Seljuks, Fatimids and Franks: the rise of the Crusader States, 1099-1144

The Crusades to the Near East, 1095-1187

Join us, online, as we welcome back Dr Nic Morton with his new series of talks.

Seljuks, Fatimids and Franks: the rise of the Crusader States, 1099-1144

This talk looks at the period directly following the First Crusade and the conquest of Jerusalem (1099-1144).  It examines the rise of a group of territories founded by the crusaders – often referred to as the “Crusader States” – that developed around the cities of Edessa, Antioch, Jerusalem and later Tripoli.  It discusses their early expansion focusing especially on the actions and perspectives of the crusaders’ opponents and neighbours.  These included the Turkish-ruled city states of Aleppo, Damascus and Mosul, the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt, the Bedouin tribes, and the Armenian communities of Cilicia.  As will be shown, all these societies had their own priorities, ambitions, and vulnerabilities, factors which led some to ally with the crusaders against common enemies, others to offer intense resistance to the Crusader States, and some to adopt whichever course seemed most pragmatic.  The result was the development of a complex, brutal and fascinating world characterised by conflict, commerce and cross-cultural alliances.

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