugh Robert Ali Jahir Saleh
Balian Humbert Roger Amer Jamal Samer
Basil Humphrey Roupen Anagni Kairouz Suhail
Benedict Stephen Asen Kamal Talib
Berengar Suger Aymar Kasim Umar
Bernard Tancred Bababdul Khaizuran Wali
Bertrand Terence Baibars Khalil Yanaki
Bervold Theodore Bakr Kior Yusef
Christopher Theophilus Basem Lesegi
Daimbert Thierry Bashid Maaz
Daniel Thomas Batul Mahmud
Eliand Thoros Bayezit Majid
Eustace Waleran
Evremar Walter Table 7: Female Muslim Names
Frederick William
Yves Aisha Khulud Riqiya
Fulk Aleeya Leyla
Amal Liana Soraya
Table 5 Female Christian Names Anaiz Mabru Suha
Awatef Manal Tahani
Adela Elvira Maria Bilquis Mauza Taj
Agnes Emma Margaret Dalal Mawda Tamr
Alberada Eschiva Matilda Dunya Muna Widad
Alice Eva Mellisende Ghusun Nafoura Mlani
Angela Eudocia Morphia Halida Najeeya Zorah
Anna Euphemia Nicola Ibtisam Nasab Zulieka
Beatrice Godvere Orgillosa Jahuar Nur
Bertha Helen Philippa Jaleela Perizade
Blanche Heloise Plaissance Japi Qumasha
Catherine Helvis Richelda Kadijah Raja
Cecilia Hodierna Sibylla Kawkab
Ida Sigelgaita
Cdia

Characters 21

Priest Kits Prince of Peace and abhorred violence. Most
of the Latin clergy-and the vast majority of
The Crusades were holy wars, and both the Greek Orthodox priesthood-vigorously
Christian and Islamic religious leaders played embraced this philosophy. The pacifistic Cult
pivotal roles. In this section, we discuss the of the Virgin Mary, for instance, spread like
role of priests in Christian and Muslim soci- wildfire across Europe in the 12th century.
ety during the Crusades. With only a few During the Crusades, many traveling pil-
modifications, many kits from the Complete grims, and the healer-priests of the Hospi-
Priests’ Handbook are perfectly appropriate for tallers, would typically belong to this kit.
a Crusades campaign. The Nobleman, Paci- These priests wore no armor and never used
fist, Peasant, and Scholar all make ideal kits weapons, even in self-defense. Role-playing a
for Frankish priests and Islamic religious Pacifist Priest in the context of a holy war can
leaders. If gamers have the AL-QADrM Arabian be difficult (especially with a combat-inten-
Adventures sourcebook, consider including sive party, where the character is reduced to a
the Moralist, Hakima, and Mystic as well. healer). For the sake of party cohesion, the
Finally, we discuss a kit unique to the Crusad- DM may wish to limit this role only to NPCs.
ing era, the Warrior Priest.
Peasant Priest (Christian). In Europe, each
In the official hierarchy of the Roman peasant village had its own parish priest,
Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, only assigned to serve the spiritual needs of his
men could be ordained priests. Women were community. Rough, simple, and sympathetic
barred from all levels of the priesthood, to the needs of his parish, this priest embod-
except by entering a nunnery (hardly much
adventure in that). Even in a convent, the ied a much different philosophy than that of
Mother Superior was technically subordinate the Nobleman Priest. During the Crusades,
to the lowliest ordained priest. Unlike the all Latin priests of this kit would have been
Christian churches, Islam had no official hier- pilgrims, imported from Europe; Peter the
archy. In the mosques, one of the faithful was Hermit, who arranged the People’s Expedi-
chosen to lead the appropriate prayer. Reli- tion during the First Crusade, is a classic
gious leaders, or mullahs, did exist at the time, example of such a cleric. The Peasant Priests
but they were never part of an institutional- of Outremer would have belonged either to
ized hierarchy. As with the Christian priest- the Greek Orthodox (in the Kingdom of
hood, Islamic religious leaders and scholars Jerusalem) or Armenian Church (near Anti-
were practically always male. och or Edessa).

Nobleman Priest (Christian).In the large Scholar Priest (Christian/Muslim). Inboth
noble families of Western Europe, the first son Christianity and Islam, priests and mullahs
inherited the family domain, the second son were among the best-educated members of
usually became a cleric, and the third became society. They were required to read and write
an adventurer. Pope Urban 11, who launched
the first Crusade, entered the priesthood for at least one modern and one ancient language.
this reason. The Nobleman Priest retains all In addition to theology, these priests were
the aristocratic tastes, luxuries, and affecta- often experts on history, science, and engineer-
tions of his lineage. On reaching 8th level, a ing. Many chroniclers of the Crusades would
Nobleman Priest would be appointed to one have belonged to this kit. Both King Richard
of the newly created parishes and bishoprics Lionheart and Saladin retained several Scholar
throughout the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Priests or mullahs in their service, to serve as
advisors, heralds, and historians.
Pacifist Priest (Christian). Christ was the
Moralist (Muslim). In the context of the
Crusades, Muslim religious leaders with this

22 ChapterThree

kit would have strenuously advocatedjihad, tions are antitheticalto this priestly vocation.
or religious wars against the Franks. These Like all members of the ordained clergy, War-
firebrands sought to incite the common man rior Priests swore oaths of celibacy and
to take up the holy war. Nur al-din, and his chastity. Because of the rigors of this kit, they
successor, Saladin, supported many religious must have minimum Strength 14 and WiF-
leaders of this vocation. Christian equivalents dom 12.
of this kit existed, but many probably re-
mained in Europe to gain more volunteersfor Canon law strictly forbade the shedding of
the armies. blood by priests.During the Crusades, clerics
sometimes abandoned this restriction. The
Hakima (Muslim). The wise woman with Latin hierarchy permitted this so long as the
strange, mystic powers is a prominent figure Warrior Priests fought only against the Sara-
in Arabic legends. Although not a historical cens, or in a just and holy cause that would
role, the Hakima can be important for both benefit all of Christianity:for instance, libera-
legendary and fantasy campaigns. tion of the Holy Sepulcher, or recovering a
lost holy relic.
Mystic (Christian/Muslim). Christianity
and Islam both have strong mystic traditions. Shedding the blood of a fellow Christian,
From the 1stcentury A.D., Christian eremites however, remains unthinkable for these cler-
(hermits) lived in tiny colonies, scattered ics. Faced with such a dilemma, the priest
across the mountains of Lebanon. Hermits must revert to using a blunt weapon, such as
embraced the spartan lifestyle of St. Johnthe a mace or flail. Misuse of violence for per-
Baptist, remaining almost exclusively in the sonal goals results in an immediate loss of all
wilderness and subsisting on a natural diet of priestly powers (including spells) until the
berries, roots, honey, and insects. errant priest has suitably atoned for his mi?-
deed, as determinedby the DM.
Among Muslims, the Sufi mystic tradition,
like that of the hermit, embraced a spartan Role: A Warrior Priest is a spiritual lead
lifestyle. The Sufi sought knowledge, self- of the Crusades, responsible for the cleric
awareness, and the almost unattainable goal needs of soldiers and knights in his company.
of perfection through intense meditation, This priest celebrates mass at dawn and
repetitive recitation of the Qurun, and precise, before every battle. He discusses tactics with
artistic calligraphy. Sufi Mystics lived in the aristocratic leaders and fights in combat
secluded communities near Muslim universi- against the Saracens, just like any other brave
ties, shrines, or other imnortant religious warrior. This priest has no place in the estab-
sites. lished hierarchy of the Church. He belongs in
an army,military company, or in castles along
Warrior Priest (Christian). Unique to the the frontier, always fighting against the Sara-
Crusades, members of this fanatical priest- cens. A Warrior Priest sees himself as the
hood adopteda militantphilosophy to defend defender and liberator of Christianity. He is
Christianity against the perceived evil of the also an ideal member of a Military Order,
Saracens. These priests not only such as the Templars or the Hospitallers (see
Chapter 4).
racticed it themselves,
e knights and soldiers Weapon Proficiencies: Members of this k

. Classic examples of this may take any weapon allowed to the pries
class. In addition, for every six levels they
Adhemar of Le Puy, the attain, Warrior Priests may choose an addi-
the First Crusade, and tional edged melee weapon, such as the
legendary archbishop from the sword, lance, spear, or battle axe. They can
viously, pacifistic inclina-

Characters 23

never learn to use an edged missile weapon, with the Saracens are permissible, but only
such as a bow or crossbow. until the army of Christ has gained enough
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: read/ strength to fight them effectively once again.
write (Latin); ancient languages (Latin). Rec-
ommended: heraldry, modern languages, rid- In game terms, this narrow-minded, religious
ing, singing, weather sense; engineering,
religion; armorer, endurance, survival, weap- chauvinism results in a -5 penalty on reaction
onsmithing. Forbidden: any rogue. roles with Saracen NPCs and effectively poi-
Equipment: The Warrior Priest wears on sons all their long-term relations with Mus-
sacramental robes when celebrating mass and lims. This greatly restricts their use in
performing the daily religious services. On campaigns with Muslim PCs; some DMs may
the battlefield, however, he wears the best wish to use this kit with NpCs onlv.
able, along with his vestments.
nefi'ts: These characters are effec- Wealth Options: Warrior Priestibegin play
spected leaders on the battlefield, d6x10 gp. Like paladins, they are ex-
gain a +1 bonus to Charisma. In to tithe 10% of their income (gained in
ition, all allies fighting in sight of this ,adventuring, or inheritance) to a chari-
cleric gain a bonus to morale and saving
throws versus fear, +foIr everv six levels of table cause, an established Church, or reli-
the priest. gious institution, such as a monastery or
Priests are convent (never another PC). Aside from this
Magical Abilit
allowed spells from the following spheres, msgiving, the
subject to the restraints imposed by type of ealth as desired.
campaign (whether historical, legendary, or
fantastic-see Chapter 5): Warrior Kits
Major Access: Combat, Creation, Divina- Because of a chronic manpower shortage,
n, Elemental, Protection, Summoning,
(from Tome of Magic). fighters were always in high demand in the
inor Access: All, Charm, Guardian, Heal- Holy Land. This section reviews the diverse
ing,Necromantic, Weather, Sun. roles of warriors during the Crusades. Many
Forbidden Spheres: all others. of the kits from the Complete Fighter's Hand-
ranted Powers: Warrior Priests can tur book are appropriatefor this era: the Cavalier,
ad and cast out spirits (see Chapter 5). Myrmidon, Noble Warrior, Peasant Hero, and
'a1Hindrances: Like Monastic Warriors
,these priests are intolerant te/Outlaw. From the AL-QADIMArabian
declared enemies of all Sara- tures book, consider the Askar, Desert
viewpoint, these evil pagans Faris, and Mamluk kits. Finally, we dis-
must all be destroyed or, even better, con- ne new warrior kit unique to this era:
verted to Christianity at the earliest opportu- onastic Warrior.
nity. A Warrior Priest never trusts or accep (Christian). The Cavalier is a
the word of any Saracen except a convert. motivated by the lofty ideals of
Because of his fanaticism, the Warri honor. In contrast with the noble
Priest rarely works alongside Saracen allies A
willingly, unless he is convinced that such a arrior, who is primarily interested in
compromise will positively benefit Christian- thering his own social standing, the Cav
ity or Outremer as a whole. Official treaties devotes his service to more ethical and relj-
gious pursuits.This kit should be especiall,
attractive to paladins.

In the campaign, these principledfigures are
ely rare. Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, the
irst ruler of Jerusalem,is one of the few

modelsfor this kit from the Crusadin

Myrmidon (Christian). In a Crusades cam- mund of Taranto, Baldwin of Bouillon, King
paign, the Myrmidon-a kit for professional Richard Lionheart, and even the rapacious
warriors and mercenaries-could originate Reynald de Chstillon can all be considered
from either the Byzantine Empire or the Ital- Noble Warriors.
ian city-states.
Peasant Hero (Christian). The mil
The Byzantines had one of the largest and opportunities for the lower class were
best-trained armies in the world, based on the limited during the Middle Ages. In general,
organization of ancient Rome. The Byzantine the landed peasantry were forbidden to own
Empire was so large, however, that their or use weapons (it would make rebellion
forces were spread thinly along a vast fron- much too easy). In European society, only the
tier. Byzantine professional soldiers and militant aristocracy could bear arms. How-
career warriors acted as emergency reinforce- ever, the harsh conditions of the Crusades
ments, scouts, and messengers to the Frank- forced many peasants on these military expe-
ish aristocracy in Outremer. In general, the ditions to either fight for food and survival or
Franks disliked and mistrusted Byzantine perish.
mercenaries, fearing that the emperor desired
to annex the Crusader States. To the Franks, When famine and starvation became com-
all Byzantineswere spies. mon hardships on the first Crusade, some
orphaned peasants and common pilgrims
The Italian cities of Venice, Pisa, and Genoa banded together. Under the leadership of a
were an important source of mercenary war- self-proclaimed"King" Tafur, these peasants
riors for the Crusaders.Italian navies helped fought with the knights against the Saracens.
the Franks capture many of the important Perhaps because of their desperation, these
ports along the Mediterranean coast. Italian Tafurs were among the most feared regiments
mercenaries rarely worked for the same of the Frankish forces, fighting with almost
master long, as their services were extremely bestial ferocity. After the Crusades were over,
expensive. These mercenariesmight be hired the desperate Frankish aristocracy would
in any city of Outremer with a large Italian have welcomed almost any warrior into their
service, perhaps even a Peasant Hero.
e Warrior (Christian). The majority of
e secular, Frankish aristocracy in Outremer Pirate/Outlaw(Christian/Muslim). Pirates
belong to this kit, which requires none of the and outlaws were common during the Cru-
moral and ethical strictures of the cavalier. sading era, especially in Outremer. With the
These knights are typically motivated by a shortage of armed forces, the Franks could
combination of worldly and religious ideals. not patrol the long roads of the kingdom.
On one hand, they hoped to further their per- Muslim bandits, for instance, were a serious
sonal glory, their own aristocratic holdings, or menace along the frequently traveled road
strengthen the Frankish nobility as a whole, from Jerusalemto the Mediterranean coast, at
usually by expanding the borders of Out- Jaffa or Acre.
remer and creating new fiefdoms. At the
same time, many knights also followed the Not all outlaws during this era preyed on
romantic ideals of chivalry and staunchly Christians, however. The Christian ports
defended the Holy Land with their lives. were often filled by friendly pirates (usually
Sadly, these virtues were sometimes lacking from Sicily), who attacked only vessels from
in members of the Frankish nobility. Muslim ports. On land, raiding and theft
There are many examples of this kit (both from the neighboring Muslim cities became a
good and bad) during the Crusades: Bohe- lucrative occupation for many adventurers.

Before this kit becomes too appealing,how-
ever, it should be mentioned that if an outlaw

Characters 25

was apprehended during this era, the pena
ties for most crimes were severe and often
fatal. A t the least, the criminal would be
thrown into a disease-ridden dungeon to roc
for several years.
Askar (Christian/Muslim). The Askar is
basically a common civilian soldier. Unlike a
A peasant hero, the Askar typically belongs to

the middle class.
In Islamic society, each city or town drew
its own civilian militia-the Askar-only
from among its Muslim inhabitants, because
Christians were forbidden to bear arms. In
times of war this army could defend the city
from attack or invade a dangerous neighbor.
Askars made up the majority of the common
Muslim foot soldiers during the Crusades.
In the Frankish society of Outremer, mem-
bers of the sergeant class (see Chapter 4)
might also belong to this kit. Descended from
the Crusaders' foot soldiers who settled in
Outremer, the sergeants formed a regular
militia for the Crusader States.
Desert Rider (Muslim). These mounted
warriors are the Bedouins of the arid Arabic
peninsula and the deserts surrounding the
Nile river valley. These nomadic tribes some-
times made minor raids along the southern
border of Outremer, but more often they kept
to themselves in their inhospitable homeland.
Occasionally, Bedouins would prey on small
caravans traveling through their domain.
Members of the Seljuqs of Turks may also
belong to this kit. Though they came fron
the barren steppes of east Asia rather thai
the desert, the Turks had a strong tradition o
mounted combat. Unlike the Bedouins, th
Turks had dreams of conquest, and the.
quickly triumphed over the Arab rulers CJ
Persia and Syria. Though many Seljuq
adopted city life, the majority still embracec
their mounted lifestyle. The lightning-swih
Turkish cavalrywas among the Franks' grea&
est nemeses.
Faris (Muslim). This devout Muslim war
Arior devoteshis entire life to fighting for Islar

A

I in a jihad (holy war) againsr the FranKs of plar PCs may ul good or lawful

Outremer. A student of the Quran, this pious neutral. Ali Monastic WarriGrs must have

fighter lives his life accordingto the Sunna of minimum 12 Strength, 12 Wisdom, and 12

the Prophet Muhammad. He strictly observes Constitution.

the Pillars of Islam and the Sharia, or the holy Role: Each Military Order was founded for

law. Though these characters fight the Frank- a different, specific purpose. The Templars

ish occupation, Farisan (especiallypaladins) began by protecting pilgrims along the high-

pursue the jihad as humanely as possible; way to Jerusalem.The Hospitallers operated

they spare prisoners who convert to Islam. As a hospital for impoverished pilgrims before

the Frankish occupationof Outremer dragged they became a Military Order. Eventually the

on, many Muslims were attracted to this Orders became devoted to defending the

vocation. The great sultans Nur al-Din and Holy Land. The Hospitallers, however, re-

his successor, Saladin, are sterling role models tained their focus on good works and charity

for this kit. even after they assumed full military respon-
Mamluk (Muslim).Muslim society was sibilities throughout Outremer.

based in part on institutionalized slavery. The Military Orders fell outside the author-

Slavery was never hereditary, however, and a ity of the local secular and religious leaders

slave might earn his freedom through exem- and answered directly to the Pope. Neverthe-

plary service to a good master. The Mamluk less, the rulers of Outremer made generous

was a slave trained by the state for war. donations of lands and castles to the Tem-

Though these slaves started as common sol- plars and Hospitallers, knowing that these

diers, they often rose in rank and stature Orders would defend them properly.

according to their individual ability and Each Order is organized along a separate,

prowess in battle. For instance, most of the strict chain of command. Experience level is

powerful viziers of Egypt were slaves, as considered to be equivalent to the warrior’s

were many of the Turkish atabegs, such as direct rank within the Military Order’s hier-

Kerbogha and Zengi. archy. A lower-level (and therefore lower-
Monastic Warrior (Christian).The Military ranking) Templar is expected to follow a

Orders formed the strong backbone of the superior’s orders without question (see Spe-

Christian military in the Holy Land. Like the cial Hindrances below). Warriors of 1st-4th

Warrior Priest, which combines the roles of level are sergeants; those of 5th level and

cleric and fighter, the Monastic Warrior com- above are knights; the highest-levelwarrior of

bines the roles of fighter and monk. These an Order is the Grand Master. Clerics also

fighters embraced a strict monastic lifestyle joined Military Orders (see Chapter 4). A

and devoted their existence to fighting the priest’s rank within the organization is also

Saracens. determined by level.

A warrior of this kit may belong to either Weapon Proficiencies: Required: sword

the Order of the Temple (as a Templar)or the (long or bastard) and lance (medium or
Order of Saint Tohn (as a Hospitaller).These heavy); Recommended: all swords and

IL two Orders arehetailed in Ch&ter 4. ‘ lances, mace (both types), morning star, flail

(both types), spear, dagger, battle axe. For-

bidden: crossbow.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required:healing

(Hospitallers)or any two modern languages

(Templars);by 5th level, all Monastic War-

riors must learn riding (land-based).Recom-

mended: animal handling, blacksmithing, Christian territory. Even if an outpost of the
cooking, direction sense, etiquette, heraldry, Order is not located nearby, the grateful
modern languages, singing, weather sense; people gladly donate what they can for their
ancient history, engineering, healing, herbal- pious defender.
ism, local history, read/write, religion, spell-
craft; animal lore, armorer, blind fighting, These warriors are the scourge of the Sara-
endurance, hunting, survival, tracking, weap- cens. Because of their training and fanatic
onsmithing. Forbidden:Any rogue. zeal, Templars and Hospitallers gain a +1
bonus to hit and damage when fighting a
Equipment: The Military Orders are among Saracen opponent with a melee weapon.
the best-equipped warriors in the Holy Land. Monastic Warriors also gain a +1 on saving
They may use their personal wealth to pur- throws against Saracen attacks.
chase arms, armor, and equipment as they see
fit, donating all excess money to the Military Furthermore, as a member of an extensive
Order (see “Wealth Options”). Each Order and disciplined military organization, a Tem-
provides the following for its brethren: plar or Hospitaller PC can give an order to a
* Horses:At 1stlevel, the warrior may obtain subordinate and expect it to be obeyed. (Note
that a Templar has absolutely no jurisdiction
a riding horse. At 3rd level, the Order also over a Hospitaller, however, nor vice versa.
provides a light war horse, and at 7th level, These rival factions may respect each other,
the Order further provides a heavy war but not that much.) Within his own organiza-
horse. If any of these steeds are lost or slain, tion, a Monastic Warrior has authority over
they are not replaced until the warrior has those of three levels lower than himself. For
reached the next level. A warrior may never instance, at 4th level, a Templar can com-
own more than four horses. mand 1st-levelinitiates.
Arms and Armor: At 1st level, the Order
provides a sword of the fighter’s choice. At The Templars, in particular, taketheir vow
3rd level, the warrior receives a full suit of of obedience extremely seriously.Orders given
chain mail, a great helm, and a medium to a subordinate NPC are followed immedi-
shield, unless he has already obtained these ately and without question. The Templars are
items. This equipment may be replaced taught to obey reasonable orders-such as
from the Order’s armory if lost or dam- carrying messages, summoning reinforce-
aged, once per level. The warrior may never ments, and tending to the wounded-as well
own more than four suits of armor or weap- as dangerous or even life-threatening orders.
ons of the same type. NPCs typically follow orders to protect a per-
Magical Items: In a legendary or fantasy son or defend a stronghold against the Sara-
campaign, subject to the DMs approval, the cens to the death unless they receive an order
Warrior Priests of the Order can provide from a superior to withdraw or surrender.
enchanted weapons and armor to high- The Hospitallers behave as Templars do,
ranking members, after they reach 5th level, except when an order obviously conflicts
to help them better combat the Saracens- with their alignment.

5th level: sword +I; 6th level: chain mail +I; Special Hindrances: Members of this kit are
7th level: shieZd +I; 8th level: sword +2; 9th ekpected to obey orders themselves, immedi-
ately and without question, when delivered
level chain mail +2; 10thlevel shield +2. The by a superior (a warrior of three or more lev-
Grand Master of the Order may adjust els higher than the PC). Obviously, the PC can
rewards for especially deserving warriors. always decide whether or not to follow the
Special Benefits:The Monastic Warrior need orders of a superior, but failure to comply
never worry about food or lodging while in results in an immediate trial before the Grand

28 ChapterThree

Master. For a minor infraction, unless the PC Beggar (Christian/ Muslim). Almsgiving
can give a compelling reason for the deliber-
ate misconduct, he is stripped of his privileges played an important role in both Christian
(including magical items) and ejected from the and Muslim societies during the Middle
Order. Punishment for a serious crime, like Ages, especially during the Crusades. Reli-
desertion (or, even worse, conversion to Islam) gious institutions of Outremer donated alms
is death, meted out at the earliest opportunity and food to the poor on a regular basis. In
by other members of the Order. Muslim society, almsgiving and assistance to
the poor was one of the Pillars of Islam. With-
Like the Warrior Priest, the Monastic War- in this charitable atmosphere, a professional
rior is the unfaltering enemy of the Saracen. class of beggars thrived, content to live off the
Amiable relations with the enemy are impos- alms of the religious faithful.
sible, so long as they pose a threat to the Holy
Land. Their fanaticism results in a -5 penalty Scout (Christian/Muslim). The Turks and
on reaction rolls involving Muslim NPCs. Arabs recognized the importance of effective
This greatly restricts their use in campaigns scouting in their military. Their armies always
with Muslim PCs; some DMs may wish to use included a group of scouts, drawn from the
this kit with NPCs only. local Christian or Muslim population, who
could guide small patrols, help set ambushes
Wealth Options: Monastic Warriors begin for the enemy, and act as messengers. The
play with the usual 5d4x10 gp. In keeping Franks used an entirely different strategy on
with their vow of poverty, these warriors the march to safeguard their militia, dividing
keep no personal wealth whatever. Aside their forces into a vanguard, main army, and
from sufficient funds to purchase and main- a rear guard. The Crusaders rarely trusted the
tain equipment, they must donate all excess security of their armies to a-group of local
wealth to the Order for its charitable duties, guides and scouts, who might be spies for the
maintenance, and upkeep. enemy. After a generation in Outremer, how-
ever, many Frankish lords would probably
Rogue Kits have employed local scouts and messengers.

There have always been rogues through- Spy (Christian/Muslim). The Turkish and
out history, and the Crusades were no excep- Arab leaders employed spies extensively
tion. This section reviews the types of rogues throughout the Crusades. Although some
available during the campaign. Some of the spies were forced into their profession by
kits from the Complete Thiefs Handbook are blackmail or other insidious means, many
appropriate for this era: Bandit, Beggar, Buc- Muslim leaders relied on professionals. The
caneer, Scout, and Spy. Many kits from the
Complete Bard's Handbook are also appropri- is- -
ate: Gallant, Herald, Jester, and Thespian.
From the AL-QADIMArabian Adventures rule-
book, consider the Barber, Holy Slayer, and
the Merchant-Rogue. Finally, we introduce a
specialized charlatan of the Middle Ages, the
Pardoner.

Bandit and Buccaneer (Christian/Muslim).
These rogues play the same historical role in
medieval society as the Warrior Pirate/Out-

atabeg Zengi, for instance, employed a courte- addition to their usual duties, barbers often
san in Acre to spy on Frankish developments offered simple medical services to their cus-
in that city. Zengi and his successors devel- tomers. In the Arabian Nights folktales, bar-
oped an extensive spy network throughout bers were also adept storytellers, astrologers,
the Frankish cities of Outremer. When the and adventurers.
atabeg’s spies informed him that the Franks
were weak, he marshaled his army and Holy Slayer (Muslim). The infamous
attacked. When the spies told him that the Assassins were a dangerous terrorist group
Franks were assembling their forces for an during the era of the Crusades (see Chapter 2
assault, Zengi often knew when and where to for the organization’s history and back-
intercept them. ground). To the mainstream Sunni Muslim
society, the Assassins were mysterious, fanat-
In the campaign, only Muslims or local ical murderers. Christians realized this as
Christianscan belong to this kit. The Franks well, but nonetheless accepted their presence
themselves made poor spies, for with their in Outremer.Only Shi’ite Muslims can belong
fair complexion, blond hair, and blue eyes to this kit. Because Assassins represent a neg-
they could never infiltrate Muslim society. ative, destructive force, the DM should
Eventually, the Franks recognized the need strongly consider limiting the role of Assas-
for spies in their service, but they almost sins to NPCs in the campaign.
always employed local Christians in this
capacity. Merchant-Rogue (Christian/Muslim).
Merchants were numerous in Muslim soci-
Gallant, Jester, Thespian (Christian). ety and operated far-flung trading empires
Unlike the first austere expeditionto the Holy extending throughout Persia, North Africa,
Land, the Second Crusade included trouba- Spain, India, and the distant islands of
dours and poets. Most noble lords brought Indonesia. The mercantile city-states of Italy
along their entire personal court, including established their own trading dominions in
entertainers and wives. On the Third Cru- the Holy Land. These adventurous traders
sade, Richard the Lionheartbrought his per- put aside their religious differences to
sonal jester along to the Holy Land. The expand their lucrative enterprises.When the
rulers of Outremer undoubtedly also em- Crusader States made war with their Mus-
ployed entertainers in their service. Lavish lim neighbors, the flow of trade might slow
feasts, jousts, and extravagantpublic celebra- down temporarily, but it never stopped.
tions were quite common in the Holy Land. Both Christian and Muslim rulers realized
In the campaign, only Franks and those of that merchants were vital for a prosperous
European descent can belong to these kits. economy.

Herald (Christian). Frankish leaders con- Pardoner (Christian). A Pardoner poses as
sidered the conquest and establishment of a priest or prophet to prey on the charity and
Christian states in the Holy Land a historical faith of devout Christians. At a time when
undertaking. Starting with the First Crusade, miracles and holy relics were commonplace,
the aristocracy employed historians and there was no way to prove that a bit of bone
scholars to record the heroic words and deeds actually came from any given saint. Everyone
of the Crusaders. As with the other bardic knew that relics were powerless unless the
kits, only Franks and those of European owner had faith in their divine power. During
descent can adopt this profession. the era of the Crusades, as we have seen,
Christians had an abundance of faith. By the
Barber (Muslim). Barbers were a common 13thcentury, these charlatans were a stan-
fixture of Muslim society, which strongly val- dard fixture of Medieval European life, offer-
ued personal hygiene and cleanliness. In

ing everyone a holy relic or absolution from Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: modern
their sins-for the right price, of course. For languages (Latin), read/write (Latin), reli-
inspiration for this kit, see Chaucer’s Canter- gion. Recommended: etiquette; ancient his-
tory, astrology, local history; appraising,
bury Tales.
Requirements:Franks and Europeans-but
disguise, forgery,reading lips, ventriloquism.
not local Christians-may adopt this kit as Forbidden:None.
either rogues or bards. Because this profes- Equipment: As with his weapon proficien-
sion demands some background in religion cies, the Pardoner’s current role determines
and the practices of the Latin Church, the Par- his equipment. While posing as a priest, for
doner must have Intelligence 13 and Cha- instance, he would make sure to keep his
risma 15(minimum for bards). copied or stolen vestments neat and authen-
Pardoners are neutral or evil. Those of tic. All-important props, such as a Bible and
good alignmentwould never tolerate the con- crucifix, complete the charlatan’s disguise.
stant hypocrisy required for this profession. Special Benefits: The Pardoner may choose
Because this kit might promote strife within nonweapon proficiencies available to priests
an adventuring group (and thus shorten the with no penalty. His primary skill, however,
PC’s life span), it is best played as neutral is the ability to elicit donations. The rogue’s
with a strong dose of humor, or kept as NPCs ability is based on his percentage chance to
only. pick pockets, modified by his loyalty base
Role: Outwardly, the Pardoner serves the (up to +8% for 18 Charisma). Dexterity
Church as a reverent collector of alms, charity bonuses that apply to picking pockets never
for the poor. Depending on his background, affect the chance to elicit donations. Those
sophistication,and audience, he may appear seeking to elicit more than a few dirhams per
a pious citizen, a priest, a monk, or even a contributor incur penalties (-1O0/o if eliciting
member of a Military Order. He can quote 1-10 dinars; -25% if seeking
scripture and the Canon of the Church with tion).
the fervor of a prophet, but the Pardoner’s The Pardoner’s ability in
piety is only a clever facade. Through his never exceed 95% (including bonuses). As
knowledge of religion, he manipulates the with the picking-pockets ability check, the
faith of pious Christians for his own mone- DM decides the maximum amount a contrib-
tary gain. utor can afford to donate; obviously, a Par-
For a suitable donation, this rogue can pro- doner cannot extract a 25 gp donation from a
vide any Christian with an indulgence signed peasant, regardless of his eloquence. For each
by the Pope, or a multitude of holy relics, level of ability, the Pardoner can locate and
each accompaniedby a certificate of authen- solicit from one likely contributor during
ticity. Though he claims that any donations each day.
will support the Church of the Holy Sepul- Special Hindrunces: The Pardoner is a wan-
cher, the Hospitaller’s Orphanage in derer, traveling from t o w to town before the
I Jerusalem,or some other charitable institu- local secular and religious authorities learn of
tion-in reality, all contributions go directly his solicitations. He must approach a true
into the Pardoner’s velvet-lined pocket. cleric with caution, however, as any ordained
Weapon Proficiencies: The Pardoner may priest of 4th level or higher can pierce the Par-
learn any weapon appropriate for his dis- doner’s religious facade with a successful
guise. While posing as a priest, he may use a Wisdom check.
mace or a staff. As an agent of the Hospi- Wealth Options:The Pardoner embarks on
his career with the customary 2d6x10 gp.
tallers, he might carry a sword.

Characters 31

--

Wizard Kits
Few wizard kits are available for the Cru-

sades campaign. N o kits from the Complete
Wizard’s Handbook are appropriate. From the
AL-QADIMArabian Adventures book, use the

rer and Sha’ir kits.
e biggest hindrance for wizards is the
a1 stigma associated with their profession.

e of a small minority’s foul practices,
rch has labeled the entire profession
ical. In Christian society, all wizards,
ess of alignment, must keep their true
secret from NPC priests, or become
to cruel persecution, imprisonment,

tion. (Priest player characters pre-
recognize that wizard PCs are wor-
.) Muslim society is not as intolerant
ial or neutral sorcery, but its reli-

secular authorities still vigorously
cute practitioners of ”black magic.’’
rcerer (Muslim). The idea of a scholar
age, who practiced a kind of ”sorcery of
ence,” was almost unknown in the West
ring the Middle Ages. The concept of the
naissance magus would not evolve in

r a few hundred years. In Arabia,
scientists had practiced a form of

agic for centuries. Use the dark
ysterious wizards from the Arabian
as inspiration for these feared spell-
Sha’ir (Christian/Muslim). Because women

ere barred from the priesthood and the war-

rior elite in Western Europe, many devoted
their lives to the practice of magic, especially
in rural villages. The Sha’ir differs from a
scholarly mage, who relies on books for his
magic. Instead, this type of wizard draws
upon the supernatural powers of an invisible
spirit world with the help of her familiar.
Throughout Western Europe, where the prac-
tice of magic is generally restricted to women,
a Sha’ir is generally called a witch.

In the Crusades campaign, a Sha’ir or Witch
may be the gentle healer or helpful diviner

I

I

I

!

I

I'

....-. . _j........ ......... . - -

i

Chanter I

i-r Military Orders and Crusading Warfare

Ofall men, the Franj are the de Payens asked King Baldwin to use part of
most cautious in warfare. the deserted Al-Asqa Mosque as a dormitory
for a new monastic order. Mistaking the
-Usamah ibn Mundiqh, c. 1100 mosque for the Temple of Solomon, the
knights accordingly named their new broth-
Outremer was almost always on hostile terms erhood the Order of the Temple. In Europe,
spiritual monasticism had already been pop-
with its Muslim neighbors. Ina constant state ular for many centuries. The Templars com-
of war, the Kingdom of Jerusalemconstantly bined religious and military service in a form
of military monasticism. Whereas a normal
needed warriors. Though visiting lords on monk fought the enemies of Christ with spiri-
pilgrimage might contribute their personal tual weapons, the monastic knight employed
forces for a seasonal campaign, the rulers of physical ones. The Templars also swore the
Outremer could rarely rely on transient out- Benedictine monastic oath of chastity,
side assistance for their own defense. The poverty, and obedience.
scarcity of warriors led to the formation of the
Military Orders, monastic brotherhoods of Initially, the Templars guarded the danger-
soldiers and knights devoted to the defenseof ous stretch of road from Jerusalemto the sea
the Holy Land. This chapter examines the at Jaffa,protecting pilgrims and merchants
Orders and the armor, weaponry, tactics, and traveling the highway from lightning-swift
fortifications of the Crusading era. Saracen raids and rapacious bandits. The
Templars quickly earned acclaim for their
The Milkuy Orders effectiveness in battle and their fanatical obe-
In the early 12th century, two religious dience to superiors’ commands. The Tem-
plars fought to the death unless ordered to
Orders helped resolve the military manpower withdraw. The king gradually increased the
shortage in Outremer: the Order of the Tem- Templars’ responsibilities during the 12th
ple (the Templars) and the Order of Saint century, generously donating large land tracts
John(the Hospitallers). The Military Orders and castles that he could no longer ade-
enjoyed great popularity not only in the Holy quately defend.
Land, but also throughout Europe. By the
mid-12th century, their responsibilities had Before the Templars’ meteoric rise to power,
expanded far beyond their original defensive a group of monks and reverent citizens main-
duties; they contributed almost half the tained a dormitory and hospital in Jerusalem
knights and foot soldiers to the king’s army in for pilgrims of humble means. This Order,
defense of Outremer. Unlike other pilgrim- devoted to St. John the Almsgiver, was
warriors, who campaigned in Palestine for founded along Benedictine lines. Around
one or two seasons before returning home to 1118an ambitious Frank, Raymond of Le Puy
Europe, the Templars and Hospitallers were became Grand Master, and he decided to
seasoned veterans, permanently stationed in expand the Order’s purely pacifistic duties.
Outremer. Fanatically loyal, experienced in The Order always retained its emphasis on
combating the Saracens, and superbly healing and almsgiving, but with a substan-
equipped, they formed the elite of the Frank- t i a l donation from the king, Raymond
ish army. The monastic warrior kit, described founded a class of knights and foot soldiers to
in Chapter 3, is based on these Military defend Christendom:the Knights Hospitaller
Orders. (also known as the Order of St.John).

Religious and military vocations became To the folk of the Middle Ages, the Hospital
intermingled due to the necessities of the of Saint Johnin Jerusalemmust have seemed
Crusades. Around 1118,a noble named Hugh

34 Chapter four

huge and extravagantly generous. Regardless in question. Common warriors became
of the patients’ financial background, alJ sergeants,who served as foot soldiers (though
received clean clothes, generous servings of they often rode to battle on a palfrey, or riding
food, and semi-private, curtained partitions, horse). In addition to their military duties,
each with an immaculate bed; and clerics sergeants tended the knights‘ horses and
were always on call for those in need of spiri-
tual direction. The Hospitallers delivered the served as castellans or stewards. Inrare cases,
best medical care that Europe of the era could
provide. In addition, the Order maintained sergeants were sometimes promoted to the
other charitable institutions in Jerusalem, knight class for uncommonly valorous ser-
including a permanent soup kitchen and reg- vice. The third, clerical class of the Military
ular almsgiving. Orders included priests, who were responsi-
ble for the spiritual fortitude of the Brother-
The Templars also practiced regular alms- hood. The clerics also performed healing and
giving, but on a much smaller scale than the noncombatant duties, such as bookkeeping
Hospitallers. The costs for maintaining their and correspondence. Templars adopted the
military and charitable operations was astro- red Latin cross as their symbol, worn on a
nomical. white surcoat for knights and black for
sergeants; the Hospitaller’s symbol was a
The Orders could not operate simply from white, eight-pointed cross, sewn on the chest
their revenue and donations from the Holy or shoulder of a black mantle and surcoat. (A
Land.They were extremely popular in Europe, red surcoat was used after 1259.)
and vast donations poured into their coffers
from all segments of society. Before long, they Because of their outstanding reputation for
had established a lucrative financial network charitable works, the public regarded the
of income-producing estates a l l across Hospitallers more highly than they did the
Europe. The proceeds from their financial Templars, whom they considered too strict
empires poured continually into a seemingly and slightly arrogant. On the battlefield, the
bottomless hole in Palestine. The Templars Military Orders commanded equal respect
had access to such wealth that they reluc- from both secular Christian knights and the
tantly began providing banking services and Saracens, who abhorred them with a passion
loans to Crusading nobles and even mon- that bespoke their effectiveness on the battle-
archs who ran short on funds during their field. The Muslims considered the slaying of a
stay in the Holy Land. Despite their vow of Templar or Hospitaller-a dedicated enemy
poverty, the Military Orders had to get rich in of Islam-a pious and meritorious act. Even
order to finance their military operations, the magnanimous Saladin had no mercy for
charitable works, and ever-increasing net- members of the Military Orders. Though he
work of lands and fortifications. often ransomed important secular knights
and even kings, he always had Templars and
Like the Church, the Military Orders wen Hospitallers summarily executed by decapi-
outside the jurisdiction of the king, whc tation or hanging. After a battle, Muslim cap-
could only request-never order-their assis- tains would beg Saladin for the privilege of
tance. Under its Grand Master, who was personally executing these most infamous
directly accountable only to the Pope, each prisoners. Clearly, the prestige of the Military
Military Order was organized into three gen- Orders had its drawbacks.

eral classes: knights, sergeants, and clerics. In Templars and Hospitallers were bitter
rivals. They competed heavily for a limited
general, knights were of noble birth, but both number of charitable donations and royal
Orders made exceptions in the case where the grants for castles and lands. Though in a cri-
npplicant’s birthright was either unknown or

Military Orders and Crusading Warfare 35

sis they could fight effectively together, in kite-shaped shield and wear leather or felt
peacetime they opposed each other strenu- padding under their full suit of chain mail-
ously. If the Templars supported one political including a coif (headpiece), mittens, and leg-
faction at court, then naturally the Hospi- gings. Over their mail coif, they wore a great
tallers staunchly supported the opposing fac- iron helm. To reduce the sun’s intensity, they
tion. This political infighting led to disastrous
results during the Second Crusade, when wore a thin cloth surcoat over their mail, and
both Grand Masters devoted too much time a cloth kiffiyeh, or turban, over their helm in
to bickering rather than positive endeavors.
Ultimately the endless feud between Tem- Syrian fashion. Nevertheless, the armor must
plars and Hospitallers contributed to the have been incredibly hot, especially during
political squabbles, intrigue, and internal the arid summer months.
divisiveness that culminated in the Battle at
Hattin in 1187 and the subsequent loss of This armor was extremely effective. The
lerusalem. short composite bows of the Turkish cavalry
had difficulty penetrating the mail and under-
Medieval Combat lying padding, to the amazement of both
After the First Crusade, when most of the Christian and Muslim chroniclers of the Cru-
sades.After an engagement with Turkish cav-
warriors returned to Europe, only a few hun- alry, it was not uncommon to see a Frankish
dred knights and foot soldiers remained to knight bristling with a few dozen arrows, like
defend the Holy Land.When Baldwin I began a porcupine. Turkish arrows were much more
his campaigns to expand the kingdom, for effective at slaying horses than the knights
instance, he could call on only 300 knights who rode them. The curved Syrian scimitar,
and perhaps an equal number of sergeants-at- the most popular weapon among the Mus-
arms. Even with this small army, Baldwin lims, was an effective slashing weapon
repeatedly thwarted massive Egyptian inva- against lightly armored opponents, but
sions by armies that often vastly outnum- against Frankish mail, it lost much cutting
bered Frankish forces. power. In short, the armored Frankish war-
rior was very difficult to kill on the battle-
Christian knights were far better armed field. This helps explain why so many
and armored than their Muslim opponents. Frankish leaders were captured in battle
The knights’ most dreaded tactic-the cav- rather than slain, and why the Crusaders
ilry charge-was virtually unstoppable. The adamantly refused to abandon their mail,
iwesome sight of Frankish cavalry, charging even during the brutal summer.
with lowered lances, caused Arab footmen to
break ranks and flee. When terrain or circum- During the Crusades, the Franks increas-
stances prevented a charge, the Franks ingly employed the crossbow in their pitched
favored a heavy Norman long sword, which battles and stronghold defense. Despite its
could cut a man in half. The lighter Muslim slow rate of fire, the crossbow’s sturdy arrow
chain mail and lamellar armor provided little (also called a bolt or a quarrel) had much
defense against this weapon. A knight’s other greater penetration than the composite bows
favored melee weapons included the iron of the Turks. The crossbow could slay a fully
mace, flail, and morning star. armored knight with a single shot at almost
150 yards. Because of its destructive capabil-
The Franks relied on their heavy coat of ity, several Popes outlawed the weapon for
mail, or hauberk, for defense. Despite the brief periods during the Middle Ages. Many
brutal Syrian heat, the Franks would carry a honorable warriors viewed the crossbow as
unchivalrous, for it gave a common peasant
or foot soldier the combat effectiveness of a

36 Chapter Four

knight. Unlike a bow, the crossbow was easy Crusaders tried this tactic when they reached
to learn and use. It was ideal for lengthy siege Jerusalemin 1099, but they were thrown back
operations, and much larger variants were after repeated attempts. Only after they dis-
developed into siege engines. mantled most of their ships at Jaffa to make
siege engines and mobile towers did they
Miiltary Tactics succeed in surmounting the walls and captur-
Despite their prowess, tne rranks were ing the city, many months after their first
assault.
extremely cautious in battle. With a limited
reserve of manpower, the Franks could ill Usually the Franks captured cities and cas-
sfford any casualties, while the resources of tles after a negotiated surrender, rather than
their enemies were virtually unlimited. The by direct assault. After they had invested a
Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt, for instance, stronghold, hunger, disease, and despair
could assemble a yearly invasion force, num- would eventually force the defender to capit-
bering in the thousands, to fight the Franks. ulate. With ample supplies and reinforce-
The defenders of Palestine, on the other hand, ments, however, a besieged city could hold
had no such reinforcements. To assemble ar out almost indefinitely. The siege of Tripoli
army, the king had to stip the garrisons of hi, after the First Crusade dragged on for almost
towns and strongholds. In the event of a cata- 2,000 days; the siege of Acre in the Third Cru-
strophic defeat, the kingdom was virtually sade lasted 20 months. Depending on their
defenseless. For this reason, after Saladin morale, the defenders would sometimes sur-
smashed the Frankish army at Hattin in 1187, render a hopeless situation if the terms were
within less than a year he reconquered almost generous and they knew their lives would be
all of Palestine. After the Frankish defeat, spared. In the face of certain slaughter, how-
there were simply no effective reserves left in ever, most defenders fought to a bitter end.
Palestine to oppose him.
Because a hasty surrender was obviously in
Given their numerical inferiority and the the Franks’ best interests, they made the price
catastrophic price of defeat, the Franks had of resistance brutally clear to their enemies
reason to be cautious. The king would only from the outset. After reducing the city of
call together the forces of his realm for two Arsuf in 1101, King Baldwin I ordered a sys-
reasons: to invest (besiege) and reduce a forti- tematic slaughter of the surviving defend
fied position (thereby expanding his realm), as an example to neighboring Muslim ci
or to deter the Saracens from invading his ter- that they should surrender immedi
ritory. Because of the considerable risks, the when he approached. Such blatant cr
Franks only sought battle as a last resort. could be a two-edged sword. Th
short term it terrorized cities into s
The Frankish army’s primary objective was it so hardened the hearts of some
new territory, and their first step in capturing that they fought with more determinatio
a town or castle was to invest it. The attacking convinced the Franks would murder the
army completely encircled a hostile fortifica- anyway. The few incidences of Frankish bru-
tion, cutting off supplies, reinforcements, and tality greatly hindered the process of negoti-
communication. They seldom risked a direct ating peace with their Muslim neighbors for
assault with siege engines, battering rams, many years.
mobile towers, and scaling ladders. Unless
the defenders were surprised or too few to The Franks’ second purpose was to deter
man the walls, a frontal attack with scaling enemy advances. The Saracen leaders, like
ladders alone rarely succeeded. The fanatical the Franks, realized the risks of battle and
would only commit to a siege when the

t, Military Orders an

enemy lacked reinforcements. It was almost one of the main city gates. Count Raymond,
impossible to successfully besiege a strong- when he invested Tyre in 1102, erected a
hold with an opposing army in the field. (The small castle called Mount Pilgrim on the
Frankish victory at Acre during the Third main approach to the city. The inhawitants of
Crusade was a rare exception.) When the Tyre were so dismayed to see the construc-
Franks capturedJerusalemin 1099, their siege tion of Mount Pilgrim outside their walls
preparations were not hindered by a hostile that they launched several dangerous sorties
army; during the Third Crusade, the presence in futile attempts to burn or demolish the
of Saladin’s army in the field assured that castle before its completion,
Richard would not recapture the Holy City.
Previously, in 1183and 1184, Saladin tried to However, the castles primarilv defended
capture the stronghold of Kerak. Saladin’s strategic sites against the enem;. By them-
siege was broken in each instance by the selves, fortifications in this era could not hin-
timely arrival of King Baldwin IV’s army der invasion. After the advent of gunpowder,
from Jerusalem.On both occasions, Saladin a fort could command an entire valley with
withdrew long before the reinforcements accurate long-range cannons; but in the
arrived. During these and other campaigns, medieval age, when siege engines worked
both Franks and Saracenswould return home best against stationary targets (like a stone
without fighting a single major engagement. wall) and had an effective range of only a few
hundred yards, a castle could not inflict casu-
Crusader Castles alties on an enemy riding past.
From the beginning of the Crusades, the
Although the Franks erected a line of cas-
Franks vigorously built castles to control and tles along their eastern frontier, they could
defend strategic sites. They built strongholds not stop anything larger than a minor border
extensively during their two centuries of raid. The Muslims staged major raids and
occupation in the Holy Land, not only on the invasions straight through the frontier to rav-
frontier with their Muslim neighbors, but also age the heart of Outremer. During the late
concentrated in the very heart of Outremer. 12thcentury, Saladin regularly marched his
Except for their castles, the Crusaders con- large armies back and forth from Cairo to
tributed little to the historical development of Damascus, straight through the southern
architecture in the region. They built no last- domain of the Franks. However, although a
ing public monuments or elegant palaces like frontier castle could not halt a major Muslim
the Byzantines. When compared with the advance, it could send early warning of an
majestic Frankish cathedrals back in Europe, invasion to Jerusalem.
the Crusaders’ achievements in religious
architecture seem hardly noteworthy. In the The Franks often chose to fight battles near
art of fortification, however, the Crusaders their castles. Frankish fighters could rally or
excelled. Many castles, or their ruins, still rendezvous at a stronghold, and they could
stand in modern Israel and Syria. retreat to its safe haven in the event of
calamity. During an age when the enemy
These castles had offensive, defensive, and would strip the land of supplies and poison
administrative functions. Sometimes they exposed wells, the castle sheltered a protected
aided offensive sieges. During the Frankish water supply and stockpiled provisions in its
siege of Antioch in 1098, the Crusaders hin- cellars:
dered Turkish sorties by erecting a perma-
nent stone tower, named Malregard, outside In a siege, the castle provided an easily
defensible haven for soldiers, livestock, the
local lord, his family,and even the local popu-
lace-if they could be trusted not to betray

38 CkaQter Four

Map 2: Krak des Chevaliers. ' Legend
1.Outer ward
This castle guarded the main mountain pass 2. Pool
leading to the Muslim city of Homs, and it was 3. Outer galleries
instrumental in the defense of Tripoli. The Franks 4. Outer curtain
captured the site in 1110and in 1144handed it 5. Main outer entrance
over to the Hospitallers, who continually 6. Postern (rear gate)
upgraded its defenses. The stronghold did not fall 7. Outer towers
until 1271, shortly before the final collapse of 8. Covered approach
Outremer. 9 . Inner entrance

Military Orders and Crusading Warfare 39

the lord. Many Muslim strongholds expelled pierced by scores of arrow slits. Missile fire
Christianinhabitants during a siege for fear could engage an enemy from both the lower
of treachery, which could defeat even the outer walls and the higher inner fortress
strongestdefenses. simultaneously.At the heart of this massive
stronghold, a large, austere chapel provided
For instance, when the Crusaders arrived the focal point of daily life for its monastic
outside Antioch in 1098, the Turkish ruler, inhabitants. Krak des Chevaliers thus com-
Yaghi-Siyan, ejected all Christian men from bined both military and religious functionsin
a well-fortified monastery.
the city. The atabeg’s paranoia over treachery
Castles in Outremer also served as personal
was justified. Years earlier, he had captured residences and administrative centers for sec-
Antioch with the help of a traitor. Despite all ular lords. These functionsrepresentWestern
his precautions, however, the city was ulti- European attitudes towards castles. Byzan-
mately betrayed by a disgruntled armorer tine fortifications, by contrast, rarely served
named Firuz, whom the sultan had heavily as personal residences. Byzantine armies con-
fined for black market activities. In revenge sisted primarily of career soldiers who left
Firuz contacted the Crusaders and arranged their families at home. Their strongholds
to drop ropes from the Two Sisters Tower, were often fortified camps like those of
which he supposedly guarded at night. By ancient Rome. In general, Arabs and Turks
morning, Bohemund of Taranto and some also separated military from personal life. A
adventurers had slipped inside, opened a sultan lived in a sumptuous palace or a com-
gate, and admitted the Franks into the city. fortable tent, not a castle.
No castle, however well defended, was ever
secure against a traitor. The Frankish secular nobility, however,
lived in their strongholds, where the elderly
Given the chronic manpower shortages in and childrenmingled freely with soldiersand
Outremer, Frankish castles were designed to free-ranging livestock. The lord of a castle
let a small garrisonwithstand a siege until the regularly held court and arbitrated public dis-
king arrived with reinforcements. Though putes in his great hall. At meals the servants
Crusader castles varied greatly in design, all would hastily erect trestle tables, converting
relied extensively on a site’s natural defenses. the chamber into a huge dining hall for the
Their sheer inaccessibilitymade many castles lord’s family and retainers.The Frank‘s home
impregnable to conventional siege practices; was his castle.
you can’t roll a siege tower against a castle on
a mountaintop! The Franks, like the Syrians
and Turks, always built their castles in lofty
and inaccessiblelocations: a raised plateau,
mountain, towering ridge, or high spur of
land between two river beds.

During the 12thcentury the religious Mili-
tary Orders rose in power and importance,
due to the scarcity of trained secular soldiers
in the Holy Land. The rulers of Outremer
gradually handed control of sparsely gar-
risoned castles to the Templars and Hospi-
tallers. For instance, the Hospitallers received
the strongholdof Krak des Chevaliersin 1144.
Like many Crusader castles, its concentric
higher walls were topped by battlements and

40 Chapter Four

. Taphilaoi
!Kingd2m of J h s d e m
Cairo Legend
0 ---t. Shawbak.,O! Borders of Crusader States (A.D. 1120

O Crusader castles
A Cities with Muslim castles

,-

Military Orders and C

Chapter

Outremer

''Truly it was an amazing miracle that we lived at Society in Outremer
all among so many thousands of thousands,stilZ After the capture of Jerusalem,most Cru-
more that we ruled some and made them pay trib-
ute, and threw others into confusion by plunder- saders returned to Europe, leaving behind
only a few to defend the Holy Land against
ing them and taking them captive. . . . What the Saracens. By the mid-12th century, the
landed Western aristocracyin the Kingdom of
historic times!" erusalem numbered around 1,000 lords and
-Fulcher of Chartres, c. 1100
ncombatant elderly, women)
The spectacular success of the First Crusa ntributed perhaps another
estabfished a Western European presence in
the Holy Land for almost two centuries. The oble inhabitants. Including
Franks referred to the Crusader States as clergy, the total population of
Outremer ("beyond the sea"). They estab,- in Outremer probably never
lished the County of Edessa and the Princi-
pality of Antioch to the north of Palestine in In general, the Frankish aristocracy did not
1098, and the Kingdom of Jerusalemthe fol- ntermarry with the local Christian popula-
lowing year. In 1109, the king established a ion. By the time of the Third Crusade, the
fourth Crusader State, the County of Tripoli,
following a lengthy siege of the city. Today bility had formed so many internal marital
these lands include regions of Israel, iances that the leaders of the aristocracy
Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. re interrelated. Though the nobility pro-
ced many children, infant mortality in Out-
Arid and sweltering during the summer, remer was terribly high, especially among
Outremer also experienced long, cool win- boys.
ters. To the Frankish inhabitants, it was a As inheritances and fiefs frequently passed
region of dangerous enemies, continual war- to female heirs, women of the aristocracy
fare, and exotic luxury. In comparison with enjoyed uncommon rights and privileges.
France and England during the Middle Ages, Not only could a woman choose her own
the Crusader States were extremely tiny. husband, she could also inherit and hold land
Along the northern frontier, the domains of in her own name. The history of Outremer is
Edessa, Tripoli, and Antioch each measured filled with strong and brave women who
less than a hundred miles across. The King- stepped into positions of leadership and
dom of Jerusalem,the largest of the Latin set- power during a pivotal moment. For instance,
tlements, was nearly 300 miles long, but in Princess Alice of Antioch, the daughter of
the north, it narrowed to a width of only 10 King Baldwin I, became a prominent figure in
miles. regional politics and intrigue after her hus-
band died in 1130. Alice promptly revolted
In spite of its small size, the social, political, against her father's lordship in Jerusalemand
and economic life of OutrepwT was complex. refused to remarry, proclaiming herself the
The Franks who remained jv the Holy Land sole ruler of Antioch in the absence of a male
heir. Her rulership was unpopular and did
after the First Crusade wt& a tiny minority, not last long, but such daring was practically
impossible for a lady back in Europe.
ruling a large population of diverse ethnic Many men-at-arms of the First Crusade
and religious backgrounds. This chapter chose to settle with their lords in Outremer,
examines the history and society of the pri- forming a numerous "sergeant" class. The
mary setting for the Crusades campaign: the sergeants eagerly intermarried with the local
Holy Land.

Christian populace, swelling the numbers of Land were repeatedly crushed by the Turk:
Frankish soldiers to over 5,000 by 1180.Some as they crossedAnatolia (now part of Turkey),
sergeants, called "Turcopoles," were trained long before they ever reached Outremer.Ger-
as light cavalry using Turkish or Byzantine mans did not establish a major presence in
tactics. By the end of the 12thcentury, nearly the Holy Land until the mid-13th century.
all these sergeant families were of mixed
Frankish and Syrian-Christian heritage. Outremer's native Syrian-Christians made
up the vast majority of the population, espe-
Aside from the Franks, only Italian mer cially in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.Despite
chants and their families contributed signifi- the common religion, the Syrian-Christians
cantly to the Western European presence in appeared totally alien to the ruling minority
Outrerner. The first Kings of Jerusalemlooked of Franks.Natives spoke the local language-
to the mercenary, mercantile city-states of usually a dialect of Arabic-had the swarthy
Italy for naval support in their conquest of complexions and distinctive facial features of
ports along the Mediterranean coast. In ex- Arabs, and even followed Arab practices of
change for Italian assistance, the rulers of personal hygiene and medicine. Furthermore,
Outremer allowed the merchant houses to though they were Christian, most Syrians
establish exclusive trading monopolies in embraced the Greek-Orthodox rites of the
their cities. The Italian merchant families Byzantine Empire, which many Franks c
lived apart from the Franks, in a separate dis- sidered heretical. Not surprisingly, Fra
trict, or quarter, within each city. The families regarded the native Christians as second-
from different Italian city-states, such as class citizens. Though the Franks gradually
Venice, Genoa, or Pisa, owned and operated adopted the native dress of the region,
entire streets of shops in the bazaar, or central learned Arabic, frequented bath-houses, and
market. The Venetians, Genoese, and Pisans relished the local cuisine, the Frankish con-
were all bitter rivals, and maintained even querors obstinately imposed the Latin rite in
smaller sub-communities within the Italian church and gradually replaced a l l Greek
quarter. Though the Italians residing in Out- Orthodox patriarchs in Outremer with Latin
remer played an important role in city life priests from Europe.
and regional trade, they generally left matter5
of government and defense to the Franks. In the northern states of Antioch and
Edessa, Armenians formed the majority of
Aside from the Franks and the Italian mer- the native population. Converted to Chris-
chant families, no other major Europeanpow- tianity centuries ago, the proud mountain
ers played a lasting role in Outremer. During folk established an independent church,
the 11th and 12th centuries, the Normans which the Crusaders eventually supplanted
(French-speaking Christians of Scandinavian with their own Latin hierarchy. Unlike the
Viking descentwho settled in northernFrance, Syrians, who held the Franksin neutralregard,
now Normandy) were the conquering race of Armenians behaved with mixed loyalty and
Europe, ruling northern France, the British treachery toward their overlords.
Isles, and southern Italy. The Spanish were
embroiled in their own wars during the Many important cities of Outremer also
contained small Muslim and Jewishcommu-
Reconquista that recaptured the Iberian penin- nities, which remained in Christian-domi-
nated lands despite unrelenting religious
sula from the Muslim Moors, and the Ger- persecution and harassment. After the Christ-
mans-the only other powerful European ian occupation of Palestine, most Muslims
nationality-never enjoyed much success
during the Crusades. During the first three
Crusades, German expeditions to the Holy

Outremer 43

they were welcomed as heroes. Faithful Mus- parts of Europe, was readily available here,
lims could not remain in a country sur- especially near the coastal cities where large
rounded by infidels (unbelievers), who foundries operated; many a lord's and mer-
continually denounced Islam and publicly chant's private apartments were fitted with
insulted the Prophet Muhammad. window panes. In many cases members of the
middle class, and even courtesans, outshone
The Jewishpopulation suffered as greatly the nobility in their taste for lavish clothes
as the Muslims did. During the Crusades, and posh furnishings. Silk fabrics were heav-
many Franks believed that the Jewswere ily brocaded with gold thread and sometimes
directly responsible for the death of Christ. small jewels. In Outremer, the nobility and
The Jewshad enjoyed far greater religious affluent middle class enjoyed luxury unthink-
freedom under Muslim rule than they did able to the wealthiest aristocracy back in
under the Franks. Not surprisingly, many Europe.
chose to emigrate to Damascus rather than
live with the Frankish occupation. Though the standard of living in Outremer
was opulent by European standards, Pales-
The population of Outremer was thus a tine was a poor backwater compared with its
tangled social tapestry. Small numbers of wealthy Muslim neighbors. The cities of
Franks ruled a vastly larger population of Palestine exported few native goods except
native Syrian-Christians in the Kingdom of cloth and sugar; they relied extensively on
Jerusalem, and Armenians in the northern trade for economic prosperity. The wealthy
states of Antioch and Edessa. These natives Muslim cities of Aleppo, Mosul, and Damas-
dwelt mainly in the countryside. In the cities, cus used Palestine's ports-especially Acre-
rival Pisans, Genoese, and Venetians domi- to transport their goods to the Mediterranean.
nated the mercantile districts. Despite dis-
crimination, tiny Muslim and Jewishquarters Surprisingly, in the latter 12th century the
remained in the cities, primarily to support flow of commerce from Muslim cities
traveling pilgrims and merchants of their reli- through Outremer continued unabated,
gions. Each group spoke a different language, despite hostilities between their respective
practiced a different religion, and observed governments. Caravans continued to move
widely varying customs. Faced with this cul- from Damascus to Acre, regardless of the
tural diversity, many Franks "went native" political climate in Jerusalem.Rulers in Out-
themselves within a generation, quickly remer realized that their long-term economic
adopting the dress, habits, and diet of the prosperity lay in trade. In general, Muslim
local population. caravans and merchants entered the port
cities even during declared wars. Merchant
Life in Outremer caravans were always a tempting target for
There was no shortage of game in the wild bandits and impoverished (or ambitious)
lords. Hence, they always traveled with a
highlands of Palestine, and along with this detachment of guards for protection, though
food, the Franks enjoyed the region's abun- the vigilance and morale of these guardians
dance of exotic spices: cloves, cinnamon, dill, varied considerably.
saffron, turmeric, and coriander. They rel-
ished the strange fruits and vegetables, like Pilgrims newly arrived from Europe were
the olive, fig, muskmelon, cucumber, and always astoundedby the almost festive prodi-
pomegranate. Sumptuous fabrics were avail- gality of the Franks. The aristocracy con-
able for tapestries, linens, carpets, and other stantly sponsored jousts and other contests,
opulent furnishings. Glass, uncommon in offering opulent gifts of weapons, armor,
horses and sometimes even gold as prizes.

44 Chapter Five



The Franks spared no expense when they truces. In addition to its political role, the
threw parties, sponsored weddings, or even High Court also had legislative duties that
when they gave alms to the poor. Under this consumed most of its time.
carnival atmosphere, however, a perceptive
observer could note a nervous apprehension. In the early years of the kingdom, the
The Franks sometimes clung to their perch in Franks presented a united front against the
Outremer by only the slimmest margin, sur- Saracens. During the 1130s, once the grown
rounded by a host of enemies, all eager to children of the First Crusadersbegan to assert
witness their downfall. The Franks' grasp on their political influence, intrigue and scandals
the Holy Land was tenuous a t best, and increasingly marred the history of Outremer.
despite their bravado, they knew it. Struggles between two factions grew increas-
ingly vehement by the 1180s,just before the
Politics and Intrigue catastrophic Battle of Hattin and the subse-
Politically, Outremer was basically feudal. quent collapse of the Crusader States. Who
were these factions?
After 1109,the King of Jerusalemruled as the
overlord of all Christian states in the Holy On one side stood the pious Crusaders
Land, and the rulers of Antioch, Tripoli, and from Europe and the monastic Military
Edessa all swore fealty to him. The Kingdom Orders in Outremer. After the First Crusade,
of Jerusalemwas further divided into four the Church launched an extensive propa-
fiefs: the County of Jaffa,the principality of ganda campaign that portrayed the Saracens
Galilee, the Seigneurieof Outrejourdain (liter- as a race of evil monsters who must be exter-
ally, the "Lordship of Transjordan"), and the minated. Europeans had almost no under-
Seigneurie of Sidon. The king reserved the standing of Islam-the poet of the Song of
cities of Jerusalem,Nablus, Acre, Dacron, and Roland (written at the time of the First Cru-
the lands surrounding them for his personal sade) portrays the Saracens as worshiping the
domain. The principal fiefs of Outremer were Roman god Apollo! As we saw in Chapter 2,
subdivided further into smaller grants for for a holy war to be morally acceptable, the
each lord's personal vassals, who were bound Muslims had to be evil pagans. According to
in a double oath of fealty to both their local the Crusading mentality, the heathen Sara-
lord and the king. cens must be stamped out of existence at
every opportunity-one could never make
Unlike most feudal states back in Europe, peace with them.
the king ruled in conjunction with a High
Court consisting of his most prominent vas- In the other faction stood those that grew
sals. According to Frankish custom, a king up in the Holy Land or had personal dealings
did not conquer a country-he was elected by with the Muslims. They often viewed their
his peers after the conquest. The first High Muslim neighbors with more tolerance than
Court selected Godfrey of Lorraine, one of its the devout, militant Europeans arriving fresh
members, as Jerusalem's first ruler. Thereafter from the West for a holy war. Once the Franks
the High Court judged matters of succession learned Arabic, they usually realized that the
to the throne. They appointed a temporary Saracenswere not the wicked, depraved race
Regent when the king was captured or if a the Latin Churchmade them out to be. Adher-
lawful heir was still in his or her minority. ents of this tolerant philosophy, such as the
Though the king presided over this High rulers of Tripoli and Antioch, recognized the
Court, he still relied on their assent to impor- humanity of the Muslims and believed that
tant policies, such as declarations of war and peaceful coexistencewith them was possible.

These two opposing factions held each
other in contempt and sought to bring Out-

.46 Chapter Five

remer around to their line of thinking. Th, on events in distant Europe, Byzantium,
Crusaders believed that members of the paci- Egypt, and Muslim Syria. This timeline traces
fistic "Tolerant" faction were misguided trai- events that shaped the history of the Frankish
tors to Christ and the Kingdom of Jerusalem; states in Palestine from their creation in 1098
the Tolerants thought Crusaders were close- to their disastrous defeat in 1187.Use these
minded, religious fanatics who threatened the events to inspire story ideas and give histori-
peace, and ultimately the continued survival, cal flavor to the campaign.
of the Christian States in Outremer. Histori- 1098. Baldwin of Bouillon marries an
cally, the Crusader faction was usually more
1 influential at court. Armenian bride and inherits the Principality
of Edessa under dubious circumstances. In
I

During the brief reign of Baldwin IV, the June, Crusaders capture Antioch. Famine
tragic "Leper King," conflict between the two grips the Crusaders during the winter.
factions approached open civil war. Bald- 1099. Bohemund of Taranto becomes the
win's successor, the feebleminded King Guy, first Prince of Antioch. The Crusaders capture
was noted for his tendency to believe the last Jerusalemin July,slaughtering all its Moslem
person speaking to him. Usually, that person and Jewishinhabitants.Godfrey of Lorraine
was the fanatical Reynald de Chiitillon, an is elected the first ruler of Jerusalem. In
adventurer and robber-baron with a leg- August, the Franks defeat an Egyptian army
endary hatred of the Saracens, who had im- st Ascalon.
prisoned him for 16years. 1100. Godfrey makes treaties with the Mus-
Reynald had a talent for making members lim Emirs along the Mediterranean coast of
of the Tolerant faction look like cowardly trai- Palestine and raids Damascus. He becomes
tors, and he deliberately sabotaged the peace sick and dies in July.By November, Baldwin
of the kingdom at every opportunity. When- of Edessa becomes Godfrey's successor i
2ver the king negotiated a treaty with Sal- Jerusalem.
adin, Reynald broke it-first by capturing 1101. King Baldwin raids Transjordan i
rich caravans, later by building a pirate fleet the spring and captures the Mediterranea
and pillaging down the coast of the Red Sea. cities of Arsuf and Caesarea by May. The king
Reynald's legendary raid never reached its defeats an Egyptian expeditionary force at the
lntended destination, the Muslim holy city of first Battle of Ramleh in September.
Mecca. When Saladinlearned of this Frankish 1102. Baldwin's forces are defeated by a
outrage, he swore to slay Reynald with his new Egyptian army at a second battle of
own hand and drive all the remaining Franks Ramleh in May. The king escapes the mas-
into the sea. After the Battle of Hattin, Saladin sacre to gather reinforcements and rout the
had the impudent Reynald brought into his Egyptians at Jaffa.In the north, Raymond of
tent, where he struck off the Frank's head Toulouse raises an army and captures T
with a single blow from his own scimitar. tosa. He lays siege to Tripoli, and defeats
Ironically, the fanaticism of the Crusading army outside the city walls.
mentality, which helped capture the Holy 1103. The siege at Tripoli continues; Ray-
Land in the first place, also contributed to its mond conquers the surrounding countryside
ultimate defeat. and erects a castle called Mount Pilgrim out-
side the invested city. Baldwin invests Acre,
but the siege i
nmellne: 1098- 1187 Egyptian fleet.

The convoluted political and military 1104. Mount
developments in Outremer often depended Tripoli; the siege there continues. Prince

Outremer 47

Bohemund and Count Baldwin of Edessa Sunday the previous Count of Edessa is
strike east into Arabia but are soundly de- crowned Baldwin 11.Joscelinbecomes the
feated at the Battle of Harran. new Count of Edessa.

In May, the king makes an alliance with a 1119.Roger, Prince of Antioch, raises an
Genoese fleet and invests Acre once again. army and marches on Aleppo. In June,his
The city capitulatesafter only 20 days. forces are annihilated, leaving Antioch lead-
erless and the North undefended. The Alep-
1105.Raymond falls ill and dies in Febru- pans do not press their advantage. Baldwin
ary, creating succession troubles in Toulouse. writes to the Republic of Venice, begging
During the summer, the vizier of Egypt sends assistance.
mother army to Palestine. The Fatimids are
defeated at the third Battle of Ramleh in 1122.King Baldwin is captured during a
August. surprise Aleppan raid.

1106.In the fall, Baldwin defeats an Egypt- 1123.In May,Egypt invades Palestine once
ian expeditionary force near Hebron. Tyre again but is defeated by timely arrival of a
md Damascus strike unsuccessfully at new powerful Venetian fleet.
Christian castles along the frontier.
1124.After intense negotiations, the Vene-
1108.In despair, the Emir of Tripoli visits tians agree to help invest Tyre. The siege
the Caliph of Baghdad for aid. During his begins in February and drags on into the
departure, Tripoli’s desperate nobles invite summer. Baldwin is released in Junefor a
Egyptian forces into the city. In spring, high ransom. Tyre finally surrenders in July
Toghtekin of Damascus raids the towns of and the fleet returns to Venice.
Galilee. By August, Baldwin invests Sidon,
but the siege is broken by Egyptian and Dam- 1125.Baldwin rallies the northern princes
ascene reinforcements. During the winter, and smashes a Muslim army at Azaz. After
Baldwin and Toghtekin sign a 10-year truce the victory, the king returns to Palestine and
for cammercial reasons. raids Damascus and Ascalon in the autumn.

1109.W a n d of Toulouse, Raymond’s ille- 1126.An Egyptian fleet raids along the
gitimate son, arrives at Tripoli. King Baldwin coast. Baldwin establishes Bohemund I1 as
arrives to aid the siege. The city capitulates the new Prince of Antioch.
and Bertrand becomes the first Count of
Tripoli. 1127.The Princes of Antioch and Edessa
quarrel. The Turkish atabeg Zengi organizes a
1110.In February, Bertrand helps Baldwin Seljuq government at Mosul.
lay siege to Beirut, which surrenders by May.
With the arrival of Western naval reinforce- 1128.By June,Zengi marches on Aleppo,
ments, Baldwin finally captures Sidon by which receives him with open arms after
December. years of political anarchy.

1111.Baldwin invests Tyre and Ascalon, 1130.Zengi extends his control as far south
but each siege is unsuccessful. as Homs. Bohemund I1 is slain during a raid
on Damascus, leaving Antioch without an
1113.The king raids Damascene territory, adult heir. Bohemund’s wife, Princess Alice
breaking his truce. of Antioch, revolts against her father, King
Baldwin. Baldwin travels north to assure her
1115-16.Baldwin fortifies the kingdom submission, but after her father’s arrival,
with castles in southernJudea. Alice withdraws to Lattikieh.

1118.The Order of the Temple and the 1131.Baldwin grows ill and dies in August.
Order of St.Johnare established in Jerusalem. Joscelinof Edessa perishes soon afterward
In March, Baldwin invades Egypt, but catches during a raid on Aleppo. Alice of Antioch
a fatal illness and dies by April. On Easter quickly resumes control of the city after her

father’s death. Baldwin’s first daughter, distracted from pursuing his military cam-
Melisende, and her husband Fulk are paigns in Syria for two years while he assures
crowned together in September. his overlord of his continued loyalty.
1132-34.While King Fulk takes his arm
leaderless Antioch and Edessa, Queen 1142.Emperor JohnI returns to the
Melisende dallies with a handsome young
knight at court. Fulk and Zengi’s lieutenant, of Antiochand demands complete submis-
Sawar, conduct frontier raids in the north. sion from Raymond. The frightened prince
1135.Zengi and Sawar capture castles stalls for time.
along the Edessene frontier.
1136.The Patriarch of Antioch secretly mar- 1143.In March, Emperor JohnI is fatally
ries Raymond of Poitiers to Constance, Alice’s wounded in a hunting accident. In Novem-
eight-year-old daughter, crowning Raymond ber, Fulk also dies in a hunting accident.
the new Prince. Defeated, Alice dies soon Queen Melisende assumes leadership of the
after her retreat to Lattikieh. In Edessa, a pri- realm as regent for her younger son, King
vate war breaks out among Armenian nobles, Baldwin 111.
and during the confusion, Sawar raids deep
into the county. 1144.Raymond quarrels with the new
1137.In the spring, Damascus invades the Byzantine emperor, and argues with Joscelin
County of Tripoli, capturing two frontier cas- 11,Count of Edessa.Zengi lures Joscelinout of
tles. In June,Zengi clashes with Fulk in the Edessa and strikes at the city in November,
north, near Homs, defeating the Franks and
forcing the king to Montferrand. Zengi be- during the count’s absence. InDecember, the
sieges the stronghold and Fulk surrendersthe atabeg captures Edessa.
castle in exchange for his freedo
1145.Zengi consolidateshis position in
In August, after campaigni he Edessa. Hearing of a revolt in Mosul, Zengi
Turks of Anatolia, Emperor JohnI arrives at returns home to quash the rebellion. Queen
Antioch with a mssive army. Johnlays siege Melisende dispatches an envoy to Rome to
to the city until Prince Raymond surrenders beg the Pope for a second Crusade. In Decem-
and reluctantly pays him homage. ber, Pope Eugenius I11 calls on Louis, King of
1138.Johnand the Frankish lords of Ann- France, to rescue the Christian states of Pales-
och and Edessa invest Shaizar, but dissension tine.
among the Franks causes the emperor to
1146.Zengi prepares a new campaign in
dowry. However, intrigues prevent Zengi Syria. During September, however, a slave
murders Zengi in his sleep. After Zengi’s
from gaining control of &e c - death, Raymond raids near Aleppo, and
Joscelinattempts to recapture Edessa. Nur-al-
1139.Zengi lays siege to din, one of Zengi’s sons, clashes with Joscelin
e winter. outside the walls of Edessa, sound
1140.The atabeg Unur of Damascus and
ankish forces. I
King Fulk form an alliance and drive Zengi eaches the Secon
France, Italy, and Germany.
away from the Muslim city. 1147.Mellisende breaks the treaty with
1141. The Sultan of Baghdad seeks to re- Damascus, forcing the atabeg Unur td make
an alliance with Nur al-din. In May, the king
leads an army against unified Muslim oppo-
sition. Baldwin withdraws to Palestine while
Nur al-din consolidateshis power east of the
Orontes.
1148:The Second Crusade. Forces of the

Outremer * 49