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Summary Notes for the Crusader States in the 12th Century for AQA and OCR
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Taylor’s Notes The Crusader States in the 12th CenturyThe Establishment of the Crusader States
Pope Urban II never directly addressed the problem of the government of Jerusalem – back in 1097, when the
Crusaders were first leaving Europe, the Pope expected that any conquered lands would be restored to the
Byzantine Empire
Since then, the Crusade leaders had repudiated their oaths to Alexius and so they would not hand over their hard-
win conquests to the man who left them to die at Antioch
The Crusaders didn’t have a Papal Legate after the death of Adhemar and the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem
had died in exile a few days before the conquest, but the Crusaders did not have the luxury of arguing for months
over control of Jerusalem as they had done at Antioch with a powerful Egyptian army on the march
In council, the leaders decided to offer the crown to Raymond of Toulouse, still the wealthiest and most powerful of
the Crusade leaders As commander in chief, Raymond had distinguished himself as a pious and effective leader
and his troops were already in control of Jerusalem’s citadel, the Tower of David, and it would be difficult to dislodge
them
Raymond responded coyly to the offer, saying that he would not be king where Christ alone reigned Given his
material and strategic position, Raymond indulged in cleverness, piously refusing a crown that he knew would be
pressed on him again – he was too clever…
After his refusal, the council offered the crown to Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey was well liked by the rank and file,
who knew him as a gallant and courageous warrior and the commander who had first led his troops into
Jerusalem Godfrey also refused the crown, but he took the city, saying that he would act as a defender against the
infidels – later he appears to have accepted the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, meaning Protector of the Holy
Sepulchre
When Raymond heard the news, he was incensed He refused to remove his troops form the Tower of David which
was a serious consequence for Godfrey as he could never truly control the city without its military stronghold At
last Raymond agreed to put the citadel under the control of the bishop of Albara until a church council could decide
the matter
However, the instant Raymond left the city, the bishop betrayed him, handing over the Tower of David to Godfrey
Disgusted, Raymond abandoned Jerusalem, taking with him all of his troops and he made a pilgrimage to the Jordan
River, leaving Godfrey to fend for himself
When later, he heard reports that a large Egyptian army was encamped near Ascalon, Raymond relented, bringing
his forces back to join the other Crusade leaders The Fatimid commanders expected the Crusaders to hole up in
Jerusalem, so they were caught completely by surprise when the Christian forces swept down on their camp at
Ascalon on the evening of 11th August – the entire Egyptian force was destroyed which meant that the conquest of
the Holy Land was secure… for now
, Taylor’s Notes The Crusader States in the 12th Century
The Development of the Crusader States
After the battle at Ascalon, most of the soldiers of the First Crusade boarded vessels for home With the departure
of most of the Crusaders, Godfrey had the difficult task of extending control over a Muslim countryside with a mere
three hundred knights and about two thousand foot soldiers
Godfrey’s reign was complicated by the arrival of Daimbert, archbishop of Pisa and papal legate, who soon also
became patriarch of Jerusalem Daimbert firmly believed that Jerusalem and the Holy Land should be ruled by the
church, something that Godfrey was naturally less willing to accept
However, Godfrey died on 18th July 1100 Godfrey’s friends and comrades were not willing to hand over Jerusalem
to Daimbert and so they summoned Godfrey’s brother, Baldwin of Edessa, to take the throne for himself Baldwin
gave the County of Edessa to his cousin Baldwin of Bourcq and prepared to travel to Jerusalem Before leaving, he
heard news that Bohemond of Antioch had recently led an expedition to secure his northern frontier and was
captured by Danishmends and so Antioch was without a ruler and therefore vulnerable
Immediately Baldwin of Edessa marched to the city of Antioch and secured it, before going on to Jerusalem On
Christmas Day of 11000, Baldwin I was crowned King of Jerusalem and shortly after removed Daimbert from office
His reign would last from 1100 to 1018
How was the Crusader Kingdom Governed?
Since the Kingdom was never deliberately designed by the Pope or by the victorious Crusaders, the four territories of
Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli and Jerusalem developed independently of one another and had no formal links to foreign
powers in the West
None of the states claimed superiority, but the kings of Jerusalem did eventually claim prominence over the
others This was due to the weakness of the succession during the first decade, especially in Antioch, where
Baldwin II's intervention gave him control over the region, and in Edessa, which had been ruled by two men who
later became kings of Jerusalem, Baldwin I and Baldwin II
Government and Administration
The independence of the Crusader states was highlighted by their separate legal systems Each region had a
different set of laws, depending on the origins of its rulers and the particular customs Antioch, for example, had
strong Norman features, whereas Edessa clung to its Armenian roots In Edessa, the Franks married into the
Armenian ruling families and through these mixed marriages created a different ruling class from that which existed
in the other states Initially the Armenians held on to many of their strongholds, but gradually the Franks took over
by means of marriage, purchase and force
Generally, though, the Crusaders dominated the governance of the states and the kingdom replicating the feudal
kingdoms of the West that were familiar to them
They acted as officials, serving the King and the princes in the following three capacities
Seneschal (the King's lieutenant)
Constable (commander of the army)
Marshal (in charge of the food and horse supplies for the royal household)
At a lower level, however, government officials were often Arab and Turkish administrators--> They collected the
taxes and kept the official records in Arabic, Greek and Latin
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