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Homicideandaggressioninthehistoryofmankind
33
AccordingtotheByzantinehistorian,PrincessAnnaComnena,daughterof
EmperorAlexiusIandadedicatedchronicleroftheFirstCrusade(1096-1099),
“suchanupheavalofbothmenandwomentookplacethenashadneveroc-
curredwithinhumanmemory,thesimpler-mindedwereurgedonbythereal
desireofworshippingatourLord’sSepulchre,andvisitingthesacredplaces[...].
FortheFrankishrace,asonemayconjecture,isalwaysveryhotheadedandea-
ger,butwhenonceithasespousedacause,itisuncontrollable”.Theprincess
commentedthattheFrankscame“oneaftertheother,witharms,horsesandall
theotherparaphernaliaofwar.Andtheywereallsozealousandeagerthatevery
highroadwasfullofthem.AndthoseFrankishsoldierswereaccompaniedbyan
unarmedhostmorenumerousthanthesandorthestars,carryingpalmsand
crossesontheirshoulders;womenandchildren,too,cameawayfromtheircoun-
tries.Andthesightofthemwaslikemanyriversstreamingfromallsides”4.It
shouldbeemphasisedthatthecrusadesareanexceptionalphenomenonone
thattoday,toanaverageindividual,isratherdifficulttounderstand.
Themovementwasinitiallyapilgrimageone,initiatedbyPopeUrbanIIon
27thNovember1095,duringtheSynodofClermontinFrance.Jerusalemfellto
theChristianarmyinJuly1099,andtheKingdomofJerusalemwasestablished.
AfterthecityfinallyfelltotheMuslimsintheyear1244,thetitleofthekings
andqueensofJerusalemwascarrieduntil1489bythemonarchsofCyprus,
wherethemajorityofChristiansurvivorsfromthekingdomsoftheOutremer
tookrefuge.ThosetwocenturiesweremarkedbyfranticattemptstoregainJeru-
salem,butthemotivationoftheindividualandcollectivewould-bere-conquer-
orswerealreadyvariedandverydifferentfromtheoriginalones(Pernoud
1995).
Violencewhichaccompaniedgreatreligiousconfrontationsisapartofthe
prevalentmentalclimate:thatofuniversalfearofseeingthetrueGoddefeated.
Thispanickedattitudewasparticularlyevidentduringthelaterreligiouswarsin
France,foughtbetweentheCatholicsandtheProtestantheretics.Massacresper-
petratedbytheCatholicswereoccasionede.g.byprocessionsinwhichtheProt-
estants,consideringholyimagesidolatrous,refusedtoveneratethem,orbyfu-
neralsofthemisbelieversinCatholiccemeteries.YetintheeyesofCatholic
preachers,suchmassacreswerenotasin,butonthecontraryanexpressionof
religiousfidelity.Protestantreligiousviolencewasinitiallymanifestedmainly
byiconoclasm(thedestructionoftheholyimages)andbygesturesattestingto
4AnnaComnena,TheAlexiad,inthePolishoriginalquotedafterPernoud1995,p.9,inthetrans-
latedtext[in:]MedievalSourcebook,www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/AnnaComnena-Alexiad10.
html,accessed11thJuly2010(translator’snote).