And All Nations Shall Gather To It - Volume I: The Abode of Peace
- Thread starter Ricard (i.e. Rdffigueira)
- Start date
Interlude 2. To War in the Name of God
Painting depicting a monk of the Templarian Order vocally translating a Latin excerpt of the "Rule of the Pilgrims and Knights of Jerusalem" (c. 1120)
In 1113, the same year in which Bohemond sent a delegation to contract his marriage, another embassy went from Jerusalem to Italy, but this one going directly to Rome, led by none other than Archbishop Gerard. They met with the seated Bishop of Rome, Pope Paschal II, Urban II’s successor. Paschal was an enthusiast of the Crusades, and, much like his predecessor, realized the enormous potential these sanctified military expeditions had to reinforce the institutional and political projection of the Papacy in European and Asian geopolitics. This explains why he not only readily ratified the ad hoc procedures and legislation created by the Latin authorities in the Outremer, but went as far as devising a comprehensive code of precepts and tenets to discipline the Crusader State.
In its original version, a 43-clause text – named Regula pro Peregrini et Milites Hierosolimitanum – drafted in the conclusion of the Synod of Bologna that he presided over in that same year, it was a document very similar, both in format and in purpose, to the codified doctrines adopted by the various Catholic monastic institutions, most notably the Benedictines and the Camaldolese. This was seen as a natural inspiration, because the pilgrims to Jerusalem, even the armed ones, were expected to obey a certain code of behavior, and, considering that the Crusades were originally seen as a form of penitence and as a quest for salvation, the association with the rules of the monasteries seemed fitting in its early years. The three main vectors that inspired the “Rule of the Pilgrims and Knights of Jerusalem” were:
(1) The Peace and Truce of God movements that gained force in the western Mediterranean after the 10th Century;
(2) The reformist trends forwarded by the Cluniac and Gregorian disciples (both of which Pope Paschal was an enthusiastic supporter); and
(3) The Latin canon law itself, which had seen various forms of compilations and codifications since Late Antiquity.
(2) The reformist trends forwarded by the Cluniac and Gregorian disciples (both of which Pope Paschal was an enthusiastic supporter); and
(3) The Latin canon law itself, which had seen various forms of compilations and codifications since Late Antiquity.
The Synod of Bologna nowadays is recognized as an important milestone in the enhancement of the Pope’s political power in European geopolitics. Even the pro-Imperial prelates of Germany and Italy recognized the Papal suzerainty over the Holy Land, an incumbency that granted unfathomable prestige to the Holy See, because even if the distant Salian Emperors, like their Ottonian predecessors, aspired to an imperium universalis – that is, the suzerainty over the whole of Christendom, including the far away realm of Jerusalem – they lacked the resources or the will to enforce their seemingly global pretensions, unlike this newly-dawned age of apparent Papal hegemony.
To the Outremer itself, the Regula pro Peregrini et Milites Hierosolimitanum was the first codified legal diploma to define rules to the subjects of the oriental realm. Despite its title, even in its initial version it did much more than simply regulate pilgrimages and knightly conduct, because it laid down important tenets regarding land ownership, feudal contracts and liturgy. It would, through the centuries, be amended and detailed, so much that, by the early 14th Century, it comprised more than 40 chapters and 500 articles. These later versions, which defined rules from civil to criminal matters, would be better known by the name used in the first consolidated publication, Diploma Canonicorum Hierosolimitanum, authored by Hugh of Arles [Uc d’Arle] in the 15th Century, nicknamed the “Constitution of Jerusalem”, a concept clearly inspired in Aristotelian political theory.
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Dating from Duke Bohemond’s reign also appear the first reference to knightly monastic orders, more popularly known as the “sword fraternities” or “armed fellowships”. After all, the very first military order, created in 1115, was officially named the Fellowship of the Guardians of the Temple of Solomon, better known as the “Templarians”, while the second one was named the Order of the Sword Brothers of St. Michael, more usually known as the Sword Brethren or the Michaelites.
The Templarians were founded by Berengar of Viviers [Berenguièr de Vivarés], a Toulousain monk and troubadour who had, after translating the Psalms to langue d’oc, come to the Orient in the First Crusade. After the foundation of the Archbishopric of Jerusalem, its first holder, Adhemar of Le Puy, himself an ordained clergyman who used to fight in the battlefield, believed that a parallel hierarchy of likeminded monks dedicated to the protection of the holy sepulcher should be created, and thus instituted ten of his peers, including Berengar, as the “Guardian of the Temple of Solomon”. The idea received initially a lukewarm reception among the other prelates of Jerusalem, and an evasive agreement from the Papacy, as they believed that members of the Church must not pick arms unless in self-defense. After the Siege of Jerusalem during the Syrian Jihad, however, in which the Guardians of the Temple of Solomon served with distinction, the prevailing opinion changed so much that Pope Paschal II, impressed by a petition signed by various Latin-Levantine bishops, decided to sanction and legitimatize their institution. It is worth to note that, in its initial composition, the Templarian Fellowship had only prelates, but soon laymen, notably low-ranking noblemen seeking an easy path to rise in the Levantine political hierarchy, became integrated in its ranks, thus creating this unprecedented chimera of a “half-monk and half-knight” caste. The Templarians, not unlike their colleagues in the Orient, would prosper greatly due to the patronage bestowed by the crowned princes of Europe, and soon they would found other “fraternities” in Francia, Aquitaine, and in Bavaria, supposedly dedicated to accumulate resources to fulfill their ultimate purpose, which was the protection and embellishment of the Holy City. Also, due to the constant and centuries-long sponsorship of lords of Aquitaine and Provence, the ranks of the Templarians, especially the lay brothers, would be comprised mostly by Occitans, and would be the sole order allowed to be established in Rhōmaîon territory, with a fraternity being founded in 1140 in Aleppo to assist the Rhōmaîoi in the wars against the Great Seljuks.
Likewise, the Order of the Sword Brothers of St. Michael was created by a cadre of Norman minor knights and pilgrims devoted to the Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo in Italy, unsurprisingly those associated with the Sant’Angeli family headed by the Count of Baalbek, William of Gargano. The Normans had a particular fascination with the shrine of Archangel Michael – in fact, the very first episode in which the Normans appear in Italian history, during the early 11th Century, involved a group of knights who had undertaken a pilgrimage to Gargano, and were hired as mercenaries to fight for the local Lombard magnate against the Muslim raiders from Sicily. It seemed only fitting, then, that a similar shrine had to be replicated in the Orient, and thus Count William of Sant’Angelo sponsored the construction of two churches dedicated to the Archangel, one in Sarepta, and another in Zahlé. Due to Zahlé’s location, however, Count William saw fit to institute an order of dedicated protectors to preserve the sanctuary, and the task was given to the son of his godfather, Mauger of Benevento, who then immediately returned to Europe to seek volunteers to join his fraternity. By 1130, they had founded other “chapters” as far as Normandy itself, as well as in the Rhineland and in Spoleto. By the 1150s, their headquarters had already been moved to Damascus, where they would remain for centuries to come.
The third contemporary armed fellowship was created from the bosom of a previously existing ecclesiastic institution: the Cenacularian Order. The “Cenacle” [Cenaculum] was a small sanctuary in Mount Zion, inside Jerusalem, particularly sacred to the Christians because they believed it was there where Christ had hosted the Last Supper, and where the Holy Ghost had manifested to the Apostles after the crucifixion. The Cenacularian confraternity became the less expansive among the sword brotherhoods, lacking any chapters in Europe, but they nevertheless marked a strong presence in the Levant itself, because they were given many allotments of unproductive land in the frontier regions of Palestine, notably in the marshes of the Jordan valley and the fringe of the Syrian desert, and, true to the tenets of hard work and toil, throughout the generations would make these small agricultural border settlements prosper, and invested heavily in their encastellation of eastern Palestine.
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Likewise, Jerusalem in these years would start to receive more conventional monastic orders, namely arrivals from Cluniac Order and from St. Benedict, the last of which received a quarter in the Mount of the Olives. Their presence was cherished by the Latin lords, who desired to be seen as patrons of the church, and because the monks, truthful to their doctrine of hard labor, endeavored to cultivate the hard and unforgiving land of Palestine. This, in fact, explains why many Christian Syrians that immigrated to Jerusalem would come to work as tenants in the Benedictine monasteries later built in southern Palestine.
A mention must be made of the Hospital of St. John, situated in Acre and maintained by Amalfitan sponsors – not in the least Archbishop Gerard himself, who, coming from the Republic of Amalfi, went to great lengths to develop the Hospital. Throughout the centuries, they would establish various hospitals along the pilgrimage routes linking Constantinople to Jerusalem, notably in Phoenicia and Syria, that is, institutions to shelter, feed and care for pilgrims, as well as to exchange correspondence between them and their homes in Europe.
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Notes and comments: I changed the name and the original concept of the Templars for two reasons: this is Alt-Hist; and I want this to indicate how the institution will grow to be somewhat different in scope and in the geopolitical relations involving Jerusalem than IOTL. The Templar (or Templarian) Order will play a huge role in the internal politics of Jerusalem, and they will grow strong, this I promise you but their development will be somewhat different.
You'll see that I also "demoted" the Hospitallers to a non-military order. This doesn't means that they won't be relevant to the grand narrative; much on the contrary, I figured it would be interesting to have them fill the shoes of an institution that plays a very early role of an international NGO. They'll be more developed as a proto-scientific and medical institution, with feet in various European monarchies. How this will work out... again, we'll see as the TL unfolds.
The Michaelites and the Cenacularians are fictional. The first ones I created to reinforce the factional allegiances of the Jerusalemite institutions, while the Cenacularians will be, in my vision, akin to what we nowadays envision as a secret society (less Illuminati and more Freemasonry). I'm sorry if I'm not giving a lot of detail, I just wanted you guys to have a big picture here. We'll get to details later.
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The forum is back online and Rdffigueira posts an update, happy day!
On a side note, I will say that while Knights Templarian doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well as Knights Templar, it makes sense that the name would be slightly different given the different people involved with its founding and the different circumstances in the Holy Land ITTL as opposed to IOTL.
So at the latest, Damascus will be in Crusader hands by the 1150's, that will certainly have quite the impact on the entire region. Not only does it have cultural significance to the Muslims for its role as the first capital of the Umayyad Caliphate, but it also provides the Crusaders with a strong defensive position with which they can protect themselves from the Eastern Muslim Polities, not to mention the economic benefits holding it would give the Crusaders.
On a side note, I will say that while Knights Templarian doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well as Knights Templar, it makes sense that the name would be slightly different given the different people involved with its founding and the different circumstances in the Holy Land ITTL as opposed to IOTL.
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Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
Question: Besides immigration from Europe and a gradual conversion of non-Christian Levantines, would we get immigration from Christian minorities in Muslim ruled lands seeking sanctuary in the Kingdom of Jerusalem? Like the Assyrians?
Big leak with Damascus - and with a Byzantine Aleppo partially defended by Templars (shoulda gone with Lion of Judah/Solomonic naming 
). The Cenacularians seem pretty intriguing -- and I have to wonder who'll take up the Michaelites once the age of major Norman lords finally dies away...
). The Cenacularians seem pretty intriguing -- and I have to wonder who'll take up the Michaelites once the age of major Norman lords finally dies away...Thanks!! Yes, Damascus won't last so long, considering that is rather politically isolated without Aleppo, and the Crusaders really, REALLY want it, Bohemond alive or not. And your diagnosis is very much correct. I believe it will be an essential asset to ensure a longer-lived KOJ.
Indeed, "Knights Templarian" seems a bit off, but, hey, at least ITTL these guys won't end up disbanded, comdemned and with their grandmaster burned alive! I guess that's a win. In the end, the naming change is more aesthetic than really necessary, I confess I wouldn't feel really comfortable to simply have "The Templars" around in this TL and then the readers realize that they are in essence something different from IOTL.
Also, if it has not been clear in the chapter, I must note that ITTL the name "Armed Brotherhoods" or "Sword Fraternities" will tend to be used as a synonym to refer to the military orders as a whole.
That's a great question. One that I happen to not have a ready answer because I've not actually considered it thus far. Well, we must have in mind that, as a rule, the Christian minorities under the rule of the Arab Caliphates were not usually in a bad spot; as long as they paid the jizzya, they were not badly treated, and lived for centuries without much struggles. The Arabs tended to deal better with internal divisions of Christian denominations than the Christians themselves: while "Byzantium" didn't really cather to these non-Chalcedonian "heresies" (I'm thinking about the Assyrians because you mentioned them as example), the Caliphate tended to treat them all with some measure of equality, and this preserves stability in the long run.
Now, enter the Crusaders, who seem to be, from the point of view of the (self-regarded) more sophisticated Western-Asian societies, fanatical barbarians of the worst type, who are regarded as even more alien because they do not come from the Orthodox-Hellenic cultural sphere, to which the Christian congregations of Asia are more used to deal with. I suppose that, until some centuries down the road, the Crusaders will still be seen as a factor of instability in an already unstable geopolitical scenario. And to exchange one tyrant (the Turks) for another (the Latins), doesn't seems to be agreeable to the Oriental Christian peoples.
Now, once the Latins get more acclimatized, with some reasonable and tolerant rulers down down the road, this sort of migration might become a thing, especially among the Syriac congregation, and they will tend to form substantial minorities like the Copts. Again, we get to a discussion we had previously, about how the Crusader elites would be keen to play upon these religious factionalism to enforce internal division between the various non-privileged groups.
The Constitution of Jerusalem is not really based on anything from OTL... I mean, I had in mind the very idea of Canon Law as its basis (considering that it forms an important framework of the modern Civil Law system, because even nowadays it is not solely based in the Roman law, but also in Canonical concepts, which are very noticeable, for example, in codes related to state patrimony).
The modern "Constitution" concept is a product of 18th Century Illuminism, which in turn is heavily based in the Contractualist theories championed by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau, from the 17th Century onwards. What I mean to say here is that we should not take the idea of a "Constitution of Jerusalem" like our modern idea of what a constitution must be or its functions. It would be better to regard it simply as a compilation or codification of sparse laws about various subjects that concerned Medieval relations, notably patrimony. In this regard, they are inspired in the Assizes of Jerusalem.
Big leak with Damascus - and with a Byzantine Aleppo partially defended by Templars (shoulda gone with Lion of Judah/Solomonic naming
And I have plans for all of these orders!! Regarding the Michaelites, its interesting to think, in fact, that they might survive as a "relic" of this past Norman age, much like the Teutonic Order in the 15th Century.
The Templar naming is uncreative, I know, but the Biblical associations won't be too strong, at least for the time being. In time, we'll begin to see a sort of Biblical revivalism, with rather uncommon Hebrew names being adopted alongside the mish-mash of Germanic and Latin names Europe has about.
Hospitallers as partial Jesuits? Sounds interesting
Indeed, that's a good comparison. In fact, now that I think about it, the Jesuit Order itself will be butterflied away by the mere survival of the Templar Order, so its likely that we have the Hospitallers to play a similar role (but not identical)
Good update, quite a bit new information and worldbuilding as others already said.
Interesting, I'll wait and see what you come up with
Now this is even better. Perhaps there could an early acceptance of the scientific method through research in curative matters...
At the moment I am, curiously enough, reading The Shield and the Sword, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/371304
Interesting, I'll wait and see what you come up with
Now this is even better. Perhaps there could an early acceptance of the scientific method through research in curative matters...
At the moment I am, curiously enough, reading The Shield and the Sword, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/371304
ar-pharazon
Banned
The long term butterflies of this will be interesting if the crusaders establish a dominant position in the levant and perhaps Egypt.
How does this affect Andalausia and the reconquista?
Will the Mongols be inclined to convert to Christianity if and when they arrive?
Could we crusading ventures farther afield such as in the Horn of Africa, Tunisia and Morocco, and perhaps Libya?
Also will the crusaders retain their current ethnic composition from Europe or will they acquire a more cosmpolitan(within the bounds of Christendom) sort of character-with Eastern Europeans-Poles, Lithuanians(if and when they convert from paganism), Scandinavians, Hungarians, among others arriving either as permanent settlers or at least on more regular pilgrims? Might we see crusaders coming from even farther afield-Scotland? Ireland even?
How will the long term success of the crusader project affect Western European development-in terms of its ideological underpinnings, demography, and economy?
Could this delay contact with the new world if trade with Asia remains open and in Christian hands-with no Muslim middle man?
How does this affect Andalausia and the reconquista?
Will the Mongols be inclined to convert to Christianity if and when they arrive?
Could we crusading ventures farther afield such as in the Horn of Africa, Tunisia and Morocco, and perhaps Libya?
Also will the crusaders retain their current ethnic composition from Europe or will they acquire a more cosmpolitan(within the bounds of Christendom) sort of character-with Eastern Europeans-Poles, Lithuanians(if and when they convert from paganism), Scandinavians, Hungarians, among others arriving either as permanent settlers or at least on more regular pilgrims? Might we see crusaders coming from even farther afield-Scotland? Ireland even?
How will the long term success of the crusader project affect Western European development-in terms of its ideological underpinnings, demography, and economy?
Could this delay contact with the new world if trade with Asia remains open and in Christian hands-with no Muslim middle man?
Good update, quite a bit new information and worldbuilding as others already said.
Interesting, I'll wait and see what you come up with
At the moment I am, curiously enough, reading The Shield and the Sword, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/371304
Thanks for the compliment, @Pexa. Yes, I admit that I intended for one of these religious orders to be the harbinger of some sort of slow-burning scientific and creative developments, considering they would likely form an "specialist" professional institution of sorts. Their eventual success might change the way the Church as a whole sees some types of developments and studies, and this by itself creates some interesting butterflies.
I had never seen this book, seems a very good pick. I'll put it on my reading-list. I intend to buy a Kindle soon, because it'll be easier to read English books by it. Here in my country is impossible to find translations for many good books out there, and to physically import them by Amazon becomes more costly and takes a long time than it seems worth... I'd rather have digital copies of it to create my own library.
Andalusia and the Reconquista will be exactly like OTL unless mentioned otherwise. Regarding North Africa, I have plans for the Almohads (Caliphate) to play a somewhat larger role than OTL, and this will likely attract a greater interest (and with this comes greater butterflies) to the Crusades there.
Libya is right on the side of Egypt, so, once Cairo and Alexandria fall, it most likely will be incorporated into the Crusader dominion. Tunisia might have some light presence, but I doubt it would last, while Morocco is too far from the Outremer, but will likely be a target for the Iberians and peoples of the Francophone sphere.
The ethnic composition is something I intend to work in the very long run. Indeed, I want to have a very cosmopolitan, as you said, composition. More likely, we'll see Poles and Hungarians, considering that they are closely integrated to the Germanic/HRE social-cultural sphere. The same for Scotland and Ireland, but besides one or another few communities, their presence will likely be negligible even through centuries. Now, Scandinavia won't be that interested, its too far away, while the pagans of Finland and of the Baltic are right on their side. Once the Northern Crusades start, the pattern of expansion of the Nordic kingdoms will be very similar to OTL, with Finland and Estonia being prime targets.
About your penultimate question, that's a tough one to answer... economically I suppose that Europe will be better off due to the greater integration with the Orient, the Mediterranean will preserve its role as a medium of transcontinental commerce like it was in Antiquity. Ideology, it will much likely have a more consolidated, even if regionalized, Catholicism, with the idea of holy wars being even more common place and long-lasting than OTL. Demography is the only thing I'm not sure it would change much, unless you consider that greater economic prosperity directly correlates to demographic growth. It is more likely that it is affect by inherent political stability of the consolidation of the European nations after the 12th Century onwards.
And very much likely the New World will be discovered later (not counting "Vinland") than OTL by the reason you said. But, as I said many times before, these questions are well beyond the POD, and many stuff can happen until there.
NOTE TO READERS:
Just wanted to point out that I updated the OP by placing this VERY useful link here: https://erenow.com/postclassical/crusades/
It is an encyclopedia that puts in alphabetical order various articles regarding interesting people, places and institutions of the Crusading Era (until C. of Varna). This will be a very useful resource, indeed, and I intend to use it from now on, but I found it would be good to point out, it might saciate the curiosity of many colleagues here
Just wanted to point out that I updated the OP by placing this VERY useful link here: https://erenow.com/postclassical/crusades/
It is an encyclopedia that puts in alphabetical order various articles regarding interesting people, places and institutions of the Crusading Era (until C. of Varna). This will be a very useful resource, indeed, and I intend to use it from now on, but I found it would be good to point out, it might saciate the curiosity of many colleagues here
I almost feel this calls for an entire separate thread to discuss - I personally think the real driver will remain the development of ships capable of sailing past the West-African horrible zone (I'm sure it has a more formal name); once you're past the Ivory Coast, the rest is just more of the same. And once that works, the route back past Brazil will rather quickly find America (of course there might never be a wacko who thinks sailing straight west from Spain would work to get to the Indies, and hence the discovery of the gold-possessing American natives might take longer).
The Normans would probably try here as they did IOTL; maybe even more than once if they’re more profitable from the Outremer trade.
Doesn’t mean it would last, of course.
If you wanted to have more of a Scottish connection you could have Robert the Bruce fulfill his vow to go to on crusade before he dies, or perhaps have James Douglass survive the Battle of Teba and continue on to Jerusalem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Teba
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Teba
They will, indeed! In the previous post, I was actually considering a possible conquest of Tunisia by the Latins from the Outremer, but this doesn't excludes the Siculo-Normans from attempting their own adventure there, as they did IOTL. In fact, it might be a tad bit more successful if they have an integrated Christian alliance in the Maghreb, coupling with a Crusader Egypt+Libya.
That's an interesting idea. I didn't know about Robert the Bruce's vow to Crusade, that's one of these details that give some food for thought in ALT-TLs. I'm open to suggestions about including/integrating Scotland in the Outremer affairs.
A good suggestion, of course. There was a noticeable trend for regional orders to homage the patron saints of the realm, such as St. James in Spain or St. Maurice in Savoy, and so forth. In Ireland, most certainly St. Patrick would play a central role in the militant religious imagery, being regarded as the progenitor of Irish Christianity.
I take here that you mean the Order of Lazarus? If so, I've been thinking about including them ITTL. Even if they play only a minor role, unlike the *Templars and the Michaelites, they will certainly warrant at least some mention en passant. However, I suppose that the task of looking out for lepers would be actually be fulfilled by our own *Hospitallers.