royal family of jerusalem royal family of jerusalem
Tyerman, pp. Henry IV of England made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 13934, and he later vowed to lead a crusade to recapture the city, but he did not undertake such a campaign before his death in 1413. The kingdom had a truce with Saladin at the time, and Raynald's actions have been seen as an independent act of brigandage; it is possible that he was trying to prevent Saladin from moving his forces north to take control of Aleppo, which would have strengthened Saladin's position. The Fatimids, under the nominal rule of caliph al-Musta'li but actually controlled by vizier al-Afdal Shahanshah, had lost Jerusalem to the Seljuks in 1073;[12] they recaptured it in 1098 from the Artuqids, a smaller Turkish tribe associated with the Seljuks, just before the arrival of the crusaders. Nur ad-Din was extremely pious and during his rule the concept of jihad came to be interpreted as a kind of counter-crusade against the kingdom, which was an impediment to Muslim unity, both political and spiritual. [28], Fulk was an experienced crusader and had brought military support to the kingdom during a pilgrimage in 1120. Hethum I of Armenia and Bohemond VI of Antioch had already submitted to the Mongols as vassals. The regulations imposed on them are the handing over of half of the grain crop at the time of harvest and the payment of a poll tax of one dinar and seven qirats, together with a light duty on their fruit trees. 2, pp. Sugar cane had been introduced in Palestine by the Arabs. Pyramids in Jerusalem - Archaeology Magazine Archive The kingdom became little more than a pawn in the politics and warfare of the Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties in Egypt, as well as the Khwarezmian and Mongol invaders. Ayyub marched on Cairo in an attempt to drive out al-Adil, but during his absence al-Kamil's brother as-Salih Isma'il took over Damascus, and Ayyub was taken prisoner by an-Nasir Dawud. II, bk. The native crusader barons set about rebuilding their kingdom from Acre and the other coastal cities. Here are five things to know. But after continually delaying his departure for the Holy Land, including suffering an outbreak of disease in his fleet, he was excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX in 1227. [63], Meanwhile, the succession crisis had prompted a mission to the west to seek assistance. Hans Mayer, "Latins, Muslims, and Greeks in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem", History 63 (1978), pg. Welcome to the Royal Funeral Home Inc. website. Looking for a place to stay in Jerusalem? Before Raymond and Bohemond arrived, Agnes and King Baldwin arranged for Sibylla to be married to a Poitevin newcomer, Guy of Lusignan, whose older brother Amalric of Lusignan was already an established figure at court. The original Kingdom of Jerusalem lasted from 1099 to 1187 before being almost entirely overrun by the Ayyubid Sultanate under Saladin. Its heiress, Isabella of Ibelin (widow of Hugh II), actually placed it under Baibars' protection. The canons of the Holy Sepulchre asked the king for advice, and Heraclius was chosen through Agnes' influence. According to Benjamin of Tudela, who travelled through the kingdom around 1170, there were 1,000 Samaritans in Nablus, 200 in Caesarea and 300 in Ascalon. By JOSEF FEDERMAN April 4, 2021. The native Christians and Muslims, who were a marginalized lower class, tended to speak Greek and Arabic, while the crusaders, who came mainly from France, spoke French. In 1132 Antioch, Tripoli, and Edessa all asserted their independence and conspired to prevent Fulk from exercising the suzerainty of Jerusalem over them. The Muslims own their own houses and rule themselves in their own way. T he royal who was inked in Jerusalem. [39], When Baldwin died childless in 1162, a year after his mother Melisende, the kingdom passed to his brother Amalric, who renewed the alliance negotiated by Baldwin. Outside of Jerusalem, castles and fortresses were the major focus of construction: Kerak and Montreal in Oultrejordain and Ibelin near Jaffa are among the numerous examples of crusader castles. In June the Haute Cour granted the regency to Alice of Champagne, who, as the daughter of Isabella I, was Conrad's great-aunt and his closest relative living in the kingdom. Royal Family (TV series) - Wikipedia This autonomy included the right to administer their own justice, although the kinds of cases that fell under their jurisdiction varied at different times.[132]. King Amalric I "was fairly well educated, although much less so than his brother" Baldwin III; he "was well skilled in the customary law by which the kingdom was governed", and "listened eagerly to history and preferred it to all other kinds of reading." Richard returned to Europe in 1241. their character was more and more that of a desperate defensive war rarely reaching beyond the Balkans (Alexandrian Crusade, Smyrniote crusades). There were also multiple ways to become chattel slaves. William of Tyre, introduction by Babcock and Krey, pg. The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (reigned 12201250) had ambitions in the Crusader state, claiming the kingdom by marriage, but his presence sparked a civil war (12281243) among the kingdom's nobility. Hugh was technically regent of Jerusalem as well, both for Conrad and for Conrad's son Conradin after Conrad died in 1254. Jewish millionaire Michael Lewis marries niece of - The Jerusalem Post A Russian priest stands by the grave of Princess Alice of Battenberg and Greece, great-grandmother of Prince William, at the Mary Magdalene Church, in east Jerusalem, Wednesday, June 27, 2018. Nur ad-Din sent Shirkuh back to Egypt in 1166, and Shawar again allied with Amalric, who was defeated at the Battle of al-Babein. The king was assisted by a number of officers of state. Davidic line - Wikipedia Kingdom of Jerusalem - Wikipedia In the end, Nur ad-Din was victorious and Saladin established himself as Sultan of Egypt. King Charles III coronation: What happens in sacred anointing ceremony John's supporters formed a commune in Acre, of which John himself was elected mayor in 1232. Paintings and mosaics were popular forms of art in the kingdom, but many of these were destroyed by the Mamluks in the 13th century; only the most durable fortresses survived the reconquest. Beyond these to the north and west lay the states of Armenian Cilicia and the Byzantine Empire, with which Jerusalem had a close relationship in the twelfth century. Following the Third Crusade, it was re-established in Acre in 1192. Charles of Anjou also died in 1285, and the military orders and the commune of Acre accepted Henry II as king; Odo Poilechen refused to recognize him, but was allowed to hand Acre over to the Templars rather than Henry directly, and the Templars then handed it to the king. For the next seven centuries, up to today, a veritable multitude of European monarchs have used the title of King of Jerusalem. 296.). William of Tyre, vol. He completed the rebuilding of Ascalon, and also made peace with Ayyub in Egypt. [76] Maria died in childbirth in 1212, and John of Brienne continued to rule as regent for their daughter Isabella II. Josiah Russell calculates that all of Syria had about 2.3 million people at the time of the crusades, with perhaps eleven thousand villages; most of these, of course, were outside of crusader rule even at the greatest extent of all four crusader states. This 1958 scene of a family watching television, could not have been photographed in Israel, as the Jewish state had no TV until 1966. . The series was created by executive producer Eddie Murphy, as part of a development deal Murphy had with CBS, and produced by David Garber, Shelley Jensen, Deborah Leschin, Leslie Ray, and David Steven Simon. Conrad proclaimed that he had come of age in 1242, eliminating both Frederick's claim to the regency and the need for an imperial guardian to govern in his place, although he had not yet turned 15, the age of majority according to the customs of Jerusalem. Aimery, however, not knowing of the diversion to Constantinople, raided Egypt in advance of the expected invasion. The death of al-Mu'azzam negated the proposed alliance with al-Kamil, who along with his brother al-Ashraf had taken possession of Damascus (as well as Jerusalem) from their nephew, al-Mu'azzam's son an-Nasir Dawud. He argues that eastern Christians probably felt closer ties to their fellow Christian crusaders than Muslim Arabs. Palestinian prisoner dies in Israel after long hunger strike The Genoese, assisted by the Pisan merchants, attacked the Venetian quarter and burned their ships, but the Venetians drove them out. Fulk was then faced with a new and more dangerous enemy: the atabeg Zengi of Mosul, who had taken control of Aleppo and had set his sights on Damascus as well; the union of these three states would have been a serious blow to the growing power of Jerusalem. [73], The Ayyubid empire had fallen into civil war after the death of Saladin in 1193. Dynastic ties also strengthened with Tripoli, Antioch, and Armenia. A 1911 map showing the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the other Crusader states. In 1163 the chaotic situation in Egypt led to a refusal to pay tribute to Jerusalem, and requests were sent to Nur ad-Din for assistance; in response, Amalric invaded, but was turned back when the Egyptians flooded the Nile at Bilbeis. [87], A new crusade was discussed at the Council of Lyon in 1245 by Pope Innocent IV. [114] It has been estimated by scholars such as Joshua Prawer and Meron Benvenisti that there were at most 120,000 Franks and 100,000 Muslims living in the cities, with another 250,000 Muslim and Eastern Christian peasants in the countryside. [71][72] A five-year truce was then concluded with the Ayyubids in Syria in 1198. The new kingdom, and Godfrey's reputation, was secured with the defeat of the Fatimid Egyptian army under al-Afdal Shahanshah at the Battle of Ascalon one month after the conquest, on August 12, but Raymond and Godfrey's continued antagonism prevented the crusaders from taking control of Ascalon itself. Al-Kamil retreated to the nearby fortress of al-Mansurah, but the crusaders remained in Damietta throughout 1219 and 1220, awaiting the arrival of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, while King John returned to Acre briefly to defend against al-Mu'azzam, who was raiding the kingdom from Damascus in John's absence. Palestinians and Israelis remember life under British rule [24] As Thomas Madden says, Baldwin was "the true founder of the kingdom of Jerusalem", who "had transformed a tenuous arrangement into a solid feudal state. The war also spread to Tripoli and Antioch, where the Embriaco family, descended from Genoese crusaders, was pitted against Bohemond VI of Antioch, who supported the Venetians. In 1281 the ten-year truce expired and was renewed by Roger. Gordon Lightfood dead at 84. The rooms offer air conditioning, and getting online is possible, as free wifi is available, allowing you to rest and refresh with ease. Richard defeated Saladin at the Battle of Arsuf in 1191 and the Battle of Jaffa in 1192, recovering most of the coast, but could not recover Jerusalem or any of the inland territory of the kingdom. The money economy of Jerusalem meant that their manpower problem could be partially solved by paying for mercenaries, an uncommon occurrence in medieval Europe. Raymond of Tripoli, Balian of Ibelin, and Reginald of Sidon escaped, but Raynald was executed by Saladin and Guy was imprisoned in Damascus. [88], In the midst of these events, Alice of Champagne had died in 1246 and had been replaced as regent by her son King Henry I of Cyprus, for whom John of Jaffa served as bailli in Acre. [129] The most extensive collection of laws, together known as the Assizes of Jerusalem, were written in the mid-13th century, although many of them are purported to be twelfth-century in origin. [29] Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, the native crusader nobles opposed Fulk's preference for his Angevin retinue. The siege was lifted in December and Saladin retreated to Damascus. Her. ROYAL JERUSALEM - Updated 2023 Hotel Reviews (Israel) - Tripadvisor The title of "king of Jerusalem" was also continuously used by the Angevin kings of Naples, whose founder, Charles of Anjou, had in 1277 bought a claim to the throne from Mary of Antioch. He also made truces with the Ayyubids in Syria, and sent embassies to negotiate with the Mongols, who were beginning to threaten the Muslim world, before returning home in 1254. In 1200 Al-Adil proclaimed himself Sultan of Egypt and Syria, entrusting Damascus to al-Mu'azzam and al-Jazira to another son, al-Kamil. 347348; Mayer, pg. Baldwin asserted his independence by mediating disputes in Antioch and Tripoli, and gained the support of the Ibelin brothers when they began to oppose Manasses' growing power, thanks to his marriage to their widowed mother Helvis of Ramla. The Khwarazmians were nomadic Turks from central Asia, who had recently been displaced by the Mongols further to the east and were now residing in Mesopotamia. King Baldwin was so incapacitated by his leprosy that it was necessary to appoint a regent, and Guy of Lusignan was chosen, as he was Baldwin's legal heir and the king was not expected to live. She agreed but only if she could choose her own husband and king, and after being crowned, she immediately crowned Guy with her own hands. Prince William's Jerusalem visit highlights unique ancestor Olive oil, fragrant rose and orange blossom: the special "chrism" or holy anointing oil for the coronation of Britain's King Charles III has been blessed in Jerusalem's Old City. Peter W. Edbury, on the other hand, argues that William, as well as the thirteenth-century authors who continued William's chronicle in French and were allied to Raymond's supporters in the Ibelin family, cannot be considered impartial. In the countryside, wheat, barley, legumes, olives, grapes, and dates were grown. Fulcher, a participant in the First Crusade and chaplain of Baldwin I, continued his chronicle up to 1127. Oil to be used in King Charles' coronation is consecrated in Jerusalem It is impossible to give an accurate estimate of the population of the kingdom. The Royal Family @RoyalFamily At The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Chrism oil which will be used to anoint The King at the Coronation in May has been consecrated by The Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem. 486488. 138.) Plans for a new crusade to be led by Frederick came to nothing, and Frederick himself was excommunicated by Gregory IX again in 1239. He founded the Judaean dynasty and united all the tribes of Israel under a single monarch. Acre was defended by Henry II's brother Amalric of Tyre, the Hospitallers, Templars, and Teutonic Knights, the Venetians and Pisans, the French garrison led by Jean I de Grailly, and the English garrison led by Otton de Grandson, but they were vastly outnumbered. He also besieged Tripoli, but abandoned it in May when Prince Edward of England arrived, the only part of Louis IX's crusade to arrive in the east. William of Tyre, vol. His sons claimed various parts of his empire: az-Zahir took control of Aleppo, al-Aziz Uthman held Cairo, while his eldest son, al-Afdal, retained Damascus. He bigamously married Adelaide del Vasto, regent of Sicily, in 1113, but was convinced to divorce her as well in 1117; Adelaide's son from her first marriage, Roger II of Sicily, never forgave Jerusalem, and for decades withheld much-needed Sicilian naval support. At best, it included only a few other significant cities, such as Ascalon and some interior fortresses, as well as suzerainty over Tripoli and Antioch. Raymond himself refused to do so and left for Tripoli; Baldwin of Ibelin also refused, gave up his fiefs, and left for Antioch. 175; reprinted in, Mayer calls them "chattels of the state"; Hans Mayer, "Latins, Muslims, and Greeks in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem", History 63 (1978), pg. 265. Alice ordered Filangieri to be arrested, and along with the Ibelins and Venetians, besieged Tyre, which fell in July 1243. Prawer argued further that the kingdom was an early attempt at colonization, in which the crusaders were a small ruling class, who were dependent on the native population for survival but made no attempt to integrate with them. [82], In Cyprus, King Henry I came of age in 1232 and John's regency was no longer necessary. 19, ch. CBC/Radio-Canada is a Canadian public broadcast service. The Order of St John | St John International The crusaders were unable to cross the Nile, and, suffering from disease and lack of supplies, retreated towards Damietta in April. The Kingdom at first was virtually bereft of a loyal subject population and had few knights to implement the laws and orders of the realm. Damietta was captured without resistance when the crusaders landed in June 1249, but the crusade halted there until November, by which time the Egyptian sultan Ayyub had died and had been succeeded by his son Turanshah. The terms of the treaty were unacceptable to the Patriarch of Jerusalem Gerald of Lausanne, who placed the city under interdict. Edward could do nothing except arrange a ten-year truce with Baibars, who nevertheless attempted to have him assassinated as well. [75] Both Isabella and Aimery died in 1205 and again an underage girl, Isabella and Conrad's daughter Maria of Montferrat, became queen of Jerusalem. It might come as a shock to many to learn that hundreds of descendants of King David are alive today, with verifiable family trees dating back 90 generations, and that the royal Davidic dynasty could potentially be established today in Israel.. Under the Latin Patriarch, there were four suffragan archdioceses and numerous dioceses. See for example, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFTyerman2006 (. 408. As the kingdom was by now a relatively unimportant state, the Mongols paid little attention to it, but there were a few skirmishes in 1260: the forces of Julian of Sidon killed the nephew of Kitbuqa, who responded by sacking Sidon, and John II of Beirut was also captured by the Mongols during another raid. Three other Crusader states founded during and after the First Crusade were located further north: the County of Edessa (10971144), the Principality of Antioch (10981268), and the County of Tripoli (11091289). The subsequent events have often been interpreted as a struggle between two opposing factions, the "court party", made up of Baldwin's mother, Amalric's first wife Agnes of Courtenay, her immediate family, and recent arrivals from Europe who were inexperienced in the affairs of the kingdom and who were in favour of war with Saladin; and the "noble party", led by Raymond of Tripoli and the lesser nobility of the kingdom, who favoured peaceful co-existence with the Muslims. [57], At the end of 1181, Raynald of Chtillon raided south into Arabia, in the direction of Medina, although he did not make it that far. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1099 until the siege of Acre in 1291. Heraclius offered the "keys of the Holy Sepulchre, those of the Tower of David and the banner of the Kingdom of Jerusalem", but not the crown itself, to both Philip II of France and Henry II of England; the latter, as a grandson of Fulk, was a first cousin of the royal family of Jerusalem, and had promised to go on crusade after the murder of Thomas Becket. Roger returned to Europe after the Sicilian Vespers in 1282, and was replaced by Odo Poilechien. Baldwin was able to replace Manasses with one of his own supporters, Humphrey II of Toron. The crusaders retreated within three days. Crusader art was a mix of Western, Byzantine, and Islamic styles. Ehud Olmert left office, the bills for food and official entertainment at the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem, for example . Raymond had refused to attend the coronation, and in Nablus he suggested that Isabella and Humphrey should be crowned instead, but Humphrey refused to agree to this plan which would have certainly started a civil war. [11], Egypt and much of Palestine were controlled by the Arab Shi'ite Fatimid Caliphate, which had extended further into Syria before the arrival of the Seljuks. Royal rebel: How Philip 'sidestepped Foreign Office rules' in loving [102], Into this mixed society the crusaders adapted existing institutions and introduced their familiar customs from Europe. The apparently inevitable Mongol conquest was stalled when Hulagu, the Mongol commander in Syria, returned home after the death of his brother Mngke Khan, leaving Kitbuqa with a small garrison. Life became turbulent for Al and Victoria, who had worked so . Almost immediately after Theobald's departure, Richard of Cornwall arrived. With the arrival of Italian trading firms, the creation of the military orders, and immigration by European knights, artisans, and farmers, the affairs of the Kingdom improved and a feudal society developed, similar to but distinct from the society the crusaders knew in Europe. The alliance fell apart, and al-Adil then defeated al Afdal in Egypt and annexed the country. Zedekiah - Wikipedia [90], It was during this period that the Mongols arrived in the Near East. After much ill-feeling and ill-health, Philip returned home in 1191, soon after the fall of Acre. The Chrism oil which will be used to anoint His Majesty The King on 6th May 2023 has been consecrated in Jerusalem. Crusades, vol. We Are Family: King David's Descendants Gather for 'Reunion' The fortress was captured and was added to the County of Jaffa, still in the possession of his brother Amalric. [35], In Jerusalem, the crusaders were distracted by a conflict between Melisende and Baldwin III. Reality Check: Israel's modern-day royal family . Following a second unsuccessful siege of Damascus by the two brothers, Al Afdal accepted a fief consisting of Samosata and a number of other towns. Benjamin of Tudela estimated the total Jewish population of 14 cities in the kingdom to be 1,200, making the Samaritan population of the time larger than the Jewish, perhaps for the only time in history. But instead the crusade was diverted to Tunis, where Louis died. Evidence even indicates alterations to Frankish cultural and social customs regarding hygiene (notorious amongst Arabs for their lack of washing and knowledge of bathhouse culture), going so far as to ensure water supplies for domestic use in addition to irrigation.[113]. John made peace with Damascus and attempted to regain Ascalon; the Egyptians, now ruled by the Mamluk sultanate, besieged Jaffa in 1256 in response. The Jerusalem Post Customer Service Center can be contacted with any questions or requests: Telephone: *2421 * Extension 4 Jerusalem Post or 03-7619056 Fax: 03-5613699 E-mail: subs@jpost.com Special courts such as the Cour de la Fond (for commercial disputes in the markets) and the Cour de la Mer (an admiralty court) existed in the coastal cities. [15] The more popular Godfrey did not hesitate like Raymond, and accepted the position as leader. 207; Jonathan Riley-Smith, "Some lesser officials in Latin Syria" (. The crusaders returned to Acre, possibly because the native barons of the kingdom were suspicious of Filangieri in Tyre. Marshall W. Baldwin, "The Decline and Fall of Jerusalem, 11741189", in, Peter W. Edbury, "Propaganda and faction in the Kingdom of Jerusalem: the background to Hattin", in. 2, bk. During the lengthy siege, which lasted until 1191, Patriarch Heraclius, Queen Sibylla and her daughters, and many others died of disease. The new king, Henry of Champagne, died accidentally in 1197, and Isabella married for a fourth time, to Aimery of Lusignan, Guy's brother. The primary evidence for David's career consists of several chapters in the books 1 . Qalawun died before he could retaliate, but his son al-Ashraf Khalil arrived to besiege Acre in April 1291. This a family tree of the kings of Jerusalem. [13], The crusaders arrived at Jerusalem in June 1099; a few of the neighbouring towns (Ramla, Lydda, Bethlehem, and others) were taken first, and Jerusalem itself was captured on July 15. But while Princess Alice sheltered a Jewish family during the war, three of her daughters were married to prominent Nazis [46] Although the events were clearly a dynastic struggle, "the division was not between native barons and newcomers from the West, but between the king's maternal and paternal kin. Unlike Raynald's attacks on caravans, which may have had some military purpose, Guy attacked a group that was usually loyal to Jerusalem and provided intelligence about the movements of Saladin's troops. David is an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Many Muslims are sorely tempted to settle here when they see the far from comfortable conditions in which their brethren live in the districts under Muslim rule. [86], Although the kingdom had essentially been restored, the Lombard War continued to occupy the kingdom's nobility. 11, ch. He was succeeded by his son al-Kamil. [9], The First Crusade was preached at the Council of Clermont in 1095 by Pope Urban II, with the goal of assisting the Byzantine Empire against the invasions of the "Turks and Arabs" and "to destroy this vile race from the lands of our friends. Baldwin betrothed eight-year-old Isabella to Humphrey IV of Toron, stepson of the powerful Raynald of Chtillon, thereby removing her from the influence of the Ibelin family and that of her mother. Raymond and his supporters went to Nablus, presumably in an attempt to prevent Sibylla from claiming the throne, but Sibylla and her supporters went to Jerusalem, where it was decided that the kingdom should pass to her, on the condition that her marriage to Guy be annulled. [131], The Italian communes were granted almost complete autonomy from the very early days of the Kingdom, thanks to their military and naval support in the years following the First Crusade. Its capital was moved to Acre and controlled most of the coastline of present-day Israel and southern and central Lebanon, including the strongholds and towns of Jaffa, Arsuf, Caesarea, Tyre, Sidon, and Beirut. With brilliance and diligence, he established a strong monarchy, conquered the Palestinian coast, reconciled the crusader barons, and built strong frontiers against the kingdom's Muslim neighbours. The number and importance of the lordships varied throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and many cities were part of the royal domain. William of Tyre, vol. Fulk used this time to construct numerous castles, including Ibelin and Kerak. [66], Over the next few months, Saladin easily overran the entire kingdom. Theobald concluded a treaty with Isma'il, in return for territorial concessions that restored Jerusalem to Christian control, as well as much of the rest of the former kingdom, even more territory than Frederick had recovered in 1229. They especially cultivated Sugar for export to Europe. The victory was short-lived, however, as the crusaders were then defeated by the Egyptian army at Gaza in November 1239. However, al-Kamil presumably did not know of the small size of Frederick's army, nor the divisions within it caused by his excommunication, and wished to avoid defending his territories against another crusade. Immediately after the First Crusade, land was distributed to loyal vassals of Godfrey, forming numerous feudal lordships within the kingdom. The Italian city-states made enormous profits from this trade, thanks to commercial treaties like the Pactum Warmundi, and it influenced their Renaissance in later centuries. It was probably around this time that Raynald also attacked a Muslim caravan. The only legal means of manumission was conversion to (Catholic) Christianity. He brought Jerusalem into the sphere of the Angevin Empire, as the father of Geoffrey V of Anjou and grandfather of the future Henry II of England. Watch on. [38] As William of Tyre put it, it was hoped that Manuel would be able "to relieve from his own abundance the distress under which our realm was suffering and to change our poverty into superabundance". From the Muslim perspective, a chief source of information is Usamah ibn Munqidh, a soldier and frequent ambassador from Damascus to Jerusalem and Egypt, whose memoirs, Kitab al i'tibar, include lively accounts of crusader society in the east.