Monthly Archives: April 2012

There were many kinds of knights in medieval Europe. Perhaps some of the most interesting were the condottieri, or mercenary knights. During approximately 1268 to 1513, political divisions caused by the “struggle between popes and emperors had promoted the growth of independent communes or city-states, particularly in northern Italy” (“Despots and Condottieri”). These factions struggled against each other, and often the cities hired condottieri “under contract to fight their wars” (“Despots and Condottieri”). The condottieri are controversial figures because of their pecuniary interest in armed conflict. It is important however, as a modern reader, to remember that “the lure of instant knighthood (the case of John Hawkwood) and wealth through pillaging attracted many to the recruiting campaigns, but no military man ventured to war in the fourteenth century without being paid wages” (Pratt 20).One of the most famous of these mercenary knights was John Hawkwood.

Figure 1. “Funerary Monument to Sir John Hawkwood.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 Apr. 2012. Web. 9 Apr. 2012.

John Hawkwood was born in England, but made a name for himself during his campaigns in Italy. He was a “soldier of immense ability….[a] tactician, strategist and inspiring leader” and additionally had  “the diplomatic skill to succeed in the complex world of Italian city rivalries” (Prestwich 11). His value as a soldier is emphasized by his employment record. Hawkwood worked for “Pisa, Milan, Padua, the Papacy, and above all Florence” (Prestwich 11). He was so successful in the Florentine campaigns that the city created a fresco in his honor (see Figure 1).

As a mercenary knight, Hawkwood’s character is surrounded by a great deal of propaganda. The fresco created in Hawkwood’s honor is clearly congratulatory. The horse has one foot raised in motion and is erect and dignified. Hawkwood also sits erect and is dressed in an Italian style hat that evokes a sense of loyalty to the Italian people. The inscription on the monument further honors Hawkwood. It reads, “‘Ioannes Actus eques brittanicus dux aetatis suae cautissimus et rei militaris pertissimus habitus est’ (John Hawkwood, British knight, most prudent leader of his age and most expert in the art of war)” (Wikipedia Contributors). All of this seems to indicate that Hawkwood was a beloved leader. It is important to note, however, that “the fresco was initially commissioned, decades after Hawkwood’s death, in 1433 by the Albizzi government, just months before the regime’s collapse” (Wikipedia contributors). These factors certainly influence the sentimental Hawkwood depicted in the piece. Though Hawkwood does seem to have been a very skilled man-at-arms, he also plundered (Prestwich 101) and appears not to have been entirely loyal to Italy as he intended to return to England at the end of his life (Wikipedia Contributors).

Works Cited

“Despots and Condottieri in Italy, 1268-1513: the Rise of the Nation.” Bigsiteofhistory.com. Big Site of History. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.

Pratt, John H. “Was Chaucer’s Knight Really a Mercenary?” The Chaucer Review 22.1 (1987): 8-27. JSTOR. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.

Prestwich, Michael. Knight: The Medieval Warrior’s Unofficial Manual. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd., 2010. Print.

Wikipedia contributors. “Funerary Monument to Sir John Hawkwood.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 Apr. 2012. Web. 9 Apr. 2012.

Many of us have seen the movie A Knight’s Tale, the story of William Thatcher’s adventures revolving around his impersonation of a knight named Ulrich Von Lichtenstein. But what few know is that ‘Ulrich’ wasn’t just a nom-de-guerre created for the Columbia Pictures Organization, but a real person.

Ulrich Von Lichtenstein was a “Prominent member of the nobility in Styria who was especially active in politics and poetry in the middle third of the thirteenth century.” (Heinen) He “was born in 1200 in… Present-day Austria,” but the rest of his life is not so easily ascertained by historians. His most famous work is the “supposedly autobiographical poetry collection Frauendienst” (Wikipedia contributors) which “Describe[s] a journey he made dressed as the goddess Venus, during which he took part in innumerable jousts and tournaments, all for the unrequited love of his lady.” (Prestwich)

Few can forget the image of William Thatcher bravely tilting against nobles and royals and winning the hand of the fair Jocelyn, but I’m sure the real Ulrich Von Lichtenstein (or at least his literary alter-ego) cut an even more memorable figure with a crowned Venus, “wield[ing] a red arrow and a flaming, red torch… ‘rid[ing]’ on [his] helmet as he rides on his horse, triumphing over him” even as he bested other knights. His choice of clothing represents not only his love for his chosen lady, but the metaphorical triumph of Venus over Mars, of love over warfare. That the power of Venus often bested even “Hercules, Paris, Achilles, Troilus, Aeneas, Samson, Tristan, and Lancelot.” A knight had his duties to his superiors and his code, but all were “overcome by a triumphant Venus at one point or another.” (Baldwin).

Ulrich von Lichtenstein, from the Codex Manesse, 1305

Baldwin, Robert. “SocialHistoryofArt.com.” German, Poet-Knight [Ulrich von Lichtenstein] Rides into Battle Under the Crest of Venus, from the Codex Manesse, ca. 1300 . Robert Baldwin, 02 Mar 2012. Web. 2 Apr 2012. <http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=4&sqi=2&ved=0CD4QFjAD&url=http://www.socialhistoryofart.com/Baldwin%20%20The%20Knight%20of%20Love%20in%20the%20Manesse%20Codex.doc&ei=Z7yAT5K4CorjiAKEqeWIAw&usg=AFQjCNFj-CrFrax1BQuXc0Gt-F9TeOb29A&gt;.

Scholar: Heinen, Hubert. “Ulrich von Lichtenstein: “Homo (il)litteratus” or Poet/Performer?.” Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 83.2 (1984): 159-172. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/27709309&gt;.

Prestwich, Michael. Knight the Medieval Warrior’s Unofficial Manual. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2010. 83. Print.

Wikipedia contributors. “Ulrich von Liechtenstein.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 04 Mar 2012. Web. 5 Apr 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrich_von_Liechtenstein

((Primary source is my image.))

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (also known as Knights of the Order of the Temple or Templar Knights) established in 1118 were monastic knights who practiced and vowed celibacy, humility, and poverty in the name of their Lord. They held high standards, but also they were knights who took up the sword to defend the truth and help protect and expand their Christian disciples (William of Trye). Clairvaux records:

They are seen [to be] both more gentle than lambs, and more ferocious than lions, that I almost doubt what I should prefer them to be called, namely monks or knights, unless I should call them in fact most suitably by both [names], in whom neither is known to be lacking, neither the gentleness of the monk nor the strength of the knight (qtd. in Menache, 3).

The first knights held their white mantles high, protecting weary, Christian pilgrams. Achieving endorsement by the Catholic Church around 1129 A.D. the order grew in power defending with prowess in the crusades for the church. The order established and maintained commanderies in every state in Europe, including France which inclueded 42 strongholds. One such example was Castle Pilgrim which offered cavalry/barraks  as well as chapels to the knights ( Moeller). The Order later answered only to the church and was ratified from obeying any laws except for the Pope’s. Soon the Templars amassed large amounts of monetary support and estates,  achieving “innovating financial techniques that were an early form of banking” (Wikipedia).

Templars being burned at the stake. Illustration From the Creation of the World until 1384. Out of Copyright in the United States.

As the Arabic world unified under Saladin, the Templars noble order, after time degraded and entropy set in. Its noble deeds and chivalric esteem was lost or rather abandoned. William of Trye observed with a critical eye,

in the same year, certain noble men of knightly rank, religious men, devoted to God and fearing him, bound themselves to Christ’s service in the hands of Lord Patriarch. They promised to live in perpetuity as regular canons, without possessions, under vows of chastity and obedience…Although the kings now had been established for nine years, there were still only nine of them. From this time onward their number began to grow and their possession began to multiply…It is said today that their wealth is equal to the treasures of kings…Although they maintained their establishment honorably for a long time and fulfilled their vocation with sufficient prudence, later,  because of the neglect of humility (which is known as the guardian of all virtues and which, since it sits in the lowest place, cannot fall), they with drew from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, by whom their order was founded and from whom they received their first benefices and to whom they denied the obedience which their predecessors renders. They have also taken away tithes and first fruits from God’s churches, have disturbed their possessions, and have made themselves exceedingly troublesome.

This troublesomeness was an array of sinful and treacherous deeds against the Catholic Church and secular associations including the crown. These deeds included: Greed, bribery of the enemy and betrayal of the Crusade, drinking, profanity, sexual sins (including sodomy), disavowing Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints, and having graven images (Menache).

The abolition of the Templar Knights by Pope Clemet V occurred around 1312 A.D. Menache suggests, society of the time disdained their deeds, but perhaps even more so because of their monastic vows. Although the Templars were not held in high esteem by noble or common folk, King Philip IV may have had more than moral or religious reasons for disbanding the Order. King Philip focused on religious propaganda rather than the treachery against the crown to persuade society in favor of the king and against the order. Philip wanted control over the financial assets which grew within the order from its infancy. Ramifications against the order included both Spiritual and temporal penalties (12-13). Another reason might include that the order was protected and controlled by the Church.

Despite the unfavorable opinion held by the public, the members of the order in France could only be convicted by confession. The French King cunningly employed torture as a means to indict them (some in-front of the Pope) (Moeller). Ultimately, the Pope divided its assets into the Order of Hospitallers and many of the  innocent Templar knights were taken in by that order.

Works Cited

Bibliothèque Municipale, Besançon, France. Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Templars_on_Stake.jpg de:Benutzer:Lysis Eingescannt aus: Louis Crompton, Homosexuality & Civilization. Cambridge, Mass.; London 2003. S. 196. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

“Knights Templar.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundations. Apr. 2 2011. Web. Apr 5 2012.

Menache, Sophia. “The Templar Order: A Failed Ideal?.” The Catholic Historical Review, Vol 79, No. 1 (Jan. 1993). pp. 1-21. via < http://www.jstor.org.hal.weber.edu:2200/stable/25023942&gt;. JSTOR. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

Moeller, Charles. “The Knights Templars.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 7 Apr. 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14493a.htm&gt;. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

William of Tyre, Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum, XII, 7, Patrologia Latina 201, 526-27, Trans. Brundage, James.  The Crusades: A Documentary History, (Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 1962), 70-73. Web. Accessed 5 Apr. 2012. from Medival Sourcebook: The foundation of the Order of Knights Templar via <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/tyre-cde.html#templars>.

Walking along one of the outer ramparts

Located in the south of France, the Fortress of Carcassonne is an outstanding example of medieval defense. Positioned in the Languedoc-Roussillon region near the border of Spain, the location of Carcassonne has been occupied for thousands of years, the earliest proof dating to the 6^th century BC. When Gaul was absorbed into the Roman Empire, the Celtic settlement that was Carcaso Volcarum Tectosagum, became the Latin Colonia Iulia Carcaso in 27 BC (UNESCO).

Control changed hands several times over the centuries, from Celts, to Romans, to Visigoths, to Saracens, and lastly, to the Franks under Pepin the Short. The last count of this dynasty was childless and without heirs. In 1067 AD, Carcassonne became property of Raymond Bernard Trencavel, Viscount of Albi and Nimes, when he married the count’s sister.

Interior of Carsonne's Basilica de Saint-Nazaire

The Trencavel family built the Chateau Comtal (Castle of the Counts) and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire (a Romanesque-Gothic style cathedral). The reign of the Trencavels ended during the Albigensian Crusades, where the Pope declared war on the Cathars of Southern France. In 1209 the crusading army of Simon de Montfort terrorized the neighboring city of Beziers. Distinguishing between the Cathars and Catholics living  in the city was easy for the army; the decree being ‘kill them all, God will recognize His own.’

After that, Beziers was looted and burned. Marching west, the Crusaders arrived at Carcassonne, demanding surrender. The terms of the surrender allowed the twenty-four year old viscount, Raymond-Roger Trencavel, and eleven companions to leave the city unharmed. Raymond-Roger refused. The only weakness of the strongly fortified, bravely defended city was its moderate distance from the nearest river. The crusaders quickly cut off the defenders’ water supply by denying them access to the River Aude. Wells in the town were drying up, due to the intense August heat and to additional water consumption by the refugees from Beziers. Morale was sinking as the crusaders offered another form of surrender: all of their lives would be spared if they left everything behind, and abandoning Carcassonne wearing nothing but shirts and breeches. Raymond-Roger met with the besiegers under the law of safe conduct to discuss and accept the terms. Going back on their word, the crusaders did not allow him to return to the city but instead captured him. He died under mysterious circumstances, found dead in his own prison a few weeks later (History Today). According to the terms, the Cathars left. Simon de Montfort became the new Viscount of Carcassonne, adding new fortifications to the walls. In 1247 the city became a part of the kingdom of France under King Louis IX. He and his successor, Philip III built the outer ramparts (Wikipedia Contributors). Cité de Carcassonne had become so well fortified that not even the Edward the Black Prince could break through its defenses.

Aerial view of the 'Cité de Carcassonne'

Aerial diagram of Carcasonne. (1) Count's Castle. (4) Defensive entrance to the Chateau. (7) Gallo-Roman Ramparts. (9) Deuxieme Enceinte (or 2nd wall). (13) La Basilique Saint-Nazaire

Works Cited

Froissart, Jean. Chroniques de J. Froissart : 1346-1356 (Depuis le siege de Calais jusqu’à a la prise de Breteuil et aux preliminaires de la bataille de Poitiers).  Google eBook. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. http://books.google.com/books?id=3_kUAAAAQAAJ&dq=froissart+carcassonne&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s

“Carcassonne Falls In The Albigensian Crusade.” History Today 59.8 (2009): 10. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

“Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne”. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/345

Wikipedia contributors. “Carcassonne.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 6 Apr. 2012.

http://carcassonne.monuments-nationaux.fr/#details (diagram pic)

http://mescladis.free.fr/ANGLAIS/pages%20html/history.htm

http://www.castles.francethisway.com/chateau-carcassonne.php

The Crusades all started because the Christians had lost the Holy Land to the Muslims. Thus, the Pope of the Catholic Church, Pope Urban II, said for his people to fight to the death for Jerusalem. Jerusalem was rightfully that of the Church and not people who did not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Thus the first Crusade started against Western Europe (Spain, France, and other followers of the Roman Catholic Church) and the Middle-East as well as Muslim followers in 1095-1099. Pope Urban said that, “Pope Urban II called upon all Christians to join a war against the Turks, promising those who died in the endeavor would receive immediate remission of their sins.” (Wikipedia) In the picture below, it showed how the Christians had won their first battle against the Muslims and that Godfrey of Bouillon had taken over Jerusalem.

However, the question that poses now is the fact that the tables have turned and the Muslims are fighting against the Christians because it is their “Jihad” to get rid of the infidels. The “Jihad” is the Holy War that the Muslims have been told to fight against the infidels such as America to advance the rein of Islam. (Wikipedia) How is this different from the Crusade that the Christians almost one thousand years ago? Christians and the Western world do not think that they have ever had something such as a Jihad and something like what happened on September eleventh. However, the Crusades that happened about 200 years had killed thousands, and maybe even millions of people. The Christians had a “Jihad” just as the Muslims do now, but it happened so long ago that no one seems to mention it now. But, it is the same idea; A holy war that with every person who dies on the right side, will go to heaven for the sake of religion.

Works Citied:

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=lang_en&id=C8h_VjG4ucsC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=Crusades&ots=eJMcfTPDAx&sig=wCmrwICfbQnmlsrTQhbjmpd8KLs#v=onepage&q=Crusades&f=false

http://icp.ge.ch/po/cliotexte/le-moyen-age/dossier-islam/Dossier-islam_fichiers/image007.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad