The First Crusade

Fifty years ago, if you asked someone the purpose of the Crusades, he would almost certainly have said it was to take back control of the Holy Land.  Nowadays people will tell you that it was to expand Western European imperialism by whitewashing it with religion.

I started taking a look at this, and was surprised at the very pragmatic reason for the summons of the First Crusade, which took place between 1095 an 1099.

The "western" world, that is, the civilizations outside of the Orient, was divided between Latin Christendom, Islam, and the Byzantine Empire.  The Byzantine Empire was the direct heir of Imperial Rome, assuming it's military and legal structure while removing the locus of the empire from Rome to Constantinople, which had been founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 330 AD. 

From the time of the 5th Century, a flow of pilgrims from Europe travelled into Jerusalem. In 1001 AD, the Byzantine emperor made an agreement with the Fatimid Caliph, ruler of the Islamic world, for the protection of Christian pilgrims.  An uneasy but peaceful co-existence between the three civilizations continued until the Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantines in Manzikert in 1071 and went on to conquer Asia Minor, which had been under Byzantine control. 

This victory and the subsequent establishment of several Muslim states within Asia Minor disrupted the pilgrimage (and trade) routes between Europe and Jersualem and also led to and exacerbated several crises within the Byzantine Empire.  When Alexius I (1081-1118) became the Byzantine Emperor, he succeeded in restoring unity within the empire, and he requested aid from his allies in Western Europe to help expel the Seljuk Turks from Asia Minor.  Thus began the First Crusade.

A Brief Thought About Medieval Music

My daughter is a choral singer, and in her high school, the choir puts on and performs in a madrigal dinner every year around Christmas.  She also sings in the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, and this year, they are going to be singing some Christmas music in Middle English.  I looked at the music, and this made me wonder about music in the Middle Ages.  How did it morph from the initially simple, liturgical vocal music to the complexity of Bach and others? 

In Western European culture in the early Middle Ages, most “formal” music was centered on the Church, and took the form of Gregorian Chants, which are believed by some to have been codified by Pope Gregory I at the end of the 7^th century.  This example of Gregorian chanting was recorded in 1930.  Gregorian chants are still sung today, often as part of relaxation music, and usually have some type of minimal accompaniment.  Relaxation recordings may also have such chants superimposed over nature sounds.

 In the late 1200’s a style of secular music was developed called Italian Trecento Madrigal, unaccompanied vocal music for two, or more rarely, three voices.  An example of this form can be found here: Italian Trecento madrigal  .  The other common form of secular music was that provided my minstrels or troubadours, which was essentially a lyrical performance of poetry.

Renaissance madrigal music, which took its name but not its style from the Italian Trecento Madrigal, was not established until the early 16^th century.  This music was again typically unaccompanied vocals, featuring anywhere from two to six voices.  Later, in the early part of the 17^th century, madrigal music began to merge with opera and was eventually replaced with the operatic aria.  This madrigal piece is from the early 17^th century:  Sing We at Pleasure.

 The most common instruments in the 13^th and 14^th centuries were the guitar, the shawm (which was redesigned into the oboe in the middle of the 17^th century), the cittern (pictured), and the recorder, which most of us in the United States were forced to learn to play in music class in grade school.

 

Cittern

By the 17^th century, more musical instruments had been developed, such as the cornetto/trumpet, the lute, the violin (developed from an earlier, larger instrument called the viol), the harpsichord, and the flute.  The development of these instruments made possible the composition of more complex music.

 For those of you who think that history is a waste of time and roll your eyes when someone trots out Santayana’s quote about those who can’t remember the past being doomed to repeat it, it seems to me that much of today’s popular hip-hop music is…..a more or less lyrical performance of poetry.

Scabbard, Anyone?

In case anyone was wondering where I've been, refer to an earlier post where I talked about the imminent release of the video game "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag."  I will confess to spending an inordinate amount of time pirating in the West Indies recently, hence my absence here.

That aside, I was speaking to someone the other day about swords.  I do have some--3 historically accurate reproductions, 1 sharp, and 2 dull.  A good sword was a significant investment, one a soldier's life depended on.  The scabbard he used to carry it was as decorated and individualized as he was inclined--and could afford--to make it.

Having the swords is fine and dandy, but of what use are swords that you can't carry?  Why go to the trouble of getting an historically-accurate reproduction of a particular-era sword if one is then going to mock it by sliding it precariously beneath the same belt holding up one's skinny jeans?

So, not being very skilled at crafts, the hunt began to find a scabbard that was as least reasonably historical in style and craftsmanship and which would be durable enough to function beyond merely hanging on a wall, as well as protect my swords.

Enter a gentleman by the name of Russ Ellis, who operates an outfit called Triton Scabbard Works.  I told Russ what I had, along with a vague idea of what I was looking for.  He offered me options, both in style and price, and I wound up with two custom-made, hand-crafted scabbards.  For anyone interested in seeing additional examples of Russ' work, visit his website.



Black Leather Scabbard
Over Wooden core

The sword is a typical Norman sword as was commonly carried in the 11th century.  Below are pictures of one of the scabbards crafted by Mr. Ellis.  This one was done in black-dyed leather and includes the belt.  A detail of the protective metal cap and the stitching on the back of the scabbard appears below.


 
























There is a decorative medallion below the hilt that on most swords of the era would most likely have been made of pewter, but wealthy men would have medallions of silver.  Highlighting this medallion are two strands of braided silver wire.  More elaborate scabbards would have had additional detail in the leatherwork itself--braiding or embossed designs.

 

The remaining decorative work involves the buckle, and the belt cap, which again would be pewter, silver, or possibly brass.