The Crusades: an encyclopedia

The Low Countries and the Crusades A. Southern Low Countries From 1096 up until the Burgundian era the Low Countries were a constant provider of crusaders. During the First Crusade (1096-1099) among the most important armies were those of Godfrey of Bouillon, duke of Lower Lotharingia, and Robert II, count of Flanders. These armies were also composed of many crusaders from neighbouring territories in the southern Low Countries (Hainaut, Boulogne, Artois, Liège and Namur). It was from the Low Countries that the first two sovereigns of Jerusalem were recruted: Godfrey of Bouillon as 'guardian' of the Holy Grave (1099-1100) and Baldwin of Boulogne, the first King of Jerusalem (1100-1118) and Godfrey's brother. A third brother, Eustace III, count of Boulogne, was also present in the Holy Land. Although Baldwin's successor, Baldwin II of Jerusalem (1118-1131), came from northern France, he had dynastic links to the Boulogne house. Yet supporters of Charles the Good, count of Flanders and cousin of Robert II, tried to replace him as King of Jerusalem. Baldwin II of Mons, count of Hainaut, was also present in the First Crusade, as were numerous Flemish, Hainaut and Tournai (a bischopric in Hainaut) knights. Remarkable was the presence of count Baldwin I of Guines in Flanders with his four sons. In the aftermath of the First Crusade the crusading idea became dormant in a large part of Western Europe, to be revived in the recruiting drive for the Second Crusade. Crusades to the East were preached in 1106-7, 1120, 1128 and 1139, but a regular and consistent response to these appeals was to be found only in Flanders and in some central parts of France (northern Poitou, Anjou, Chartrain, southern Normandy and Ile-de-France). The First Crusade must clearly have set a standard for a crusading tradition here. Always there were Flemings present: in 1107 with the campaign of Bohemond of Taranto; in Pope Calixtus crusade of 1120-1124 and in 1128 with Hugh of Payns, together with the Lotharingians. During the Second Crusade one of the larger armies was the one of Thierry of Alsace, count of Flanders. Count Thierry went to the Holy Land on four occasions and he was married to Sybilla, daughter of King Fulk of Jerusalem. Hainaut was represented by some prominent Tournai nobles like Simon, bishop of Tournai/Noyon, Herman, abbot of St Martin of Tournai and Goswin, custodian of Tournai. At the same time Flemings and Lotharingians took part in the conquest of Lisbon in 1147 and also, together with Frisians and crusaders from Holland, in the expeditions against the pagan Slavs across the Elbe. Thierry's son Philip of Alsace succeeded him and went three times to the Holy Land, once as a participant in the Third Crusade. He died at Acre in 1191. Had he not been unwilling, he would have taken his place amongst the ruler elite of the Frankish nobility in the Holy Land, as was offered to him. Sources clearly indicate that in the Third Crusade the number of Flemish crusaders and crusaders from Hainaut (closely linked at that time) was considerable. The composition of this contingent also was remarkable: apart from the Flemish count almost the entire Flemish and Hainaut nobility was present. Among them the notorious James of Avesnes, lord of Mons and Valenciennes and numerous local lords. Furthermore the Flemish-Hainaut contribution to the Third Crusade was threefold: a first group took part in an expedition against the infidels in Portugal and reached the Holy Land by sea. A group with the highest Flemish and Hainaut nobility reached the Holy Land over land and finally there was a third group including the Flemish count who brought war engins and considerable financial means. Even after the count's death a large Flemish and Hainaut group followed Richard the Lionheart on his 1191-1192 campaign. Even the unfortunate Baldwin IX, count of Flanders (Baldwin VI of Hainaut), had clear intentions to march against Egypt, but he finished as emperor of the Latin Empire in Constantinople, which had been created in 1204 as a consequence of the Fourth Crusade. His brother Henry I of Constantinople succeeded him (1206-1216) and became the only strong ruler among the Latin emperors of Constantinople. A third brother, Eustace of Flanders, was also present. Also the subsequent emperors or regents were dynastically linked to Flanders or Hainaut. Peter of Courtenay was Henry's brother-in-law and successor (1216-1217), Henry's sister Yolande became regent of the empire (1217-1219) and was succeeded by Cono of Bethune. Then Robert of Courtenay, Yolande's son, became emperor followed by his sister Mary as regent and Baldwin II as emperor (1228-1229). Every single ruler of Frankish Constantinople between 1204 and 1229 had clear Low Countries connections. Enthusiasm for the following crusades diminished, with the exception of the Seventh Crusade and the crusade of King Louis IX of France (Eight Crusade, 1248-1250). In these crusades it seemed like the numbers of participants in the first crusades were met again. Also the earlier prominence in numbers and the quality of crusaders from the Low Countries seems to have been attained again. William of Dampierre, titular count of Flanders and son of Margaret of Constantinople, his brother Guy of Dampierre, count of Flanders (1278-1305), and Guy's son William were all present, together with a large Flemish delegation. Thus in Flanders it were the counts who gave the example: from the Jerusalem pilgrimage of Robert I around 1087 to Guy of Dampierre's participation in Louis IX expedition against Tunis in 1270, every generation, with the exception of Baldwin of Constantinople's daughters, took part in the defence of the Holy Places. Also in the later Crusades, for example the crusade of the German order against the Lithuanians in the 14th century, quite a number of Flemings, together with knights from Brabant, Hainaut and Holland, took the cross. Generally speaking we could say that crusaders from the Low Countries not only participated in most or all of the campaigns, but they were also prepared to settle themselves in the newly conquered territories. This has been testified for the First, Second and Fourth Crusade. Following the First Crusade, crusaders from the Low Countries became lord or fiefholder in Tiberias (Hugh of Fauquembergues), Hebron (first Gerard of Avesnes, then Hugh of Rebecques), Ramla (the Fleming Baldwin), Jaffa (Lithard of Cambrai, later Albert of Namur), Nablus (Warner of Grez), Beirut (Fulk of Guines) and Sidon and Caesarea (Eustace Granarius). Among the prominent clerics in the crusader states were Arnulf and Evremar of Choques and William of Mesen, patriarchs of Jerusalem, Baldwin of Josaphat, first archbishop of Caesarea, Achard of Arrouaise, prior of the Templum Domini and Baldwin of Boulogne, bishop of Beirut. After the foundation of the Latin Empire in Constantinople (Fourth Crusade), a significant part of the Frankish nobility in the Aegean had its roots in the Low Countries, especially in the early period under Henry of Hainaut. In the main, those who were not Venetian came from Flanders, Burgundy, Champagne or Lombardy. The St Omer-clan was one the most prominent noble families in the Aegean, holding the lordships of Thebes and Passava until 1314. Other Flemings were: the constable of the Empire Thierry of Termonde (1204), the Lord of Karditza (1311), the constable of the Morea in the 1270s and some important clergymen as Warin, archbishop of Thessalonika (1208) and chancelor of Romania (1216-1222) and William of Moerbeke, archbishop of Corinth (1278-1286). Furthermore there were James of Avesnes as Lord of Euboea (1205) and Florent of Hainaut, Prince of Achaia (1289-1297) and his daughter Mathilda, Princes of Achaia (1313-1318). It is clear that in the first hundred years of the Crusades the largest part of Low Countries crusaders had its origins in Flanders, Hainaut and Lower Lotharingia/Brabant. Crusaders from the duchy Lower Lotharingia, a combination of lands covering present-day Southern Belgium, Luxemburg and parts of Northern France (the Ardennes), were also distinctly present during the First Crusade. After its disintegration the duchy of Brabant was created from 1106 onwards. Its dukes and part of its nobility were also present in most of the 12th century crusades. Godfrey III of Louvain, duke of Brabant and his counsellors Arnold III of Aarschot and Arnold I of Wezemael were present at the Second Crusade and Henry I, duke of Brabant and Lotharingia and an important vassal of the Holy Roman Empire, was a participant in the Third Crusade. Duke Henry II took part in the crusade against the Stedinger heretics (1234). Next to these greater lordships in terms of numbers, there were also the county of Namur, the bishopric of Liège, the county of Loon, duchy of Limburg and county of Luxemburg. It is difficult to tell wether the response to the papal calls here was significant, but the presence of its rulers during the Second and Third Crusade, lets us believe it was for some lordships. Of Namur it is not very probable, as nor the count, nor its higher nobility took the cross, altough Frederic of La Roche became bishop of Acre, archbishop of Tyre and chaplain to the Jerusalem court. Further we only know of Nicolas II and III of Rumigny as participants in the Second Crusade. In Liège however the situation was different, especially for the Third Crusade. In between Second and Third Crusade we find Manasses of Hierges as constable of Jerusalem, but during the Third Crusade Rudolf of Zähringen, princebishop of Liège, Herebrand of Latour, vicount of Bouillon and Thierry of Hochstade, count of Daalhem, all were present, assisted by numerous vassals. Of course, as a major vassal of the German Emperor, the princebishop of Liège was involved in this campaign. The last time a princebishop took the cross was during the Eight Crusade, together with count Henry of Luxemburg. Apart from these participants, there was also Walram III, duke of the small duchy of Limbourg and count of Luxemburg and La Roche, lord of Montjoie and marquis of Aachen. About one tenth of the population of Limbourg took part in the Second Crusade. A successor of Walram, duke Henry IV, was present in the Sixth Crusade. B. Northern Low Countries The northern part of the Low Countries in the period of the Crusades was formed, predominantly, by the county of Holland. Compared to its southern neighbours, the participation of crusaders from Holland was rather modest, certainly in the early period (First and Second Crusade), despite their participation in the crusades against the Slavs. This had to do with the global political and economical situation in the northern Low Countries, the absence of a strong central authority and territorial and dynastic disputes with its neighbours Flanders, Brabant, Loon, Frisia and the Holy Roman Empire of which the Holland counts would become loyal vassals. Major participation in the Crusades came with count Floris III (1157-1190) and his son William I (1203-1222). In the Third Crusade Floris III, his younger son William I and a major part of the nobility were part of Frederik Barbarossa's army. Political loyalty as well as dynastic habits must have determined this participation, as Floris' father, count Thierry VI, had been a pilgrim to Jerusalem in 1139 and his mother, Sophia of Reineck, made the journey three times (1139, 1173 and 1176), once accompanied by another son, Otto. She died in Jerusalem and was also buried there. William took also part in the Fifth Crusade, then as count of Holland, in which he distinguished himself during the siege of Damietta in September 1219. The Fifth Crusade was the most important era for the northern Low Countries participation. Bishop Otto II of Utrecht was present, as well as the majority of the nobility in Holland. This was almost equaled during the crusade against the Stedinger heretics with the presence of count Floris IV of Holland and the count of Guelders. From the pilgrimage of Thierry VI in 1139 to William II in 1248, the counts of Holland took the cross, save the successor of Floris III. It is also sure that knights from Holland took part in the campaigns against the pagans across the Elbe in the second half of the 13th century. C. Military orders The Templars were granted property in Europe following their foundation around 1119. Brothers were active, perhaps itinerant at first, in Provence possibly from 1124, in Flanders possibly 1125, Languedoc and the Iberian Peninsula from 1128 and Burgundy and Champagne from around 1130. Many of the earliest Templars came from a limited area of northern France and they were connected to one another by birth or other ties. Among the earliest Templars there was Godfrey of St Omer. In 1127 Hugh of Payns, master of the Templars, was sent by Baldwin II of Jerusalem to the West to mount a new crusade. He can be found in witness lists to grants of land and rights to the Templars in Anjou, Flanders and Champagne. It is clear that Hugh's presence in Flanders stimulated the crusading spirit. The Temple had some old houses in Flanders: Ypres (1131), La Haye (1134-1136) and Slype (1137), but the expansion of the order took place around 1200 with the acquisition of Caestre (1183-1201), Cobrieux (1192), Ghent (1200) and Bruges (1202). In Flanders and Tournai the Templars were stronger, also numerically, then in the other territories of the Low Countries. It is difficult to establish an organizational structure for the Templars in the Low Countries. During the 12th and 13th centuries four bailiwicks were created in the southern Low Countries: Flanders, Hainaut, Brabant and Haspengouw (grouping houses in Liège, Namur, Loon and Luxemburg). Recruitment for the Hospitallers took place in, above all, France and the Meditteranean, but from the end of the 12th century onwards, the northern territories were also concerned. The Order had also become a military order by that time. Possessions were structured in twenty-three priories, further divided into houses (commanderies from 1312 on). The earliest donations in the southern Low Countries were made by the counts of Flanders and Hainaut and the duke of Brabant around 1130. During the 12th and 13th century there were five bailiwicks of which commanderies or houses in the Low Countries depended. In the northern Low Countries and belonging to the Germanic linguistic region, there was the convent of Utrecht, which was one of the few in the Holy Roman Empire to have a hospital. The convent at Utrecht had been established possibly as early as 1122 and became a bailiwick at the beginning of the 14th century. In the southern Low Countries there were four bailiwicks belonging to the French linguistic region: the "chambre magistrale" was Hainaut-Cambrésis, which had properties in Hainaut, Cambrai and Brabant (oldest houses were Le Fresnoy, 1155, and Ecuelin, 1167). Then there were the bailiwicks of Flanders, with the large commandery of Slype, Avalterre (which partially comprised of linguistic Germanic territories: Brabant, including some houses in northern Brabant in the present-day Netherlands, next to French speaking Liège, Namur and Luxemburg) and Haute-Avesnes. Most of the property of the German Order was held within Germany, and most of its members were Germans, although there were three bailiwicks (out of a total of twelve) in the Low Countries: Biesen, Utrecht and Lotharingia. We can find commanderies depending from these bailiwicks in the southern Low Countries in Flanders, Brabant, the county of Loon, Liège and Luxemburg (around 1400: commanderies of Alden-Biesen, Nieuwen-Biesen, Aachen, Remersdorf, Siersdorf, St Peter's Voeren, Malines, Bekkevoort, Bernissem, Liège and the Hanse trading centre of Antwerp), as well as in the northern Low Countries (Utrecht, Dieren, Gemert, Schelluinen, Leiden, Maasland, Doesburg, Tiel, Katwijk, Nes, Schoten, Ootmarsum, Rhenen and Middelburg). Around 1220 the first settlements in the Low Countries appeared (influence of the Fifth Crusade). The Biesen bailiwick was founded by donations from the counts of Loon to the German Order. These foundations were some of the eldest of the German order, as the bailiwick which is called "partes inferiores" predates (1228) the Alsatian (1235), the Thüringian (1236), the Lotharingian (1245) and the one of Koblenz and Westfalen (1256 and 1285). Also the foundations in the northern Low Countries, above all Utrecht (1231), predated the German ones. The 'partes inferiores' were an independant territory with a 'magister in partibus inferioribus' who administered the Biesen and Utrecht bailiwicks up until the 14th century . The counts of Holland were also important benefactors of the German order. At the same time it was an outlet for some of the bastards of the Holland dynasty. Furthermore, in Bruges, the Flemish trading centre with international connections, the German order had a commercial branch which was largely responsible for the financing of the crusade against the Lithuanians in the 14th century. It has been established that around 1400 up to 35% of the commerce of the German order was with Flanders, which made this region the most prominent trading partner. In spite of all this, there was never to be a bailiwick grouping the houses and commanderies in the Low Countries, largely due to usurpation politics of the Koblenz bailiwick. Generally speaking we could say that from the 13th century onwards the nobility of northern France and Flanders formed the heartland of support for the military orders. Families with a crusading tradition, such as the St Omer in Flanders, were among the greatest patrons of the military orders. Jan Anckaer Bibliography Ritter und Priester. Acht Jahrhunderte Deutschen Orden in Nordwest Europa, ed. Arnold, U. (Turnhout: Brepols, 1992). Devillers L., Inventaire analytique des archives des commanderies belges de l'ordre de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem ou de Malte (Bruxelles: Archives générales du Royaume, 1994). Hardenberg, H., De Nederlanden en de Kruistochten (Amsterdam: Van Kampen, 1941). 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