Holy War and History: The Legacy of the First Crusade in 12th-Century Europe

FAIN: FA-52373-06

Jay Carter Rubenstein
Regents of the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001)

This project argues that the First Crusade began amidst great eschatological expectation, apparently fulfilled at Jerusalem's conquest in 1099. The massive literary outpouring which followed the crusade was in part an attempt to answer the question raised by this victory: how to understand a successful apocalypse, a prophecy fulfilled? Examining chronicles, exegesis, and theology, the project will suggest that the act of interpreting the crusade affected thought about chivalry and the conduct of war, sin and penance, national identities and governments, and the shape of history more generally. This intermingling of long-surviving apocalyptic hopes and gradual disillusionment shaped fundamentally the character of medieval Western Europe.

Associated Products

Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse (Book)
Title: Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse
Author: Jay Rubenstein
Abstract: At Moson, the river Danube ran red with blood. At Antioch, the Crusaders— their saddles freshly decorated with sawed-off heads—indiscriminately clogged the streets with the bodies of eastern Christians and Turks. At Ma’arra, they cooked children on spits and ate them. By the time the Crusaders reached Jerusalem, their quest—and their violence— had become distinctly otherworldly: blood literally ran shin-deep through the streets as the Crusaders overran the sacred city. Beginning in 1095 and culminating four bloody years later, the First Crusade represented a new kind of warfare: holy, unrestrained, and apocalyptic. In Armies of Heaven, medieval historian Jay Rubenstein tells the story of this cataclysmic event through the eyes of those who witnessed it, emphasizing the fundamental role that apocalyptic thought played in motivating the Crusaders. A thrilling work of military and religious history, Armies of Heaven will revolutionize our understanding of the Crusades.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/armies-of-heaven-the-first-crusade-and-the-quest-for-apocalypse/oclc/701015458&referer=brief_results
Publisher: Basic Books
Type: Single author monograph
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Prizes

Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize
Date: 4/6/2012
Organization: Phi Beta Kappa
Abstract: The Ralph Waldo Emerson Award is offered for scholarly studies that contribute significantly to interpretations of the intellectual and cultural condition of humanity. Established in 1960, this award may recognize work in the fields of history, philosophy and religion. These fields are conceived in sufficiently broad terms to permit the inclusion of appropriate work in related fields such as anthropology and the social sciences. Biographies of public figures may be eligible if their primary critical emphasis is on the intellectual and cultural condition of humanity.

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