Erin R. Westman Dr. John Robertson History Department Central Michigan University

 Address differences in weapons and military tactics between the Muslim and the Crusader military forces.  Examine the degree of borrowing and/or adaptation that occurred.  Borrowing is defined here as the temporary short-term appropriation of military technology for a specific purpose.  Adaptation is defined here as the long-term integration of military technology within the culture itself.  The First and Third Crusades ( ) will be the focus of the analysis.  The techniques include: siege machines, the “couched” lance and saddle with attached stirrup.

 First Crusade: C.E.  Began as a response to the Muslim attack and capture of Jerusalem in the 7 th century.  Aim was to regain Christian control of Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  Largely successful; Jerusalem conquered which led to the creation of Crusader states along the Mediterranean.  Crusaders conquered cities along the Mediterranean coast and built fortified castles across the Holy Land to protect new territories.

 Third Crusade: C.E.  After the First Crusade, new leaders began to restore Muslim unity in the Near East.  Third Crusade began as a response to the capture of Jerusalem in 1187 by Muslims under their new leader, Salah ad-din Yusuf ibn Ayyub – known by Europeans as Saladin.  European kingdoms of England, France and the Holy Roman Empire participated.  A Muslim victory: the Crusaders did not regain the Kingdom of Jerusalem and lost strategic coastal cities.

 Historical research involves interpretation of primary sources as well as secondary sources.  Primary sources are original historical documents of the time period under study.  Examples include: Gilbert of Nogent’s, Historia quae dicitur Gesta Dei per Francos; Ralph of Caen’s, Gesta Taneredri  Secondary sources reflect later the interpretation of the original primary documents.  Examples include: Carole Hillenbrand, Christopher Tyerman, Jonathan Riley-Smith, Steven Runciman, David Nicolle, and Adrian Boas.

Results: Siege Machines 6 th Century Trebuchet recreated in France.  Siege machines were adopted by both the Muslims and the Crusaders.  Primarily countered the development of castles, which emerge during the 2 nd Crusade.  They were used as both a weapon and a tactic.  Greatest amount of cross- cultural impact within the Middle East.

Results: “Couched” Lance “Couched” Lance from the 8 th Century.  Briefly borrowed by the Muslims during the First Crusade.  “Shock and Awe” tactic utilized by the Crusading Knights.  Not successful because of the specialization of armor and tactical uses.

Results: Saddle/Stirrup 5 th Century stirrup. Reconstructed 8 th Century saddle.  Independently developed within both the Muslim and Crusader cultures.  Muslims adopted the saddle for ceremonial, ornamental and status purposes.  The Muslims’ lack of heavy armor did not require them to have a continued use of the stirrup.  The saddle symbolized the conquest of the enemy rather than a tactical adaptation.

 Research indicates that borrowing occurred more frequently than adaptation.  Climate and geography  Culture  Distance  How much of the original representation of the culture was seen in saddle with attached stirrup, siege machine, and the couched lance?  When does borrowing or adaptation occur for cultural purpose versus a militarist one? How early in the historical record does this split occur and by what cultures?

Questions?