The population of the crusader states was not representative of normal demographics. Perhaps ironically, for societies with a heavily religious foundation, a disproportionate number of those who came to the crusader states were criminals.
As is so often the case, the link between semi-professional soldiery and criminality was a close one, and not always in the ways one might suspect. Most obviously, there was the increased predisposition of young armed men to take advantage of civilian populations when the opportunity presented itself. One only has to look, for example, at newspaper headlines from any modern warzone, narco-controlled area in South America, or long-running uprising in Africa to observe the depressingly consistent nature of male exploitation.
Advertisement
But beyond this sad and basic anthropology, there were institutional factors that increased criminality. The crusader states, desperate for armed men, were often used, literally, as penal colonies.
This was partly a reflection of life in the Middle Ages as a whole. It was an era when central control was loose or even non-existent. States generally operated without adequate police forces, and prison facilities were limited in the extreme. This was a ‘golden age’ of crime. However, the situation in the crusader states was even worse.
Advertisement
A Get Out of Jail Card…
As with many colonial enterprises, the need to encourage settlers was paramount, and given the risks involved, this was not always easy. Traditionally, one partial solution to this problem was to ship out convicts from the motherland as an alternative to subjecting them to other, even less attractive forms of justice.
Taking medieval England as an example, the penal system was a ready source of new recruits for the crusades. Many people, usually men, were prepared to face an uncertain future in the Holy Land simply because the options available to them at home were clear, but even more bleak. For some, this was a way to atone for their sins while conveniently evading the harsh hand of medieval justice. There was also a long and not entirely glorious tradition of sending criminals to places where their energy could be put to more useful ends.
It was an established practice in 12th-century England for convicted murderers to be sent to the Latin East as penance. This was an elegant way of turning the problem of punishment into a solution for colonial settlement and recruitment into the armies of the crusader states. Since the crusades were Holy Wars, redemption was on offer for many who were bold enough—or unlucky enough—to participate.
To make things even clearer for men who might be wavering, going on crusade was sometimes specifically enforced as punishment by certain judges. This in itself highlights the difficulty of attracting willing settlers.
Advertisement
Indeed, many local criminals were sent to the East. For instance, a number of serious offenders from Usk—described as “the most notorious criminals of these parts…robbers, highwaymen, and murderers”—were dispatched to fight in the East. Similarly, several murderers from St. Clears were also sent there.
Becket kneels at the altar as he is murdered by the knights led by Reginald Fitzurse. – British Librar MS Kings 9, f.38v
Any Volunteers?
English ‘volunteers’ for service in the crusader states were sought throughout the legal system. No one was considered too sinful to be rejected for military service.
On 29 December 1170, four of King Henry II’s knights brutally hacked Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to death in front of many witnesses. The murderers tried to make their penitence tangible by donating lands to the Templars. Two of them undertook a pilgrimage to the East, and there were even suggestions they joined the order, putting their violent tendencies to more productive use.
Advertisement
Richard Siward was another high-profile reprobate. An inveterate rebel and political nuisance, Siward was, luckily for him, a skilled military enthusiast. In 1236, he found himself in custody yet again. At the same time, preparations for a crusade were underway. Siward was offered the chance to commute his prison sentence by fighting in the East. Unsurprisingly, given his warlike temperament, he found this offer far more congenial than remaining incarcerated in Gloucester prison. He took his crusading oath and joined Richard of Cornwall’s crusade of 1240–1241.
Using Criminals in a Holy Cause
In one particularly notorious case, Peter de la Mare, the constable of Bristol, was unambiguously found guilty of murder. He had seized a man named William of Lay from a church sanctuary—bad enough in itself—and then proceeded to behead him. Peter and his cronies were excommunicated but were also offered forgiveness if at least one of them went to fight in the East. This offer was seemingly accepted. Peter, however, stayed in his post and continued serving the king faithfully, possibly paying one of his men to go in his stead.
Similarly, the Worcester Chronicle recounts that William of Forz, the third Earl of Albemarle, rebelled against King Henry III in 1221. After his defeat, he was sentenced to serve in the Latin East for six years as punishment for his sins. Likewise, when Faulkes of Bréauté went into revolt in 1224, three of his men surrendered after being besieged in Bedford Castle. They were then sentenced to join the Templars and perform active service in the Holy Land.
Aristocratic Gangsters
Even after the loss of the Latin East, prisoners continued to be sent to bolster Christian forces in the East. One such case was Amanieu of Astarac, an aristocratic Frenchman famous for his activities as an upmarket bandit. His crimes escalated over time, culminating in a fight in 1318 in which several men were killed. Thanks to his influential connections, Amanieu talked his way out of trouble but soon returned to his antisocial behaviour.
Advertisement
By 1323, he was in trouble again, this time imprisoned in Paris awaiting trial. Found guilty in 1324, he was sentenced to serve in the Latin East, either on the frontiers of Cilician Armenia or in Cyprus, for two years. Amanieu seems to have died in the East sometime before his term of duty was up in 1326. His body was returned to France and buried in the Cistercian abbey of Berdoues, in Gascony. Clearly, leading an army unit in the East was considered a better use for the troublesome nobleman than leaving him languishing in a royal dungeon.
Getting rid of men who were both a nuisance and dangerous by sending them abroad to do God’s work was a well-established ploy—but it did little to reduce levels of criminality in the East.
Dr Steve Tibble is a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge and London University. He is an Honorary Research Associate at Royal Holloway College, University of London. Steve is a leading authority on warfare and violence in the crusading era.
By Steve Tibble
The population of the crusader states was not representative of normal demographics. Perhaps ironically, for societies with a heavily religious foundation, a disproportionate number of those who came to the crusader states were criminals.
As is so often the case, the link between semi-professional soldiery and criminality was a close one, and not always in the ways one might suspect. Most obviously, there was the increased predisposition of young armed men to take advantage of civilian populations when the opportunity presented itself. One only has to look, for example, at newspaper headlines from any modern warzone, narco-controlled area in South America, or long-running uprising in Africa to observe the depressingly consistent nature of male exploitation.
But beyond this sad and basic anthropology, there were institutional factors that increased criminality. The crusader states, desperate for armed men, were often used, literally, as penal colonies.
This was partly a reflection of life in the Middle Ages as a whole. It was an era when central control was loose or even non-existent. States generally operated without adequate police forces, and prison facilities were limited in the extreme. This was a ‘golden age’ of crime. However, the situation in the crusader states was even worse.
A Get Out of Jail Card…
As with many colonial enterprises, the need to encourage settlers was paramount, and given the risks involved, this was not always easy. Traditionally, one partial solution to this problem was to ship out convicts from the motherland as an alternative to subjecting them to other, even less attractive forms of justice.
Taking medieval England as an example, the penal system was a ready source of new recruits for the crusades. Many people, usually men, were prepared to face an uncertain future in the Holy Land simply because the options available to them at home were clear, but even more bleak. For some, this was a way to atone for their sins while conveniently evading the harsh hand of medieval justice. There was also a long and not entirely glorious tradition of sending criminals to places where their energy could be put to more useful ends.
It was an established practice in 12th-century England for convicted murderers to be sent to the Latin East as penance. This was an elegant way of turning the problem of punishment into a solution for colonial settlement and recruitment into the armies of the crusader states. Since the crusades were Holy Wars, redemption was on offer for many who were bold enough—or unlucky enough—to participate.
To make things even clearer for men who might be wavering, going on crusade was sometimes specifically enforced as punishment by certain judges. This in itself highlights the difficulty of attracting willing settlers.
Indeed, many local criminals were sent to the East. For instance, a number of serious offenders from Usk—described as “the most notorious criminals of these parts…robbers, highwaymen, and murderers”—were dispatched to fight in the East. Similarly, several murderers from St. Clears were also sent there.
Any Volunteers?
English ‘volunteers’ for service in the crusader states were sought throughout the legal system. No one was considered too sinful to be rejected for military service.
On 29 December 1170, four of King Henry II’s knights brutally hacked Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to death in front of many witnesses. The murderers tried to make their penitence tangible by donating lands to the Templars. Two of them undertook a pilgrimage to the East, and there were even suggestions they joined the order, putting their violent tendencies to more productive use.
Richard Siward was another high-profile reprobate. An inveterate rebel and political nuisance, Siward was, luckily for him, a skilled military enthusiast. In 1236, he found himself in custody yet again. At the same time, preparations for a crusade were underway. Siward was offered the chance to commute his prison sentence by fighting in the East. Unsurprisingly, given his warlike temperament, he found this offer far more congenial than remaining incarcerated in Gloucester prison. He took his crusading oath and joined Richard of Cornwall’s crusade of 1240–1241.
Using Criminals in a Holy Cause
In one particularly notorious case, Peter de la Mare, the constable of Bristol, was unambiguously found guilty of murder. He had seized a man named William of Lay from a church sanctuary—bad enough in itself—and then proceeded to behead him. Peter and his cronies were excommunicated but were also offered forgiveness if at least one of them went to fight in the East. This offer was seemingly accepted. Peter, however, stayed in his post and continued serving the king faithfully, possibly paying one of his men to go in his stead.
Similarly, the Worcester Chronicle recounts that William of Forz, the third Earl of Albemarle, rebelled against King Henry III in 1221. After his defeat, he was sentenced to serve in the Latin East for six years as punishment for his sins. Likewise, when Faulkes of Bréauté went into revolt in 1224, three of his men surrendered after being besieged in Bedford Castle. They were then sentenced to join the Templars and perform active service in the Holy Land.
Aristocratic Gangsters
Even after the loss of the Latin East, prisoners continued to be sent to bolster Christian forces in the East. One such case was Amanieu of Astarac, an aristocratic Frenchman famous for his activities as an upmarket bandit. His crimes escalated over time, culminating in a fight in 1318 in which several men were killed. Thanks to his influential connections, Amanieu talked his way out of trouble but soon returned to his antisocial behaviour.
By 1323, he was in trouble again, this time imprisoned in Paris awaiting trial. Found guilty in 1324, he was sentenced to serve in the Latin East, either on the frontiers of Cilician Armenia or in Cyprus, for two years. Amanieu seems to have died in the East sometime before his term of duty was up in 1326. His body was returned to France and buried in the Cistercian abbey of Berdoues, in Gascony. Clearly, leading an army unit in the East was considered a better use for the troublesome nobleman than leaving him languishing in a royal dungeon.
Getting rid of men who were both a nuisance and dangerous by sending them abroad to do God’s work was a well-established ploy—but it did little to reduce levels of criminality in the East.
Please visit the publisher’s website or buy this book
on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
Dr Steve Tibble is a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge and London University. He is an Honorary Research Associate at Royal Holloway College, University of London. Steve is a leading authority on warfare and violence in the crusading era.
You can check out Steve’s other books: Templars: The Knights Who Made Britain, The Crusader Armies and The Crusader Strategy
Top Image: Bibliothèque nationale de France MS Français 5594 fol. 153v
Related Posts
Subscribe to Medievalverse