Travel Literature and the Crusades
Chelsea Walpole
Professor Victor Thiessen
HIST3Q93
March 26, 2010
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The Crusades are most often interpreted as an attempt on behalf of the western Christians
to cleanse the east and reclaim the Holy City of Jerusalem in the name of Christianity. This is
true, however, often times historians focus on the religious-military aspect of the crusades,
neglecting the cause-effect relationship the venture had on travel in the following centuries of the
medieval period. Following the first crusade, travel literature began to spread as more and more
pilgrims made their way from the west to the east in order to visit the newly conquered Holy
Land. The purpose of travel literature has not changed much over time; in the same way tourists
use guides today, the works coming out of the medieval period outlined the best sites, described
the architecture and gave advice pertaining to safety and accommodation. However, when
reading these travel documents certain biases surface, as Christian writers call attention to the
destruction of many Holy places, blaming of course, the Saracens – just as the Muslim writers of
the period make comments about the Christians in their land. The criticism of culture varies in
each account, from acceptance to tolerance, and tolerance to distaste. Through examining
primary documents it is clear that although Jerusalem played host to both the Christians and the
Muslims in terms of pilgrimage, the travel literature highlights some tense points following the
First Crusade and the journey towards tolerance in the east.
Although travelling in the medieval period was considered in large part a religious duty
which could bring a person closer to attaining salvation, pilgrimages also offered an opportunity
for adventure and pleasure. People from many areas of society would be grouped together on
these pilgrimages, blurring the lines of social hierarchies; pilgrimages to the Holy Land increased
following the First Crusade as the infidels had been suppressed, lessoning the risk of travel. This
is not to say that travel to Jerusalem was safe, as The Travels of Saewulf highlight the dangers on
the road to Jerusalem. Saewulf writes that the road to Jerusalem is “mountainous, very rough,
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and dangerous on account of the Saracens, who lie in wait in the caves of the mountains to
surprise those less capable of resisting by the smallness of their company, or the weary who may
chance to lag behind their companions.”1 Furthermore, Saewulf states that straying from the
group will result in certain death, “for on the road not only the poor and weak but the rich and
strong, are surrounded with perils...”2 In short, Saewulf provides his reader with cautionary
information concerning safe passage through the east. Surprisingly, however, The Travels of
Saewulf seems to be devoid of much animosity towards the Muslims; there are cases in which he
mentions the destruction inflicted on Christian monuments by the Muslims, but they are not
expressed with contempt, but rather as a simple fact. Saewulf mentions the Saracens three times
in relation to the sites of the holy city, first in relation to the large church that had been built to
honour Queen Helena, which had been “utterly destroyed by the pagans”3. Close to the end of his
account, Saewulf mentions the Bethlehem, stating that “there Saracens have left nothing
habitable, but everything is destroyed (as in the other holy places outside the walls of the city of
Jerusalem)”4. Saewulf even goes so far as to negate the impact of the Saracens when mentioning
the destruction of Nazareth, providing consolation to the reader “that the place of the
annunciation of our Lord is indicated by a very noble monastery.”5 Saewulf provides a solid
account of travelling in the east, providing advice to fellow travellers concerning the dangers
involved with travelling and pilgrimage, managing to stay away from sweeping generalizations,
but still presenting some bias. Culturally, The Travels of Saewulf abstain from encouraging
hostility between travelling Christians and Saracens, presenting information in a matter-of-fact
1
“The Travels of Saewulf,” in The Crusades a reader: Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures. Ed. S. J. Allen
and Emilie Amt. (University of Toronto Press, Toronto) 2008, pg. 101
2
Ibid
3
Ibid 102
4
Ibid
5
Ibid
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way which indicates an acceptance of the Muslim culture and the idea that these occurrences are
simply the way things are.
The idea of tolerance is apparent in other primary documents, such as The Travels of Ibn
Jubayr, which starts out with seemingly anti-Christian attributes, but later compliments the way
in which the Frankish camps conduct themselves when interacting with the Muslims. Jubayr
states that “he whom they seize on the Muslim side, be it by length of the arms or a span, they
capture; but he whom they capture on the Frankish side at a like distance, they release. This is
the pact they faithfully observe and is one of the most pleasing and singular conventions of the
Franks...”6 Although there is still the presence of aggression between the both parties, there are
clear boundaries the Franks do not cross, and understanding this, the Muslims of the area would
know to steer clear of the Frankish boundaries, creating somewhat of an understanding and
tolerance between the two. Ibn Jubayr shows distaste for this cooperation though, presenting the
modern reader with varying Muslim perspectives on the presence of the Franks (Christianity) in
the east. He describes the situation as such:
Our way lay through continuous farms and ordered settlements, whose inhabitants were
all Muslims, living comfortably with the Franks. God protect us from such temptation.
They surrender half their crops to the Franks at harvest time, and pay as well a poll-tax of
one dinar and five qirat for each person. Other than that they are not interfered with, save
for a light tax on the fruits of trees. Their houses and all their effects are left to their full
possession.7
Following this excerpt, Jubayr criticises the ease with which the Muslim community has
succumb to a state of peace with the suppressive Franks. This indicates that while the eastern
6
“The Travels of Ibn Jubayr,” in The Crusades a reader: Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures. Ed. S. J.
Allen and Emilie Amt. (University of Toronto Press, Toronto) 2008, pg. 109
7
Ibid
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Muslims were somewhat content with the current living arrangements, the western Muslims,
travelling on pilgrimage from Spain, passed judgement and held resentment towards the
imposing Christian forces. The western Muslims seemed to retain a level of mistrust towards
Christians, as further exemplified by Jubayr when he relates that they spent the night in a
Christians home and “prayed God most high to save us from all the dangers and help us to
security”8 This attitude towards the Christians seems to demonstrate that the western Muslims
were paranoid as to the intentions of the Christians, when clearly the local Muslims and the
Franks were living in comfort with each other; therefore, the mistrust was unfounded and based
on the western bias against the Christians.
As a piece of travel literature, Ibn Jubayr does not address the sites and cities until the last
paragraphs of his account. There is a resounding feeling of resentment throughout the writing at
this point, as Jubayr mourns the fact that “mosques became churches and minarets bell-towers”9.
However, Jubayr provides a scattered account as when he expresses his discomfort with the
Christians, he also indicates high points such as weddings and the way in which the Muslims and
Christians are living together, but ends on a sombre note stating “Beware, beware of entering
their lands...”10 Historically, the crusaders followed the practices of the Spanish conquerors and
the Muslims when conquering a city; inhabitants were given the choice to convert or to be exiled
and if met with resistance the citizens were massacred or enslaved.11 This practice later changed
and under the Franks the Muslims were allowed to remain in their conquered state without
converting. It has been noted that although the Muslims were not fond of the Christians, they
rarely resisted, due in large part to the Franks tendency to keep relations between the two parties
8
Ibid 110
Ibid
10
Ibid 111
11
Thomas F. Madden. “Introduction to The Subjected Muslims of the Frankish Levant” in The Crusades the
Essential Readings. Ed. Thomas F. Madden. (Blackwell Publishers: Oxford) 2002, p.233
9
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to a minimum.12 This resulted in the ability of the Muslims to continue on with their everyday
life. Given the circumstances the feelings portrayed in this account are understandable, as a
Muslim travelling to what was once their homeland now must answer to a Christian authority,
and regardless of the harmony, travellers must have felt a certain degree of mistrust towards the
Christians. This mistrust is unfounded though as there is a lack of evidence in Jubayr’s text
concerning violence towards Muslims on behalf of the Franks. The closing line would make
more sense had there been attacks made on his travelling party, however, there were no accounts
of such attacks so Jubayr’s statements come across as slightly paranoid; this paranoia is further
supported by the fact that later the Muslims would eradicate the Franks from their territory.
Although not necessarily a piece of travel literature the work Burchard of Mount Sion on
the People of Palestine provides much cultural insight as to the different attitudes towards the
individuals of varying backgrounds residing in the Holy Land, albeit from a Christian
perspective. Surprisingly Burchard appears to have the most contempt for the Christians living in
Palestine, stating that “there are dwelling therein men of every nation under heaven, and each
man follows his own rite, and, to tell the truth, our own people, the Latins, are worse than all the
other people living in the land.”13 Burchard informs the reader that all the Christian inhabitants
of Palestine are criminals that fled their homes and continue their criminal endeavours in the
Holy Land, taking advantage of pilgrims. This statement is supported by other documents of the
period which criticize the “Call to Crusade” as the call states that those who participate will have
their sins absolved, resulting in criminals and those attempting to escape debt collectors to join
the crusades in order to avoid punishment. His comments on the other cultures residing in
Palestine seem very tame; for example the Saracens are described as “very hospitable, courteous,
12
Ibid
“Burchard of Mount Sion on the People of Palestine” in The Crusades a reader: Readings in Medieval Civilizations
and Cultures. Ed. S. J. Allen and Emilie Amt. (University of Toronto Press, Toronto) 2008, pg. 121
13
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and kindly”14, the Syrians are described as dirty and stingy, the Greeks devout. Burchard paints a
harmonious picture wherein Palestine becomes a multi-cultural city that amazingly avoids
conflict between its many inhabitants. However, the Saracens located outside the city are
described as being terrible, having been self governed. “None of the sultans have hitherto been
able to subdue them, but they make their own laws and customs and follow them as they choose.
They are a terror to all the nations round about because of their exceeding fierceness.”15
Although his description of the Holy land is considered reliable, the guide dealing with the
religious and ethnic groups is considered to be inaccurate.16 Knowing this, the reader has to
wonder why Burchard would write an inaccurate account. It is mysterious because the Christians
are also portrayed in a negative light and one would believe that a Monk would want Christians
to look superior to other cultures, especially following the First Crusade.
It is easy to believe that the Muslims had every right to fear for their safety after the
massacre of the First Crusade, but as Thomas F. Madden states, the crusades were not simply “a
series of holy wars against Islam led by power-mad popes and fought by religious fanatics...
from the time of Mohammed, the means of Muslim expansion was always by the sword...
Christians and Jews can be tolerated within a Muslim state, but in traditional Islam they must be
destroyed and their lands conquered.”17 From this perspective, the crusades could be viewed as
an act of defence by the west, even though Pope Urban II and the church may have had their own
agenda. With this knowledge it is hard to believe that the two states could function together with
such little conflict – the situation described by Jubayr seems most likely, as the pagans are
subdued while the westerners impose their will on the culture. Muslims from outside the Middle
14
Ibid
Ibid 123
16
Ibid 121
17
Thomas F. Madden. The Real History of the Crusades. (Crisis Magazine: Washington) 2001.
15
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East were undoubtedly aggravated by this and uneasy with the Christians, however, those living
in the east seem content to bide their time under Christian authority.
In large part these works would probably not be considered travel literature when taking
into account the content. Most travel literature makes mention of the many sites and describes
them in great detail; here, although we do find mention of some sights, there seems to be an
emphasis on cultural biases – Saewulf demonstrates restraint in his account, mentioning only in
passing the destruction of Holy artefacts by the Saracens, whereas Jubayr is blatantly
unimpressed with the presence of Christianity in what was once Muslim territory. Through
examining the primary documents it is made clear that although both Muslims and Christians
attempted to maintain a balance, there is still evidence of hostility between them, especially
pilgrims from the western world. The criticisms vary according to each author, but there is an
obvious distaste for “otherness”, resulting in tolerance for a period of time leading up to the
Muslims overcoming the Franks and taking authority over their former territory. In their own
way, however, these travel documents provide useful information to their contemporary readers,
warning against the dangers of the east and providing insight (however inaccurate) to those
wishing to make their way to the Holy City. The travel documents do manage to establish that
the Crusades were not just a religious-military operation to expand the church, but events that
changed cultural history forever.
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Bibliography
Primary Sources:
“Burchard of Mount Sion on the People of Palestine.” The Crusades A Reader, Readings in
Medieval Civilizations and Cultures. Ed. S.J. Allen and Emilie Amt. Toronto: University
of Toronto Press, 2008. 121-4. Print.
“The Travels of Ibn Jubayr.” The Crusades A Reader, Readings in Medieval Civilizations and
Cultures. Ed. S.J. Allen and Emilie Amt. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008.
108-11. Print.
"The Travels of Saewulf." The Crusades A Reader, Readings in Medieval Civilizations and
Cultures. Ed. S.J. Allen and Emilie Amt. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 99102. Print.
Secondary Sources:
Madden, Thomas F. The Real History of the Crusades. Crisis Magazine, Washington, 2001.
Electronic.
Madden, Thomas F. “Introduction to The Subjected Muslims of the Frankish Levant,” in The
Crusades the Essential Readings. Ed. Thomas F. Madden. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers,
LTD, 2002. 233. Print.