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William the Carpenter, viscount of Melun, was a French nobleman who participated in the Reconquista in Spain and on the First Crusade. He was notorious for defecting from the army both in Spain and on the crusade, but he was also known for his strength in battle, whence he earned his nickname "the Carpenter." He returned to the Holy Land after the crusade, and nothing further is known of his life or death.
Henry, lord of Esch, son of Fredelon of Esch. Henry was brother to Godfrey of Esch, and his family held the castle of Esch-sur-Sûre in the Ardennes. He and his brother were vassals of Henry III, Count of Luxembourg, and his brother and successor William. His step-mother was Ermengarde, Countess of Clermont, widow of Gozelon, Count of Montaigu, the founder of the family of counts of Montaigu.
The role of women in the Crusades is frequently viewed as being limited to domestic or illicit activities during the Crusades. While to some extent this is true, they nevertheless played a significant role, taking part in such activities including armed combat in the battles of the Holy Land. This article focuses on the first Crusades and identifies known participants. It also highlights some of the more famous women of the later crusades. For a discussion of the sociological and religious aspects of the mixing of women with the predominantly male crusaders, the reader is referred to the referenced documents.
Hugh II Bardoul of Broyes, son of Barthelemy de Broyes and Elixabeth de Valois. Seigneur of Broyes, Beaufort, d'Arc-en-Barrois, and Charmentray. Hugh allegedly attacked that lands of his grandfather Raoul after his death in 1074 with the consent of King Philip, although it seems more likely that the attack was carried out by his father or guardian. Hugh joined with the Lombard contingent on the second wave of the First Crusade, dated to late 1100, serving in the army of Stephen of Blois.
Walter of Saint-Valéry, son of Bernard I of Saint-Valéry. Lord of Isleworth and Hampton in Middlesex, Creeting in Suffolk. Walter was a participant in the First Crusade, accompanying Robert of Normandy as a member of Robert's army. He was present at the siege of Nicaea in 1097 and scouted with the Turkish Christian convert Bohemond the army of Ridwan before the Battle of the Lake of Antioch. He guarded Adhemar of Le Puy in the mountains near the port of Simeon after finding what was thought to be the Holy Lance.
Hugh I of Le Puiset, son of Everard I of Breteuil and his wife Humberge.
The Houses of Montlhéry and Le Puiset is the name given by two powerful families, joined in marriage, that played a major role in the 11th and 12th centuries in both the Crusades as well as the administration of the Holy Land. The Montlhéry branch consists of the relatives of Guy I of Montlhéry and Hodierna of Gometz. The Le Puiset branch consists of the descendants of Everard I of Breteuil. Everard’s son Hugh I of Le Puiset married Guy’s daughter Alice, bringing the families together. Prominent members of the families are as follows.
Renaud II of Clermont was son of Hugh I, Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and Marguerite de Roucy. Renaud became Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis upon his father's death in 1101.
Robert of Bounalbergo, son of Gerard (Girard) of Buanalbergo and his wife whose name is unknown. Gerard was father to Alberada of Buonalbergo, who married Robert Guiscard and mother to Bohemond I of Antioch.
Raymond Pilet (1075–1120), the only child of Bernard I Pilet of Narbonne and his wife, whose name is unknown. Seigneur of Alès. Bernard was the son of Raymond II, Viscount of Narbone from 1066 to 1067. The name “pilet” refers to a fur that the nobility wore over their cuirass and coats-of-arms. Raymond distinguished himself as a combatant during the First Crusade.
The army of Godfrey of Bouillon, the duke of Lower Lorraine, in response to the call by Pope Urban II to both liberate Jerusalem from Muslim forces and protect the Byzantine Empire from similar attacks. Godfrey and his army, one of several Frankish forces deployed during the First Crusade, was among the first to arrive in Constantinople. The army was unique in that it included among its warriors the first three kings of Jerusalem, although Godfrey preferred the title Defender of the Holy Sepulchre, Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, as he believed that the true King of Jerusalem was Christ. This article focuses on the members of the army rather that its exploits which are described in detail in Godfrey’s biography as well as numerous sources listed below.
The army of Raymond of Saint-Gilles was one of the first to be formed after Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade. Raymond formed a Provençal army and left his County of Toulouse in October 1096, traveling over the land route. He was the only leader of a major army that did not swear an oath of fealty to Byzantine emperor Alexius I Komnenos.
The armies of Bohemond of Taranto, formed in 1097, include a major component of the First Crusade. He is regarded as the real leader of the First Crusade. He formed a second army in 1107 to defend Antioch but instead used it to attack the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, resulting in the Treaty of Devol, codifying Bohemond’s defeat. Runciman estimates that the first army included 500 cavalry and 3500 infantrymen and other estimates that the second army was at 34,000 personnel strength are likely greatly exaggerated.
Robert II of Flanders' army was formed shortly after that of his kinsman Godfrey of Bouillon, arriving in Constantinople considerably later. His wife Clementia of Burgundy was regent of Flanders in his absence. The known members of the army, mostly Flemish, included the ones listed below, as reported in histories of the First Crusade. Unless otherwise noted, references are to the on-line database of Riley-Smith, et al., and the hyperlinks therein provide details including original sources. The names below are also referenced in the Riley-Smith tome, Appendix I: Preliminary List of Crusaders. Those references are not shown unless they appear elsewhere in the text of the book. Articles that are hyperlinked to a more detailed article in this encyclopædia rely on the latter for references.
The army of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, left for the Holy Land on the First Crusade. Robert was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and brother to William Rufus, king of England. He was reportedly so poor that he often had to stay in bed for lack of clothes. In order to raise money for the crusade he mortgaged his duchy to his brother William II of England. His army joined the contingent of Robert II, Count of Flanders, and Stephen, Count of Blois.
Ilger Bigod was a Norman knight in the army of Bohemond of Taranto and constable of Tancred, Prince of Galilee. He fought with Bohemond's army in the First Crusade, not returning home until after 1099.
The armies of Count Stephen of Blois participated in both the First Crusade of 1096 and the Crusade of 1101. Stephen apparently fled the battlefield at the Siege of Antioch and returned home. He was coerced by his wife, Adela of Normandy, to form another army to return to the Holy Land in 1101, accompanied by Count Stephen I of Burgundy.
The army of William IX on the Crusade of 1101 was formed by William IX “the Troubador,” Duke of Aquitaine, to fight in the minor Crusade of 1101. His army was destroyed by the Turks at Heraclea. Defeated, he reached Antioch with only six companions still alive.
The following is an overview of the armies of First Crusade, including the armies of the European noblemen of the "Princes' Crusade", the Byzantine army, a number of Independent crusaders as well as the People’s Crusade and the subsequent Crusade of 1101 and other European campaigns prior to the Second Crusade beginning in 1147.
References
- ↑ Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1997). The First Crusaders, 1095-1131. pp. 59–60.
- ↑ Edgington, Susan (2007). Albert of Aachen: Historia Ierosolimitana, History of the Journey to Jerusalem. p. 99.
- ↑ Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1997). The First Crusaders. p. 99.
- ↑ Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1997). The First Crusaders. p. 222.
- ↑ William. "A Database of Crusaders to the Holy Land, 1095-1149".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Conan. "A Database of Crusaders to the Holy Land, 1095-1149".
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