I longed for the worldly delights, Worldly pleasures.
I was glad to all temptations, I fell into sin.
The world attracts me with a smile.
He's so good!
I lost count of the thorns.
Everything in the world is a lie.
Save me Lord
So that the world can be overcome by me.
My path is to the Holy Land.
I accept you with your cross.
Hartmann von Aue. Translation by V. Mikushevich
In the nearly ninety years that elapsed between the founding of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the defeat of the Christian army at Hattin in July 1187, Outremer's armies were the only force that helped the Europeans hold onto Palestine. Moreover, their composition was somewhat different than in the traditional feudal troops of that time. First of all, they included "armed pilgrims", for example, warlike monks (ie Knights Templars and Hospitallers). The most unusual thing, however, was that they had types of fighters completely unknown in the West: sergeants and turkopuls. The rear ban system, which was not used in Europe at that time, was also unusual! Let's get acquainted with the troops of the Europeans in Palestine in more detail.
Council of Barons of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Sebastian Mameroth and George Castellian, The History of Outremer, written 1474-1475. (Bourges, France). National Library, Paris.
Barons and Knights
As in the West, the backbone of Jerusalem's army consisted of knights who lived and armed themselves from the proceeds of the estates granted to them. These could be both secular lords (barons) and ecclesiastical (bishops and independent abbots). The latter fielded about 100 knights each, and, judging by the records of John D'Ibelin, the bishop of Nazareth should have fielded six knights, Lydda 10 knights, respectively.
It is important to remember that the term "knight" does not refer to a single person, but describes a unit consisting of a knight on a warhorse plus one or more squires, as well as his riding horse (half-free) and several pack horses. Knights were required to have armor and weapons. Squires - have it all whenever possible.
The barons were supported by younger brothers and their adult sons, as well as by "house knights", that is, people without land holdings who served the baron in exchange for an annual salary (as a rule, these were payments in kind: table, services and an apartment, as well as horse and weapon). John D'Ibelin suggests that the number of such knights took place in a proportion from 1: 2 to 3: 2, which gives us reason to at least double the list of knights of the Kingdom of Jerusalem entering the battlefield. But again, this makes it difficult to count them. Someone had them, some did not have them at all!
Surprisingly, the economic relations that they all entered into at the same time were often not at all similar to European ones. For example, Baron Ramla was obliged to put up four knights in exchange for the right to lease pastures to the Bedouins. Often they received the proceeds from customs duties, tariffs, and other royal sources of income. In the prosperous coastal towns of Outremer, there were many of these "fiefs" who were liable for military service to the king.
Some of the knights were recruited from the younger sons and brothers of the barons or into the army from among the landless armed pilgrims who wanted to stay in the Holy Land. At the same time, they took an oath of allegiance to the king and became his knights, and he fed them, armed and dressed them. In the West, this was just beginning at that time.
Armed pilgrims
The Holy Land, in contrast to the West, benefited from the fact that at any time, but more often from April to October, it attracted tens of thousands of pilgrims, both men and women, who brought large incomes to the kingdom, some of which went to "purchase" knights and other mercenaries who are able to stand up and fight in an emergency. Sometimes the barons brought with them small private armies of servants and volunteers who joined them, and these forces could also be used to protect the Holy Land. A good example is Count Philip of Flanders, who arrived in Akka in 1177 at the head of a “tangible army”. His army even included the English earls of Essex and Meath. But more often individual knights were just pilgrims and went to fight only when necessary. One such example is Hugh VIII de Lusignan, Comte de la Marche, who ended up in Palestine in 1165 but ultimately died in a Saracen prison. Another example is William Marshal, who arrived in the Holy Land in 1184 to fulfill a crusader vow given by his young king. That's even how it happened! Therefore, it is impossible to know exactly how many "armed pilgrims" - and not only knights - took part in the battles between the military forces of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and its Muslim opponents.
Knight monks
Another "anomaly" of Outremer's armies was, of course, large detachments of war monks - among which the most famous were the Templars and Hospitallers, the Knights of St. Lazarus, and somewhat later the Teutons. David Nicole, in his book about the Battle of Hattin, suggests that by 1180 there were about 300 Templars (only knights!), And the Hospitallers were 500 knights, but many of them were scattered around their castles and could not all come together as a single force. It is undeniable that 230 Knights Templar and Hospitaller survived the Battle of Hattin on July 6, 1187. Given that the battle lasted two days, it seems reasonable to assume that both orders suffered serious casualties before the battle ended. It is likely, therefore, that there could have been about 400 of them, both Hospitallers and Templars, and there were also the knights of St. Lazarus, armed pilgrims from Europe and knights of the Jerusalem king, that is, an army of impressive strength.
Knights of Outremer XIII century The story of Outremer Guillaume de Tire. White Thompson collection. British Library.
Infantry
It is often overlooked in modern depictions of medieval war that the knights in medieval armies were the smallest contingent. The infantry, on the other hand, constituted the main part of any feudal army and was far from being a superfluous component of it, although it fought in a completely different way, as many now imagine. Moreover, if in the West the infantry in the XII - XIII centuries. consisted mainly of peasants (plus mercenaries), then in the crusader states the infantry was recruited from free "burghers" who received land during the crusades, plus mercenaries, of course.
Saladin meets with Balian II D'Ibelin. Sebastian Mameroth and George Castellian, The History of Outremer, written 1474-1475. (Bourges, France). National Library, Paris.
Mercenaries
If prostitution is the oldest profession on earth, then mercenaries must belong to the second oldest profession. Mercenaries were known in Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt. In feudal times, the Lenniks were obliged to serve the overlord for 40 days in a row, and someone else was supposed to serve in their place when their turn ended ?! In addition, some military skills, such as archery and siege engine maintenance, required a lot of experience and practice that neither the knightly servants nor the peasants had. Mercenaries were everywhere on medieval battlefields. They were also in Outremer, and were probably even more common there than in the West. But you can't prove it without numbers in your hands.
Crusader states in Outremer.
Sergeants
A much more interesting and unusual feature of the armies of the crusader states was the "sergeants". Because the “peasants” in Outremer were mostly Arabic-speaking Muslims, and the kings of Jerusalem were not inclined to rely on these people to force them to fight against fellow believers. On the other hand, only one fifth of the population (approx. 140,000 inhabitants) were Christians. All settlers were communes and whether they settled in cities, as merchants and traders, or in agricultural areas on royal and ecclesiastical lands, they were all classified as "burghers" - that is, not serfs. These community members, who voluntarily arrived in the state of the crusaders, automatically became free and had to go into military service if necessary, and it was then that they were classified as "sergeants."
The term "sergeant" in the context of Outremer's military practice is similar to the term "man with a weapon" during the Hundred Years War. This means that he received financial resources for the purchase of armor: quilted gambesons and stitched aketones or, in rare cases, armor made of leather or chain mail, as well as a helmet and some kind of infantry weapon, spear, short sword, ax or morgenstern, he received from representatives of the royal power …
Battle of Al-Bugaya (1163). Sebastian Mameroth and George Castellian, The History of Outremer, written 1474-1475. (Bourges, France). National Library, Paris.
Not surprisingly, the sergeants were a burden on the cities, but the Templars and Hospitallers also maintained a sizable force of "sergeants." And although they were not as well armed as the knights, they were entitled to two horses and one squire! It is not clear, however, whether such regulations extended to the king's sergeants and church lords.
Battle of Tire 1187 Sebastian Mameroth and George Castellian The History of Outremer, written 1474-1475. (Bourges, France). National Library, Paris.
Turkopouls
Perhaps the most exotic component of Outremer's armies are the so-called turkopuls. There are many references to these troops in the records of the time, and they clearly played a significant role in the military forces of the Crusaders, although there is no definitive definition of who and what they were. These were clearly "native" troops for those places, and it can be assumed that they were Muslim mercenaries. Approximately half of the population in the Crusader states were, by the way, non-Latin Christians, and there is no doubt that from this segment of society it was also possible to recruit troops that hated Muslims. Armenians, for example, constituted a significant part of the population in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, had their own quarters and their own cathedrals there. Syrian Christians spoke Arabic and looked like "Arabs" and "Turks", but as Christians they were reliable troops. There were also Greek, Coptic, Ethiopian, and Maronite Christians, all theoretically subject to conscription, and like the Christians living in this region, they probably gave the Latins ready-made warriors. They well remembered the insults and harassment on the part of the Muslims, and then they were given the opportunity to get even with them.
Knight of Outremer. Drawing by A. McBride. Pay attention to how detailed every little thing is. Moreover, the swords are drawn according to real samples described by E. Oakshott.
Arier ban
The kings of Jerusalem also had the right to declare an "rear ban", according to which a free man was to defend the kingdom. In the language of modernity, this meant total mobilization. It is noteworthy that the king of Jerusalem could keep his vassals in service for a year, and not only 40 days, as in the West, but this was associated with a threat to the very existence of Christians in a particular area of the kingdom, or even a threat to the entire kingdom, and for now the threat did not disappear, the troops did not disband! But if the king sent an army outside the kingdom for an offensive expedition, he had to pay his subjects for the services rendered to him!
