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"Which of the following was of greater importance in the survival of the Crusader States in the 12th century? Frankish unity or Crusader castles" Model essay$6.46
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"Which of the following was of greater importance in the survival of the Crusader States in the 12th century? Frankish unity or Crusader castles" Model essay
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Course
Unit 2 (Y203)
Institution
OCR
An A grade, 10 mark model essay on the survival of the Crusader States based on a past paper question
Which of the following was of greater importance in the survival of the Crusader States in the 12th
century?
(i) Frankish unity
(ii) Crusader castles
Explain your answer with reference to both (i) and (ii). (10 marks)
Frankish unity was a very significant factor in the survival of the Crusader States in the 12 th century and without it, as
shown during Fulk’s reign, the kingdom would crumble. Unity was vital to the survival of the crusader states because
their numbers were so small and if they did not have this unity, they would be unable to consolidate control and
would have had little chance of surviving. Frankish Unity was evident throughout the 12 th century and has shown to
have helped the Franks and the Crusader States significantly. The most evident example of Frankish unity was shown
during the capture of Baldwin II. Despite not having a leader, the Franks were still highly united and were able to
capture the important city of Tyre. There was also no fight for control or attempt to overthrow Baldwin II because
the Franks were united. Had they not been united then this would have been a disaster for the Franks and easily lead
to the downfall of Outremer. However, there was evidence of disunity, particularly during the 1130s and this led to
the downfall of the Crusader States, which shows just how important Frankish unity was for the survival of the
Crusader States. For example, when Fulk came to power in 1128, many people resented him and this led to disunity
and eventually the kingdom’s downfall. Therefore, Frankish unity was very important in the survival of the Crusader
States.
Crusader Castles were also an important factor in the survival of the Crusader States but were arguably a less
important factor than Frankish Unity. Castles and fortified places fulfilled a variety of functions and were built
throughout the 12th century. Their main function was defence because the Crusader Kingdom was a very hostile
place with constant threats both from outside the kingdom from the Egyptians and inside the kingdom from the
inhabitant Muslims so needed protection. For example, there was fortified places built at the ports of Tyre and Acre
to protect these ports and prevent attack from Egyptian fleets. Not only did this help protect the kingdom but also
protected the main source of income for the Franks: trade. Without this income, the kingdom would not have been
able to survive. Also, these castles served as the centre of administration and governing, another important feature
that helped the kingdom to survive. However, these castles needed lots of men to man them so without Frankish
unity, these castles would not have been as useful as they were. As previously mentioned, their numbers were very
small and without unity, they would have been a lot smaller meaning that there would be less people to man the
castles and they would not be as useful.
To conclude, both Frankish Unity and the Crusader Castles were significant factors when contributing to the survival
of the Crusader States. Frankish Unity helped the Franks come together to capture cities and protect themselves and
the Crusader Castles helped the Franks to defend their kingdom and control their income and government. However,
Frankish Unity was more important because without it, the numbers would have been too small to control the
castles and the castles would not be effective unless controlled. Also, there is evidence during Fulk’s reign that
without unity, the Crusader States crumbled despite there still being castles in the Kingdom. Therefore, Frankish
Unity was a more significant factor and helped the Crusader States survive more than Crusader Castles did, although
both played an important role.
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