Most beloved brethren: Urged by necessity, I, Urban, by the permission of God chief bishop and prelate over the whole world, have come into these parts as an ambassador with a divine admonition to you, the servants of God...With what reproaches will the Lord overwhelm us if you do not aid those who, with us, profess the Christian religion! Let those who have been accustomed unjustly to wage private warfare against the faithful now go against the infidels and end with victory this war which should have been begun long ago. Let those who for a long time, have been robbers, now become knights. Let those who have been fighting against their brothers and relatives now fight in a proper way against the barbarians. Let those who have been serving as mercenaries for small pay now obtain the eternal reward. Let those who have been wearing themselves out in both body and soul now work for a double honor. Behold! on this side will be the sorrowful and poor, on that, the rich; on this side, the enemies of the Lord, on that, his friends. Let those who go not put off the journey, but rent their lands and collect money for their expenses; and as soon as winter is over and spring comes, let hem eagerly set out on the way with God as their guide."
With those words, on Novemeber 27, 1095, Pope Urban II issued a call to Crusade forever changing the face of medieval history. A new era of crusading had begun that would last well into the sixteenth century. This issue looks at the Crusades, the hold they still have on historians and mainstream audiences today, and their impact across the centuries.
As always, we also have book excerpts to tantalize the bookworms out there, with a book review from Dani this week, On Horsemanship. In Londinium, we slow things down and take a peek at the Institute of Historical Research's lecture series, with a focus on the Crusades. Lastly, we look at the importance of tattoos during the Crusades as a symbol of intent, commitment, and identity, in William Purkis' talk, Did Crusaders Get Tattoos? As we bid good bye to 2016 and say hello to the holiday season, we hope you enjoy this issue.
Sandra & Dani
A Call to Crusade...