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.

 

 

A Sampling of Events for October in the Middle Ages

What follows is a totally arbitrary sampling of various events that occurred in the month of October throughout the Middle Ages:

October 1

In 1189 Gerard de Ridefort, Grandmaster of the Knights Templar, is killed during the siege at Acre.

October 2

In 1492, King Henry VII of England invades France
In 1535, Jacques Cartier discovers Montreal, Canada
In 1552, Kazan is conquered by Ivan the Terrible

October 3

In 1283, the first known execution by hanging, drawing, and quartering is performed.  The unfortunate individual was Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Prince of Gwynedd, Wales.

October 4

In 1537, the first complete, English-language Bible is printed

October 5

In 1450, King Ludwig IV orders the expulsion of Jews from lower Bavaria
in 1550, the city of Concepcion is founded in Chile
In 1582, the Gregorian calendar is introduced in many Catholic countries

October 8

In 1480, a standoff between the Mongol Akhmat Khan and Grand Duke Ivan III of Russia leads to the later retreat of the Mongol Horde

In 1604, "Kepler's Nova" is first sighted

October 9

In 1000, Leif Erikson discovers "Vinland," believed by many to be modern New England
In 1192, Richard the Lionheart leaves Jerusalem in disguise

October 11

In 1138, a massive earthquake strikes Aleppo, Syria

October 12

In 1216, King John of England loses the Crown Jewels in The Wash, possibly near Sutton Bridge in Fosdyke

In 1609, the children's rhyme The Three Blind Mice is published in England

October 13

In 1307, King Philip IV of France convicts the Templars of heresy

October 14

In 1066, William the Conqueror wins the Battle of Hastings and takes control of England
In 1322, Robert the Bruce defeats King Edward II of England at Byland, and obtains the recognition of Scottish independence
In 1586, Mary Queen of Scots goes on trial for conspiracy

October 15

In 1520, King Henry VIII orders bowling lanes built at Whitehall
In 1581, the first ballet is staged in Paris, commissioned by Catherine de Medici
In 1582, many Catholic countries switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar

October 16

In 1384, Jadwiga is crowned King of Poland, even though she is a woman

October 17

In 1415, Jewish autonomy in Palestine ends
In 1483, Tomas de Torquemada is appointed Inquisitor-General of Spain

October 18

In 1009, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is hacked down to bedrock by the Fatimid caliph
In 1356, Basel, Switzerland is destroyed by an earthquake
In 1386, the University of Heidelberg is opened

October 19

In 1512, Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology

October 20

In 1097, the first Crusaders arrive in Antioch
In 1603, a Chinese uprising in the Philippines fails after 23,000 people are killed

October 21

In 1096, Sultan Arslan defeats the first Crusaders in Nicea

October 23

In 1091, the London Bridge is destroyed by a tornado

October 24

In 1260, the Cathedral of Chartres is dedicated

October 25

In 1415, the French heavy knights are defeated by English army's Welsh archers at the Battle of Agincourt
In 1492, Christopher Columbus' ship the Santa Maria lands at the Dominican Republic

October 26

In 1492, the first known use of lead pencils
In 1524, Spanish troops give Milan to France

October 27

In 1275, the city of Amsterdam was founded (traditional)

October 28

In 1492, Columbus discovers Cuba and claims it for Spain
In 1538, the Universidad Santo Tomas Aquino, the first in the New World, is established

October 29

In 1268, the last of the Hohenstaufen dynasty of Kings of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire was executed by Charles I of Sicily
In 1390, the first trial for witchcraft was held in Paris

October 30

In 1270, the Eighth Crusade and Siege of Tunis ends
In 1503, Queen Isabella bans violence against the Indians
In 1534, the English Parliament passes the Act of Supremacy, ousting the Pope as head of the English Church and instating King Henry VIII

October 31

In 1541, Michelangelo finishes painting "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel

Saint Werewolf?

Like vampires, werewolves are a tremendously popular character from horror stories, and consequently, Halloween.  Also like vampires, werewolves have seen a significant makeover since the days of Lon Chaney, Jr. in "The Wolf Man."  Werewolves didn't used to be heartthrobs ala Jacob Black (Twilight) and Derek Hale and Scott McCall (Teen Wolf).

Stories of werewolves, or at least, men changing or being turned into a wolf, have existed since the since Byzantium, or even since the times of Ancient Egypt if you wish to consider the jackal-headed god Anubis as part of that lore.  Stories of wolves with human characteristics or men acting as wolves were also common in a broad range of cultures, including Norse, French, Celtic and Germanic cultures.

I was surprised to discover that there is actually a Christian saint that, in the early centuries of Christianity, was said to be a dog-headed man.  The early legends of St. Christopher portray him as a dog-headed man who converted to Christianity, leaving behind a beast's nature and learning how to talk like a man.  Only in later centuries did the image of St. Christopher change to be an old man with a child on his shoulders.  Here is an image of an icon of St. Christopher from the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens:

If you would like to read a translation from Latin of the original legend, Click Here.  November 17 is the next full moon phase, just in case you wanted to leave a bowl of dog food on the porch.

Midnight, October 28/29, 2013

What is the significance of this date?

That depends on who you are.  It happens to be the release date in North America of "Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag," the latest in the Assassin's Creed game franchise by Ubisoft. 

I am looking forward to this release with cautious excitement.  Cautious because I fell in love with the original "Assassin's Creed" and "Assassin's Creed II, but was disappointed in the next major installment of the franchise.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a hardcore gamer.  My introduction to video gaming came back in the days before there were video game systems and I played on a (gasp) desktop computer.  My game of choice in those days was the Thief franchise, initially by Looking Glass Studios, continued by Ion Storm, and then purchased by Eidos Montreal.  That game was set in a mythical city called, unimaginatively, "The City" with the technological level that was pseudo-medieval--sort of like steam punk meets the Dark Ages.  But despite it's shortcomings (the graphics were atrocious, even for then) the game was heavily story-driven and well-crafted.  And hey, I like stealth games.  It's sequel, "Thief II," did not disappoint, although "Thief III," the first one to be released on a gaming system platform, had an interface I didn't like very much and, even more damning, a story that seemed sketchy and ad-hoc.

After "Thief," nothing really came along to excite me until "Assassin's Creed."  I'm not going to give spoilers to the game here, just in case someone who's been off the grid isn't familiar with it, but the game's premise is based on an invention called the Animus, which allows an individual to relive ancestral memories in virtual reality. The most intensive action sequences of the game take place in The Holy Lands during the Crusades circa 1191-1192.  The game proceeds to blend history and fantasy in a world brought to life by incredibly vibrant and realistic graphics.  No one knows what the backstreets of Acre or Jerusalem or Damascus actually looked like, but the developers' imaginations have created a pretty credible environment, all things considered.  Now throw in English, French and Teutonic crusaders.  The villains of the piece are, not unpredictably, the Knights Templar.  The hero, Desmond/Altair is an assassin who belongs to an order whose sole existence seems to be to thwart the Templars. 

The developers neatly sidestep religious controversy by avoiding making religion the crux of the conflict.  What does serve as the conflict is power--and an artifact capable of giving whoever controls it almost unlimited power.

I truly enjoyed the hours I spent immersed in cities such as Jerusalem, complete with landmarks and buildings that existed at the time.  It was fascinating to get to eavesdrop on such historical figures as King Richard.  It's no surprise, then, that when Ubisoft released the sequel, "Assassin's Creed II," I greeted it with great enthusiasm.

The villain is still the same, the Templar organization, set this time in Italy in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.  Again, the graphics are eye-popping, and the mix of historical detail with fantasy is done with enough finesse that the atmosphere is absorbing.  What fan of the Middle Ages could resist getting to interact with such historical figures as Cesare Borgia, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Leonardo DaVinci?  Or to walk the streets of Rome or Venice as Ezio, the disenfranchised son of a powerful family that belongs to the same order of Assassins that has been battling the Templars since 1191?

But time in the gaming world marches on, just as it does in real life.  The next major release (a pair of sub-sequels to "Assassin's Creed II" were released that both continued Ezio's story), "Assassin's Creed III," moves us to the New World in 1775.  And for me, this release was a departure.  With the Templars supposedly mixed up in the American Revolution, the game seemed to lack the cohesiveness of a solid story line that held the play together.  The real storyline was taking place in the present, while most of the action as a player was taking place in the past. For me this created a disconnect that was not easily overcome.

Now we come to the upcoming release of "Assassin's Creed IV." Set in Nassau and the West Indies in 1715, our hero is now a pirate fighting against--naturally--the power-and-control-hungry Templars.  If the game is story-driven, it will be another triumph of immersion in a pseudo-historical world.  If it the story is weak, the game will degrade to a yet another hack-and-slash action game. 

See you on the other side....

Halloween in the Middle Ages

It seems to me that many people have difficulty envisioning the Middle Ages as anything other than dark, closed, and bleak.  I can see how, when looked at from a modern perspective, it can appear that way.  For a large segment of the population, death wasn't a specter--it was an unwanted cousin that hung about in the neighborhood, waiting for only a bad harvest, a simple injury, or an outbreak of illness to come pay a visit.  But the Middle Ages were not as utterly grim, dark, and joyless as it is popular to think.

I don't believe human nature has changed much in the last thousand years.  What better reason than a difficult and uncertain existence to make the most of every opportunity for celebration?  For the Celts, their celebration of Samhain, marked the end of summer, harvest, and the year on November 1 of our modern calendar.  For them it marked the break between the fruitfulness and life of summer, and the scarcity and death of winter.  They believed that on the night before the new year, the line between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred, and the souls of the dead returned to earth.  The presence of these spirits made it easier for the Druid priests to make predictions about the upcoming year, and for people so heavily impacted by the vagaries of the natural world, such predictions were hugely important.  Anything believed to make those predictions easier was a cause for celebration.  These celebrations included the lighting of large bonfires, where crops and animals were burned as sacrifices.

In the 1st century A.D. Rome conquered most of the Celtic-held lands of Ireland, the British Isles, and France.  Interestingly enough, Rome had it's own day of homage to the dead, Feralia, which took place in late October.  Rome was smart enough to allow it's conquered territories to maintain many of their native beliefs and rituals, and it was simple enough over the next four hundred years to combine the similar rituals and celebrations with Rome's own.

In the early 7th century, Pope Boniface IV established the feast of All Martyrs Day.  By the mid-8th century, Pope Gregory III sought to eliminate the celebration of pagan holidays by replacing them with Christian-based ones.  He moved the All Martyrs Day feast to November 1, and expanded it to include all saints, as well.  The celebration echoed many of the rites of Samhain, including bonfires, processions, and dressing in costume as saints and angels.  And probably devils, too, though I suspect the Church may have frowned upon that.  In Middle English, this holiday was called Alholomesse, or, All Hallow Mass, which eventually came to be known as All Hallow Eve(n), and our "Halloween."

Maybe this year I'll go as a Druid priest. I hope they liked chocolate.