The Knights Hospitaller- The Catholics Who shaped our civilized world

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

According to Catholic tradition blessed Gerard was a European Who presided in Islamic Jerusalem over a hospital in the late 11th century. He took on strangers Christian and non-Christian Alike to help heal them.

And when the Crusaders laid siege to Jerusalem in 1099 the tradition goes that blessed Gerard Would throw loaves of bread over the walls of Jerusalem to his Catholic brothers fighting for the liberation of the holy land. When the Muslims found out about this they captured Gerard and brought him before the Muslim lord, By miracle the loaves of bread had turned to stone to make it appear that Gerard was assisting the Muslims By attacking the Christians with stone as opposed to giving them bread. When Jerusalem was liberated the Crusaders championed and celebrated blessed Gerard.

“A fresco in the Chapel of the contemporary Grand Magistry in the Via Condotti in Rome depicts Blessed Gérard (Beato Gherardo) chained with a loaf of bread in the left hand. This reminds us of the legend which tells us, Blessed Gérard would have thrown loaves of bread over the walls of Jerusalem to the hungry crusaders during the siege of six weeks preceding the conquest. He would have been caught and brought before the Ottoman defenders to be charged for supporting the enemy. When evidence was to be produced the loaves of bread in his coat had miraculously changed into stones and Blessed Gérard was acquitted.”

“Blessed Gérard reorganised the former guest house, which was then the hospice or hospital of Jerusalem totally in AD 1099, the year of the conquest of Jerusalem by the crusaders.”

“Of course, he had to do so, because there was a vast increase of patients admitted to the hospital from among the crusaders themselves and all those who followed their trail as pilgrims again into the freed Holy City. This reorganisation is considered the foundation of the Order of St. John.”


“Rich donations, e.g. by Godfrey of Bouillon and King Baldwin I(1108) enabled Gérard amongst other things to erect branch hospitals in European Mediterranean harbours. Already before 1113 there were branch hospices at the castle of St. Egid”

in Asti,
“Pisa, Bari, Ydrontum, Tarent and Messina. Pilgrims, who got sick, should be treated there at an early stage, because otherwise the influx of sick pilgrims into the Hospital of Jerusalem would have become too big, especially as the passage to Jerusalem was free again in these times and therefore pilgrims came to Jerusalem again in large numbers.”


[ Pope Paschalis II and King Philip I ]
“Pope Paschal II. (13.8.1099 - 21.1.1118) confirmed the hospital community on February 15, 1113 through the bull "Piae postulatio voluntatis" as a religious order, he took on the protectorate of the hospital and confirmed the acquisitions and donations of the Order in Europe and Asia”

Blessed Gérard and his everlasting brotherhood: The Order of St. John of Jerusalem (by Fr. Gérard Lagleder O.S.B.)
Blessed Gerard, his legends his real life alike would be spoken about to crowds for the rest of the middle ages as a pious man, a man who built hospitals. A man who helped those in need. A point To be taken from this is that through the 12th to 16th century Catholics would praise the name of Blessed Gerard as a man who helped the poor, a man who helped the sick, that is to say to help the sick, to help the disabled was the proper Christian way.

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

This is from my work on another board that I shall gladly show here,

The order of Saint John of Jerusalem, otherwise known as the Knights Hospitaller Made remarkable medical achievements in the kingdom of Jerusalem.

The brother knights of the hospitaller order Were to dress modestly, were to give their horses to injured man of battle.

The Knights Operated hospitals in Palestine to help cure people with infectious diseases of the time. Such hospitals could at Max hold up to 2000 patients...They used mobile medical services that acted as modern day ambulances would, stretchers would be used.

Having the equivalent of modern day diplomas ....Well educated knights who would act as physicians would tend to the sick. There was also The equal of modern day food banks and orphanages set up to help feed the needy and house homeless children in The crusader states.

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

s Hume points out in detail....the job of the Knights Hospitaller was to in part provide medical relief to Muslims and Christians alike, it mattered not ones religion or color...the Knights duty was to care for the sick. This humanity has influenced medical organizations such as the Red Cross to this day and others to help those in need regardless of their background. The Knights Hospitaller was a wide ranging organization having medical and military chapters. They were considered a pioneer force in terms of military medical officers...having the ability to both tend to and protect the wounded during battle. The Hospitallers were expected to provide medical relief to even their very opponents in battle...this quite remarkable and clearly goes to show it would be wrong to blanket label the Church or middle ages as a time of backward morals or medical/scientific stagnation. Jews, Muslims, Christians in the crusader states were all tended to medically by the Knights Hospitallers. For the Knights this was the Catholic faith of the middle ages, to be brave in battle but also charitable toward non Christians.


The charitable work of the Blessed Gerard, his orderskindness toward Christian and non Christian alike is noted by Hume. The great Christian Lords Frederick Barbarossa and Richard The Lionheart respected the Knights Hospitaller for their charitable works. In The Kingdom of Jerusalem the Knights is shown by John of Wurzburg as hospital that could hold upwards of two thousand patients(normally geared for 1000 but in emergencies could take more) and spanned 150 meters. Pope Paschal II in 1113 set the precedent, that the Knights were exempt from paying tithes on their possessions in the Holy land as well as Europe.


Conditions in hospitals in the crusader states were far ahead of their time. As late as 18th century many hospitals worldwide would cramp patients into beds and rooms creating unsafe conditions. But in the crusader states as shown by the 12th century Rabbi Benjamin who visited Palestine between 1160 and 1173 , at the Hospital of Soloman the sickly "were provided everything they wanted in both life and death."

In Jerusalem during the 12th century, a traveler by name of Theodorich visited the hospital of St John The Baptist. He remarked " how abundantly it is supplied with rooms and other material for the use of poor and sick people" the beds numbered more then 1000".

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

One of the stories of the Crusade that stand out is Saladins secret visit to the crusader states @ The Hospital at Acre. The story was told throughout the middle ages in song and verse as reported by Hume. Saladin came disguised as a sick and poor Muslim begger, he was immediately admitted to the Crusader hospital as was custom of that noble land to not deny one based on religion or color. This is yet another characteristic of the middle ages, tolerance, acceptance, noble values of the Knights toward Jews and Muslims not just fellow members of the cross. Saladin would go on to test the morals of the Crusaders, he had asked for something remarkable...Saladin conveyed he would need the heart(other stories suggested the foot) of the horse of very Master of the Knights Hospitaller to heal him.....amazingly the Knights hospitallers agreed as such an action while it would cost the life of the steed Moriel it would save the life of a simple Muslim begger. The Knights tried to offer Saladin a more medically approved treatment but Saladin insisted on the steeds heart. Upon learning of the Knights eventually agreement to give the noble steeds heart Saladin was amazed and revealed the truth to the Master of the Knights, he did not need the heart of a steed and so Moriel was saved. Saladin was also taken back by the organization, tolerance, chivalry and medical achievements of the Crusader hospitals in Palestine.

But this was not all... Saladin had revealed himself to the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller...the master could have killed or jailed Saladin. But as a guest Saladin expected humble treatment and that he was given. Saladin left the hospital unharmed and returned to his Muslim forces. Saladin came away from this episode having a profound respect for the Knights Hospitallers. Saladin ordered that a thousand besants of gold be paid to the Hospitaller order in times of peace and war. This goes to show the tolerance of the Crusader states toward non Christians, such tolerance influenced the very ideas of the fair law systems we see today many countries today.

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

Here is an incredibly motivational documentary about the knights hospitalier. From EWTN



That is the middle ages for you. The lesson to be learned for all is that the Knights served the poor. They served a cause m greater than themselves . They served our Lord Jesus. M

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

The Dutch historian István Bejczy explores how tolerance was a key component in the middle ages. That the ideals of liberty, freedom of religion and diversity were not only pushed by Locke, Jefferson and the so called age of enlightenment...but played prominent roles in European society of the middle ages. Though the middle ages of Europe was not a time of a perfect society we can note that Canon law of the middle ages pushed for tolerance and drew from the writings of early Church fathers. In fact the Roman Empire and Christianity grew immensely due in part to high rates of intermarriage among Pagans and Christians in the Empire. Societies of the European middle ages tolerated Jews, Muslims, prostitutes.

There were numerous attitudes toward tolerance in the middle ages...one being the idea that though non Christians as well as prostitutes practiced immorality...that such so called deviance's should be tolerated in part that the non Christians would want to convert to Christianity. The idea being to win over the hearts and minds of non Christians through non violent measures. The other attitude being one of a humanist..that being ideals preached in Europe's middle ages that it is proper for a Christian to accept a Jew, Pagan and Muslim as they are.

The Priest Thomas Aquinas essentially argued that the real problems were thieves and murderers...not prostitutes or the Jews and Muslims. In this sense tolerance of the middle ages was not meant to tolerate violent criminals including violence against minority religions and prostitutes/drinking..but a proper Christian society should not punish drunkards and prostitutes, and also should allow freedom of religion...in the hopes that more and more folks would flock to Christianity and perhaps try and pursue a morally upright life.




Tolerantia: A Medieval Concept

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

The work “ Parzival” by the 12th century German Knight Wolfram von Eschenbach....explores many topics such as diversity , tolerance, good vs evil. It fits in with how the historian István Bejczy Describes society of the European Middle Ages. The work includes a Christian lord marrying an African Christian lady of nobility......It was a great love at first but that love was to be tainted by a divisive Christian figure who convinces the white Christian Lord to leave his black wife.

But there is a bright side one may say to the tale....For the marriage produces a mixed race child who goes on to become a valiant Christian knight respected by his peers throughout Europe. Of course in addition numerous knights of the roundtable traditions were either black or of a mixed race.

And Bejczy was not suggesting the catholic influenced Europe produced the greatest and most tolerant societies ever known .... But he shows us that freedom of religion, diversity and tolerance was practiced in medieval Europe and was supported by Canon law. A fair and valid assessment...one that is not polarizing in one direction or another. In part the achievements wrt diversity and tolerance of The so-called West of today hail back to the Roman empire, the early church fathers, and later the societies of the European Middle Ages.

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

General attitudes of Catholics toward non-Catholics during the middle ages
The French historian Rene Grousett Uses Islamic and Christian examples to show that Non-Christians were not eradicated in the various crusader kingdoms in the Levantine area. The franks also highly praised the fighting abilities of the Seljuk Turks as a formidable opponent. And of course we must understand that warfare of that time was very violent and often there will be no ability or desire to surrender.



The Muslim scholar Brother Jubayir go so far to say that Muslims in the crusader states found more justice than they did in their own Islamic lands at the time. That is to say that the Muslims were treated fairly by the franks and European Catholics in the crusader states. This is specifically a point to prove that it would be wrong to suggest that the franks or Europeans eliminated non-Christians in the crusader states of the Levant.

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

Here is a post to detail the brave and valiant Godfrey of Bouillon . One of the first and most critical leaders of the first crusade who is able to secure a victory at Jerusalem.

Godfrey of Bouillon hails from Lower Lorraine(also known as Brabant). Godfreys mother was the heiress of the dukes of Brabant, and Godfreys father was the Count of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in the Kingdom of France. The following is how Grousset describes Godfrey.

Phyiscally he was the typical Northern Knight. Very tall, broad chested with strong limbs, but a high narrow waist, and bright gold hair and a beard. Godfrey was a great hunter and was said to have a run in with a bear in Cilicia nearing dying in the encounter. Godfrey was a very strong man, a highly capable Knight.

Prior to becoming his own ruler in Jerusalem, Godfrey was under The Emperor of Germany Henry IV whom Grousset said mistreated Godfrey, nonetheless Godfrey remained loyal to Henry IV due to the pious and kind nature of Godfrey. Godrey was a very dedicated Catholic, praying so much that fellow Christians would sometimes complain to Godfrey that he was praying so much that their supper would get cold. But that was the kind of man Godfrey was, putting God first, being humble, dignified and righteous. Godfrey would dress in a simple fashion, Godfrey was not into riches or pursuing wealth. Godfrey was a very wise leader, so much though that after some of those of Peoples Crusade pillaged Hungary, Godfrey was able to convince the Hungarians to allow Godrey and his men safe passage through Hungary and onto eventually Jerusalem.

Godfrey was so capable that he was able to reassure the very Hungarians whom were mistreated by some of those of the Peoples Crusade. And Godfrey and his army marched right through Hungary toward the Holy Land with no issue.

I will say page 31 of The Epic of the Crusades actually brings up the bloodshed at Jerusalem. We even get to hear the famous William of Tyre providing a bloody description of the Battle of Jerusalem. This was 1,000 years ago warfare of the time involving swords and shields were to be bloody, and Jews and Muslims also took part in violent wars. By July 1099, Jerusalem was in Catholic hands again. Btw Godfrey was a very important military leader. Only three weeks after Taking Jerusalem , a huge Muslim army from Egypt which had entered Palestine led by the Vizier Al Afdal threatened to destroy the Catholic Kingdom of Jerusalem. At the time there were various disagreements between Godfrey and other Catholic leaders that could have brought down the Kingdom amid an invasion. But because of Godfreys honor and pious behavior, Christians that were in argument with Godfrey such as Raymond of Saint Gilles set aside there differences… and united to save Jerusalem. Al Afdal sent in a huge forces which outnumbered the Crusaders greatly, but the Valiant Godfrey and his men surprised Al Afdal at the Battle of Ascalon resulting in a Christian victory and the security of Jerusalem for decades to come.

Numerous accounts suggest that Godfrey actually meant with Muslims peacefully during the time of the Kingdom of Jerusalem…that speaks volumes to me. Pages 34-35 of The Epic of the Crusades talks at length about the respect that Muslims had for Godfrey. Godfrey due to his soft spoken and pious and kind nature, reminded the Muslims of none other then Muhammad himself. Arab Muslims and European Catholics in The new Kingdom had conversations with each other, they learned more and more about each other. Arabs and Franks would take up friendships with each other in The Kingdom of Jerusalem.

I will note here how Grousett discusses Godfrey and the all important battle of Dorylaeum (July 1097.).. a battle which would in essence be a revenge for the brutal loss the Byzantines suffered 30 years earlier at Manzikert. I have written about this topic before and will happily provide my thoughts here again to prove how it is wrong to make a broad sweeping negative or positive generalization of the European middle ages. The idea that the Christian religion was intolerant is a broad sweeping negative generalization that is provably false. The battle of Dorylaeum also saw Catholics team together with eastern Christians...another point that counters suggestions that the Crusaders were intolerant.

One of the major battles Godfrey was involved in during the 1st Crusade saw Godfrey fighting alongside other Crusaders and with many Eastern Christians(whom used Siege Engines) was to be the Siege of Nicae in May 1097… Nicae was an important Christian site of which a mere 16 years earlier was taken over by the Seljuk Turks…where the Turks made Nicae the capital of the Seljuk sultanate of Anatolia. Indeed as Grousset reports it was teamwork between Eastern Christians and Catholics that would win the Christians an important victory at Nicae, by June 26th, 1097 Nicae was surrendered to the Christian forces by Turkish Chiefs.

After Nicae, Godfrey and his men as Grousset reports, set out to cross Asia Minor Diagonally from the northwest to the southeast, the shortest overland route from the straits of Syria. And it would prove to be a difficult and dangerous journey. Godfrey and his men would have to pass through the Anatolian plateau, a zone of arid steppes, culminating in the middle of a salt desert, where the question of supplies has always been difficult. Joining Godfrey on this holy mission was Bohemund, Tancred, and Robert Curthose…and the men decided to separate into two froces order to make the journey easier, the Turks found out of this separation and attempted to seize upon it. One force was led by Bohemund, another by Godfrey. And on July 1 1097…Turkish forces in huge numbers attacked the Christian force led by Bohemund by Dorylaeum. This was a total surprise, Alp Arlan and his troops caught Bohemund offguard. . Bohemund was barely able to form a line, and had a very difficult time at first fighting back against the Turks. In the minds of Bohemund and his men as Grousset says…was probably the thought of death and failure of the First Crusade. But the Christians never gave up… And Bohemund was smart to send word to Godfrey(whom was separated) that reinforcements were needed. Godfrey would eventually arrive with 50 knights to reinforce the action. A few other crusaderleadersand there menalso arrived, and the battle of Dorylaeum raged on. Against a superior Turkish force numerically… Godfrey made a great and heroic flanking action against the Turks, leading the Turkish forces to retreat leaving behind precious treasures for the Crusaders to recover. July 1 1097 is a critically important date in world history. As Grousset shows, " The Battle of Dorylaeum settled the question of power in the Near East for more then a century. Since the day of Manzikert, and the Capture of a Byzantine Emperor by a Turkish Sultan in 1071…the Turkish power had dominated the east. The day of July 1, 1097…announced to the world that a new power had arisen…The Frankish power which would henceforth prevail". Had the Catholic led forces lost atDorylaeum , the world today may look different, Christianity may not have been the 1# followed religion as it is today, it could have become Islam. The Christian victory at Dorylaeum in 1097 in a sense was redemption for the Byzantine loss at Manzikert in 1071. In part because of the Crusader victory at Dorylaeum, we would see two centuries of European hegemony in the Levant.

Grousset also notes wrt Dorylaeum that

It is interesting to note that the Franks and the Turks, the military race of the west and the military race of Asia, learned in the very first encounter to esteem each other. The Chronicler of Gesta Francorum speaks to us out of his own experience. " We are bound to recognize the military qualities and the valiance of the Turks. They thought to frighten us with their hail of arrows, as they had frightend the Arabs, the Armenians, the Syrians, and the Greeks. But, with the Grace of God, they shall not prevail over us! In verity, they recognize, on their side , that none save the Franks and themselves has the right to call himself Knight"

Godfrey was an important leader in all of European history, noted not only for his great military skill but also his honor and tolerant character. Godfrey was praised for his chivalry not only by Catholics and Eastern Christians, but by the Muslims as well.

 

[surada]

s Hume points out in detail....the job of the Knights Hospitaller was to in part provide medical relief to Muslims and Christians alike, it mattered not ones religion or color...the Knights duty was to care for the sick. This humanity has influenced medical organizations such as the Red Cross to this day and others to help those in need regardless of their background. The Knights Hospitaller was a wide ranging organization having medical and military chapters. They were considered a pioneer force in terms of military medical officers...having the ability to both tend to and protect the wounded during battle. The Hospitallers were expected to provide medical relief to even their very opponents in battle...this quite remarkable and clearly goes to show it would be wrong to blanket label the Church or middle ages as a time of backward morals or medical/scientific stagnation. Jews, Muslims, Christians in the crusader states were all tended to medically by the Knights Hospitallers. For the Knights this was the Catholic faith of the middle ages, to be brave in battle but also charitable toward non Christians.


The charitable work of the Blessed Gerard, his orderskindness toward Christian and non Christian alike is noted by Hume. The great Christian Lords Frederick Barbarossa and Richard The Lionheart respected the Knights Hospitaller for their charitable works. In The Kingdom of Jerusalem the Knights is shown by John of Wurzburg as hospital that could hold upwards of two thousand patients(normally geared for 1000 but in emergencies could take more) and spanned 150 meters. Pope Paschal II in 1113 set the precedent, that the Knights were exempt from paying tithes on their possessions in the Holy land as well as Europe.


Conditions in hospitals in the crusader states were far ahead of their time. As late as 18th century many hospitals worldwide would cramp patients into beds and rooms creating unsafe conditions. But in the crusader states as shown by the 12th century Rabbi Benjamin who visited Palestine between 1160 and 1173 , at the Hospital of Soloman the sickly "were provided everything they wanted in both life and death."

In Jerusalem during the 12th century, a traveler by name of Theodorich visited the hospital of St John The Baptist. He remarked " how abundantly it is supplied with rooms and other material for the use of poor and sick people" the beds numbered more then 1000".

The Islamic Roots of the Modern Hospital - AramcoWorld

By the mid-ninth century, more than 30 bimaristans—centers for treating illness and injury—were working from the Arab Middle East to Persia in

www.aramcoworld.com

 

[surada]

Ancient Iranian medicine - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[surada]

One of the stories of the Crusade that stand out is Saladins secret visit to the crusader states @ The Hospital at Acre. The story was told throughout the middle ages in song and verse as reported by Hume. Saladin came disguised as a sick and poor Muslim begger, he was immediately admitted to the Crusader hospital as was custom of that noble land to not deny one based on religion or color. This is yet another characteristic of the middle ages, tolerance, acceptance, noble values of the Knights toward Jews and Muslims not just fellow members of the cross. Saladin would go on to test the morals of the Crusaders, he had asked for something remarkable...Saladin conveyed he would need the heart(other stories suggested the foot) of the horse of very Master of the Knights Hospitaller to heal him.....amazingly the Knights hospitallers agreed as such an action while it would cost the life of the steed Moriel it would save the life of a simple Muslim begger. The Knights tried to offer Saladin a more medically approved treatment but Saladin insisted on the steeds heart. Upon learning of the Knights eventually agreement to give the noble steeds heart Saladin was amazed and revealed the truth to the Master of the Knights, he did not need the heart of a steed and so Moriel was saved. Saladin was also taken back by the organization, tolerance, chivalry and medical achievements of the Crusader hospitals in Palestine.

But this was not all... Saladin had revealed himself to the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller...the master could have killed or jailed Saladin. But as a guest Saladin expected humble treatment and that he was given. Saladin left the hospital unharmed and returned to his Muslim forces. Saladin came away from this episode having a profound respect for the Knights Hospitallers. Saladin ordered that a thousand besants of gold be paid to the Hospitaller order in times of peace and war. This goes to show the tolerance of the Crusader states toward non Christians, such tolerance influenced the very ideas of the fair law systems we see today many countries today.

Muslims had hospitals in the 7 and 8th centuries.

 

[Zebra]

Here is a post to detail the brave and valiant Godfrey of Bouillon . One of the first and most critical leaders of the first crusade who is able to secure a victory at Jerusalem.

View attachment 757281

Godfrey of Bouillon hails from Lower Lorraine(also known as Brabant). Godfreys mother was the heiress of the dukes of Brabant, and Godfreys father was the Count of Boulogne-sur-Mer, in the Kingdom of France. The following is how Grousset describes Godfrey.

Phyiscally he was the typical Northern Knight. Very tall, broad chested with strong limbs, but a high narrow waist, and bright gold hair and a beard. Godfrey was a great hunter and was said to have a run in with a bear in Cilicia nearing dying in the encounter. Godfrey was a very strong man, a highly capable Knight.

Prior to becoming his own ruler in Jerusalem, Godfrey was under The Emperor of Germany Henry IV whom Grousset said mistreated Godfrey, nonetheless Godfrey remained loyal to Henry IV due to the pious and kind nature of Godfrey. Godrey was a very dedicated Catholic, praying so much that fellow Christians would sometimes complain to Godfrey that he was praying so much that their supper would get cold. But that was the kind of man Godfrey was, putting God first, being humble, dignified and righteous. Godfrey would dress in a simple fashion, Godfrey was not into riches or pursuing wealth. Godfrey was a very wise leader, so much though that after some of those of Peoples Crusade pillaged Hungary, Godfrey was able to convince the Hungarians to allow Godrey and his men safe passage through Hungary and onto eventually Jerusalem.

Godfrey was so capable that he was able to reassure the very Hungarians whom were mistreated by some of those of the Peoples Crusade. And Godfrey and his army marched right through Hungary toward the Holy Land with no issue.

I will say page 31 of The Epic of the Crusades actually brings up the bloodshed at Jerusalem. We even get to hear the famous William of Tyre providing a bloody description of the Battle of Jerusalem. This was 1,000 years ago warfare of the time involving swords and shields were to be bloody, and Jews and Muslims also took part in violent wars. By July 1099, Jerusalem was in Catholic hands again. Btw Godfrey was a very important military leader. Only three weeks after Taking Jerusalem , a huge Muslim army from Egypt which had entered Palestine led by the Vizier Al Afdal threatened to destroy the Catholic Kingdom of Jerusalem. At the time there were various disagreements between Godfrey and other Catholic leaders that could have brought down the Kingdom amid an invasion. But because of Godfreys honor and pious behavior, Christians that were in argument with Godfrey such as Raymond of Saint Gilles set aside there differences… and united to save Jerusalem. Al Afdal sent in a huge forces which outnumbered the Crusaders greatly, but the Valiant Godfrey and his men surprised Al Afdal at the Battle of Ascalon resulting in a Christian victory and the security of Jerusalem for decades to come.

Numerous accounts suggest that Godfrey actually meant with Muslims peacefully during the time of the Kingdom of Jerusalem…that speaks volumes to me. Pages 34-35 of The Epic of the Crusades talks at length about the respect that Muslims had for Godfrey. Godfrey due to his soft spoken and pious and kind nature, reminded the Muslims of none other then Muhammad himself. Arab Muslims and European Catholics in The new Kingdom had conversations with each other, they learned more and more about each other. Arabs and Franks would take up friendships with each other in The Kingdom of Jerusalem.

I will note here how Grousett discusses Godfrey and the all important battle of Dorylaeum (July 1097.).. a battle which would in essence be a revenge for the brutal loss the Byzantines suffered 30 years earlier at Manzikert. I have written about this topic before and will happily provide my thoughts here again to prove how it is wrong to make a broad sweeping negative or positive generalization of the European middle ages. The idea that the Christian religion was intolerant is a broad sweeping negative generalization that is provably false. The battle of Dorylaeum also saw Catholics team together with eastern Christians...another point that counters suggestions that the Crusaders were intolerant.

One of the major battles Godfrey was involved in during the 1st Crusade saw Godfrey fighting alongside other Crusaders and with many Eastern Christians(whom used Siege Engines) was to be the Siege of Nicae in May 1097… Nicae was an important Christian site of which a mere 16 years earlier was taken over by the Seljuk Turks…where the Turks made Nicae the capital of the Seljuk sultanate of Anatolia. Indeed as Grousset reports it was teamwork between Eastern Christians and Catholics that would win the Christians an important victory at Nicae, by June 26th, 1097 Nicae was surrendered to the Christian forces by Turkish Chiefs.

After Nicae, Godfrey and his men as Grousset reports, set out to cross Asia Minor Diagonally from the northwest to the southeast, the shortest overland route from the straits of Syria. And it would prove to be a difficult and dangerous journey. Godfrey and his men would have to pass through the Anatolian plateau, a zone of arid steppes, culminating in the middle of a salt desert, where the question of supplies has always been difficult. Joining Godfrey on this holy mission was Bohemund, Tancred, and Robert Curthose…and the men decided to separate into two froces order to make the journey easier, the Turks found out of this separation and attempted to seize upon it. One force was led by Bohemund, another by Godfrey. And on July 1 1097…Turkish forces in huge numbers attacked the Christian force led by Bohemund by Dorylaeum. This was a total surprise, Alp Arlan and his troops caught Bohemund offguard. . Bohemund was barely able to form a line, and had a very difficult time at first fighting back against the Turks. In the minds of Bohemund and his men as Grousset says…was probably the thought of death and failure of the First Crusade. But the Christians never gave up… And Bohemund was smart to send word to Godfrey(whom was separated) that reinforcements were needed. Godfrey would eventually arrive with 50 knights to reinforce the action. A few other crusaderleadersand there menalso arrived, and the battle of Dorylaeum raged on. Against a superior Turkish force numerically… Godfrey made a great and heroic flanking action against the Turks, leading the Turkish forces to retreat leaving behind precious treasures for the Crusaders to recover. July 1 1097 is a critically important date in world history. As Grousset shows, " The Battle of Dorylaeum settled the question of power in the Near East for more then a century. Since the day of Manzikert, and the Capture of a Byzantine Emperor by a Turkish Sultan in 1071…the Turkish power had dominated the east. The day of July 1, 1097…announced to the world that a new power had arisen…The Frankish power which would henceforth prevail". Had the Catholic led forces lost atDorylaeum , the world today may look different, Christianity may not have been the 1# followed religion as it is today, it could have become Islam. The Christian victory at Dorylaeum in 1097 in a sense was redemption for the Byzantine loss at Manzikert in 1071. In part because of the Crusader victory at Dorylaeum, we would see two centuries of European hegemony in the Levant.

Grousset also notes wrt Dorylaeum that

It is interesting to note that the Franks and the Turks, the military race of the west and the military race of Asia, learned in the very first encounter to esteem each other. The Chronicler of Gesta Francorum speaks to us out of his own experience. " We are bound to recognize the military qualities and the valiance of the Turks. They thought to frighten us with their hail of arrows, as they had frightend the Arabs, the Armenians, the Syrians, and the Greeks. But, with the Grace of God, they shall not prevail over us! In verity, they recognize, on their side , that none save the Franks and themselves has the right to call himself Knight"

Godfrey was an important leader in all of European history, noted not only for his great military skill but also his honor and tolerant character. Godfrey was praised for his chivalry not only by Catholics and Eastern Christians, but by the Muslims as well.

gooood points!

 

[MJB12741]

Ancient Iranian medicine - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Eh, Surada. Got news for you. There were no Muslims during the Persian empire. Zarathustra & his flock prevailed from the Achaminids & the Parthians until the Muslims invaded killing most of the Zoroastrians & driving the rest out of their homeland to India as Parsis.

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

Muslims had hospitals in the 7 and 8th centuries.

Yes and the history books point out to us at the first ever modern day hospital was from the knights hospitaller …. They had a hospital nearly 1000 years ago In Jerusalem they could fit 1000 patients and they treated Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike. That is the religion of Catholicism a religion of honor and integrity just like Islam

All sorts of sources in the thread point out the mutual respect between Catholics and Muslims in the crusader kingdoms. The dividers want to tell us a different story, but they will never prevail

Numerous accounts suggest that Godfrey actually meant with Muslims peacefully during the time of the Kingdom of Jerusalem…that speaks volumes to me. Pages 34-35 of The Epic of the Crusades talks at length about the respect that Muslims had for Godfrey. Godfrey due to his soft spoken and pious and kind nature, reminded the Muslims of none other then Muhammad himself. Arab Muslims and European Catholics in The new Kingdom had conversations with each other, they learned more and more about each other. Arabs and Franks would take up friendships with each other in The Kingdom of Jerusalem.

 

[FranklinRoosevelt_FTW]

I would simply ask folks to watch the first few minutes of this documentary. You will be very inspired.

 

[whitehall]

A Dutch historian Istvan Bejczy claims that tolerance was the key component issue in the middle ages? Surely he was mistaken.

 

[Zebra]

a a very informative topic!