DOCSLIB.ORG

The Crusades: Six Silver Coin Collection

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Crusades: Six Silver Coin Collection The Crusades: Six Silver Coin Collection Coin type and grade may vary somewhat from image Order code: 6CRUSADERBOX-B Because they began as a quest by “pious” Christians to liberate the Holy Land from Muslim “infidels,” the Crusades are often imagined as a series of conflicts between two clear and well-defined antagonists—Christianity vs. Islam. In actuality, the battle lines were more complex. The Franks who came from Western Europe at the behest of the Pope were often at odds with the Byzantines. That the two camps were Christian—one Latin, one Orthodox—did not stop the Western Crusaders from sacking Constantinople in 1204. Similarly, the rift between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims in the East was exploited by the Franks during the First Crusade, enabling them to re-take and hold Jerusalem. Through two centuries of fighting, Christians allied with Muslims, and Muslims with Christians, when the need arose. The silver coins in this collection represent some of the disparate peoples who joined the fray during the 200 years of warfare we know as the Crusades: Armenia Crusader armies on the march needed to cross Christian Armenia to get to the Holy Land. The kingdom of Cilicia (Armenia) supported and allied with the Crusader armies in the late 1100s to the 1300s. Armenian coins were inspired by the designs of the English coins of Richard I, the Lionhearted, a friend of the Armenians and a famous crusader of that period. Swabia The Germanic territory that was the birthplace of many a royal line, Swabia was the home of Frederick Barbarossa, a prominent figure in the Third Crusade and an associate of Richard the Lionhearted. Duke Philip of Swabia was a key player in the Fourth Crusade, and other knights of the region “took the Cross” throughout the 14th century. Khwarezmid Empire Muslims from Central Asia with ambitions to push all the way to Egypt, the Khwarezm were ceded Palestine by the Egyptian sultan, who hoped to appease the warlike people. They held Jerusalem during the late 12th century, slaughtering all inhabitants they found, of any religion, without mercy. A formidable foe, they were wiped out in turn by Genghis Khan. Mamluk Sultanate The word mamluk means slave in Arabic. Once human chattel, these people of the Caucasus developed into a veritable warrior class. The “slave kings,” as they are known, were allied with the Ayyubids in the battles against the Crusaders. They seized control of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria after the Ayyubids were destroyed ca. 1250, and held the Holy Land for over 250 years. Il-khanate Mongols of Persia, the Il-khans were enemies of both the Ayyubids and Mamluks. Ilkhans (means “lesser” Khans) were repeatedly driven off by the Mamluks. They helped the Crusaders by defeating the Ayyubids, but the Mamluks remained undefeated. Ilkhans tried unsuccessfully to ally with the Frankish crusaders; they ended up allied with their enemy, the Byzantine Christians, in their unsuccessful campaigns against the Mamluks. Frankish Greece The Frankokratia is the name for the whole of the small Frankish principalities that spouted up in Central Asia and the Middle East after the fall of Constantinople in 1204. These included Thessalonica, Achaea, Argos and Nauplia, Athens, Naxos, Bodonitsa, Salona, and Negroponte, among other places. These principaltities were conquered by knights from the West, mainly sons of the nobility who were not firstborn. “Franks” is what all Western Crusaders were called, regardless of origin. Data: 1. Armenian Trams; Obverse: Kings of Armenia; Reverse: Lion with cross; 2.9-3.2 grams; 19-22 mm 2. German Heller coin (Swabia); Obverse: cross; Reverse: An open raised hand (as a sign of honesty). The 'Händleinsheller' ('Hand-Heller') was minted from c. 1228 in Schwäbisch Hall); 0.3-0.6 grams; 16-18 mm 3. Khwarizmshah Dirham; Obverse and reverse: Islamic inscriptions; 4.6-6.5 grams; 25-30 mm 4. Mamluk Dirham; Obverse & Reverse: Islamic inscription with names and titles;1.3 grams; 13-15 mm 5. Il-Khanate Dirham; Obverse & Reverse: Islamic inscriptions; 2.5-3.6 grams; 19-22 mm 6. Frankish Greece Denier-Tournois;Obverse: stylized castle; Reverse:Crusader cross; 0.6-1 g;18.5-19mm Box measures: 7.25” x 5.5” All coins in each set are protected in an archival capsule and beautifully displayed in a mahogany-like box. The box set is accompanied with a story card, certificate of authenticity, and a black gift box. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Conquest of Arsuf by Baybars: Political and Military Aspects (MSR IX.1, 2005)
    REUVEN AMITAI THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM The Conquest of Arsu≠f by Baybars: Political and Military Aspects* A modern-day visitor to Arsu≠f1 cannot help but be struck by the neatly arranged piles of stones from siege machines found at the site. This ordering, of course, represents the labors of contemporary archeologists and their assistants to gather the numerous but scattered stones. Yet, in spite of the recent nature of this "installation," these heaps are clear, if mute, evidence of the great efforts of the Mamluks led by Sultan Baybars (1260–77) to conquer the fortified city from the Franks in 1265. This conquest, as well as its political background and its aftermath, will be the subjects of the present article, which can also be seen as a case-study of Mamluk siege warfare. The immediate backdrop to the Mamluk attack against Arsu≠f was the events of the preceding weeks. At the end of 1264, while Baybars was hunting in the Egyptian countryside, he received reports that the Mongols were heading in force for the Mamluk border fortress of al-B|rah along the Euphrates, today in south- eastern Turkey. The sultan quickly returned to Cairo, and ordered the immediate dispatch of advanced light forces, which were followed by a more organized, but still relatively small, force under the command of the senior amir (officer) Ughan Samm al-Mawt ("the Elixir of Death"), and then by a third corps, together with © Middle East Documentation Center. The University of Chicago. *I would like to thank Prof. Israel Roll of Tel Aviv University, who conducted the excavations at the site, and was most helpful when he showed us the site.
    [Show full text]
  • History of the Crusades. Episode 103 the Last Crusades. Hello Again
    History of the Crusades. Episode 103 The Last Crusades. Hello again. Last week, things didn't go so well for the Latin Christians in the Middle East, with an entire Crusader state, the Principality of Antioch, being effectively wiped off the map following an invasion by the Egyptian Mamluk Sultan Baibars. The Latin Christians of Europe had been viewing events in the Holy Land with concern for some time, and with the fall of Antioch, it was obvious that some urgent assistance was required. More specifically, what was needed of course, was another Crusade. As far back as August 1266 Pope Clement IV had begun to call for a new Crusade. England had been wracked by civil war, but that had come to an end in 1265, and with King Louis IX’s ambitious brother Charles of Anjou securing for himself the Sicilian crown in 1266, the attentions of the people in Europe could finally focus on problems in the Middle East. King Louis of France, now aged in his early fifties, jumped at the chance to redeem the failure of his ill-fated previous Crusade, and on the 25th of March 1267 once again made a public vow to take up the Cross. Also raising their hands to mount a Crusade were Lord Edward of England and King James I of Aragon. Lord Edward was the son of the aging King Henry III of England, and would later become King Edward I. Against his father's wishes. Lord Edward made his Crusading vow in 1268, and many of the noblemen of England, keen to put the trauma of the recent civil war behind them, followed his example.
    [Show full text]
  • Read Transcript
    History of the Crusades. Episode 101 Baibars Attacks. Hello again. Last week we saw the rise to power of Rukn al-Din Baibars. Sultan Baibars’ territory now stretches all the way from his capital in Cairo to northern Syria. With his realm secured and consolidated, Baibars sets his sights on his two enemies in the region, the Mongols and the Franks. Now, most Muslim leaders in the past had been content to arrange peace treaties with the Crusader states, leaving them to maintain their presence in the Holy Land. Not Baibars. He viewed the busy commercial port cities in the Crusader states as centers which could be incorporated into Muslim territory. The Latin Christians controlled a strip of fertile land running down the coast of the Mediterranean. Baibars wanted to drive them from this strip of land. With Hulagu’s Mongol armies still a potent force, Baibars knew he had to bide his time. Instead, in the early 1260s, Baibars looked further afield and tried his hand at international diplomacy. Unsurprisingly, the first person he reached out to was King Manfred of Sicily, the illegitimate son of Emperor Frederick II who had deposed young Conradin as ruler of Sicily and Acre. The Egyptians had enjoyed a close relationship with Emperor Frederick, and Manfred seemed of a similar disposition. Hoping to encourage the growing split between Manfred and the Papacy, and perhaps reduce the chance of Europe mounting another Crusade in aid of the beleaguered Latin Christians of the Crusader states, Baibars sent an envoy to Sicily bearing gifts for King Manfred.
    [Show full text]
  • Re-Examining Usama Ibn Munqidh's Knowledge of "Frankish": a Case Study of Medieval Bilingualism During the Crusades
    Re-examining Usama ibn Munqidh's Knowledge of "Frankish": A Case Study of Medieval Bilingualism during the Crusades Bogdan C. Smarandache The Medieval Globe, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2017, pp. 47-85 (Article) Published by Arc Humanities Press For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/758505 [ Access provided at 27 Sep 2021 14:33 GMT with no institutional affiliation ] RE-EXAMINING USAMA IBN MUNQIDH’S KNOWLEDGE OF “FRANKISH”: A CASE STUDY OF MEDIEVAL BILINGUALISM DURING THE CRUSADES BOGDAN C. SMARANDACHE a Syrian gentleman, warrior­poet, Muslim amir, and fāris (488–584/1095–1188)—described variously as uignorancesaMa Iofbn the Munq FrankishIdh language in his Kitab al-iʿtibar (The Book of Learning (knight)—professes by Example), when recounting one of his childhood memories. Born to the Arab dynasty of the Banu Munqidh, who ruled the castle and hinterland of Shayzar on the Aṣi (or Orontes) River, Usama had grown up in close proximity to the Frankish Principality of Antioch. In the decade following the First Crusade (488–492/1095–1099), the Banu Munqidh and their Frankish neighbours engaged begun his military training. Recalling that time decades later, he remembers that in periodic raids and skirmishes. By that time, Usama was a youth and might have Tancred, the Christian ruler of Antioch (d. 506/1112), had granted a guarantee unfortunate young cavalier was actually heading into a trap that cost him his right of safe-conduct to a skilled horseman from Shayzar, a man named Hasanun. (The ­ Ifranjī eye, but he had trusted in Tancred’s good will.) After describing the initial negotia 1 tion of safe-conduct, Usama adds that “they speak only in Frankish ( ) so we had no idea what they were saying.” To date, Usama’s statement has deterred scholars from investigating the small number of Frankish loanwords preserved in his book, it appears to leave extent of his second language acquisition in greater depth.
    [Show full text]
  • Maria Paleologina and the Il-Khanate of Persia. a Byzantine Princess in an Empire Between Islam and Christendom
    MARIA PALEOLOGINA AND THE IL-KHANATE OF PERSIA. A BYZANTINE PRINCESS IN AN EMPIRE BETWEEN ISLAM AND CHRISTENDOM MARÍA ISABEL CABRERA RAMOS UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA SpaIN Date of receipt: 26th of January, 2016 Final date of acceptance: 12th of July, 2016 ABSTRACT In the 13th century Persia, dominated by the Mongols, a Byzantine princess, Maria Paleologina, stood out greatly in the court of Abaqa Khan, her husband. The Il-Khanate of Persia was then an empire precariously balanced between Islam, dominant in its territories and Christianity that was prevailing in its court and in the diplomatic relations. The role of Maria, a fervent Christian, was decisive in her husband’s policy and in that of any of his successors. Her figure deserves a detailed study and that is what we propose in this paper. KEYWORDS Maria Paleologina, Il-khanate of Persia, Abaqa, Michel VIII, Mongols. CapitaLIA VERBA Maria Paleologa, Ilkhanatus Persiae, Abaqa, Michael VIII, Mongoles. IMAGO TEMPORIS. MEDIUM AEVUM, XI (2017): 217-231 / ISSN 1888-3931 / DOI 10.21001/itma.2017.11.08 217 218 MARÍA ISABEL CABRERA RAMOS 1. Introduction The great expansion of Genghis Khan’s hordes to the west swept away the Islamic states and encouraged for a while the hopes of the Christian states of the East. The latter tried to ally themselves with the powerful Mongols and in this attempt they played the religion card.1 Although most of the Mongols who entered Persia, Iraq and Syria were shamanists, Nestorian Christianity exerted a strong influence among elites, especially in the court. That was why during some crucial decades for the history of the East, the Il-Khanate of Persia fluctuated between the consolidation of Christian influence and the approach to Islam, that despite the devastation brought by the Mongols in Persia,2 Iraq and Syria remained the dominant factor within the Il-khanate.
    [Show full text]
  • THE MAMLUKS Beginning: the Mamluks Were Originally Enslaved Bodyguards of the Abbasid Caliphs of the Islamic Empire (The Word “Mamluk” Means “Slave” in Arabic)
    THE MAMLUKS Beginning: The Mamluks were originally enslaved bodyguards of the Abbasid caliphs of the Islamic Empire (the word “mamluk” means “slave” in Arabic). Starting around 850 AD, the Abbasid caliphs captured or bought young boys who were not Muslims as slaves. The caliphs brought the boys up to be Sunni Muslim soldiers in a slave army. These men made a great army. There soon got to be more and more Mamluks. Middle: Nureddin and the Second Crusade. Nureddin fought them off Crusaders successfully. After the Second Crusade ended without taking any of his territory, Nureddin created a kingdom for himself in Syria. He conquered Damascus from local Muslim rulers. Mamluk generals conquer Jerusalem During the 1100s AD, other Mamluk generals worked for the Ayyubid sultans in Egypt and Syria, but little by little the sultans had less power and the Mamluk generals got more and more power. In 1244, the Mamluks conquered Jerusalem from the Crusaders. The next year, in 1245, Louis IX of France led the 7th Crusade to try to get it back, but the Mamluks captured him. Mamluks take over Egypt and Syria from the Ayyubids In 1250 AD Shajar al-Durr, the mother of the last Ayyubid sultan, killed her son and ruled on her own. She negotiated to end the 7th Crusade and let Louis go. Shajar al-Durr soon had to marry the Mamluk leader, Aybak, in order to keep power, but she continued to rule. In 1257 al-Durr had Aybak killed to try to rule on her own again. After that the other Mamluks arrested al-Durr and then killed her, and the Mamluks got control of Egypt and Syria.
    [Show full text]
  • Cilician Armenian Mediation in Crusader-Mongol Politics, C.1250-1350
    HAYTON OF KORYKOS AND LA FLOR DES ESTOIRES: CILICIAN ARMENIAN MEDIATION IN CRUSADER-MONGOL POLITICS, C.1250-1350 by Roubina Shnorhokian A thesis submitted to the Department of History In conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada (January, 2015) Copyright ©Roubina Shnorhokian, 2015 Abstract Hayton’s La Flor des estoires de la terre d’Orient (1307) is typically viewed by scholars as a propagandistic piece of literature, which focuses on promoting the Ilkhanid Mongols as suitable allies for a western crusade. Written at the court of Pope Clement V in Poitiers in 1307, Hayton, a Cilician Armenian prince and diplomat, was well-versed in the diplomatic exchanges between the papacy and the Ilkhanate. This dissertation will explore his complex interests in Avignon, where he served as a political and cultural intermediary, using historical narrative, geography and military expertise to persuade and inform his Latin audience of the advantages of allying with the Mongols and sending aid to Cilician Armenia. This study will pay close attention to the ways in which his worldview as a Cilician Armenian informed his perceptions. By looking at a variety of sources from Armenian, Latin, Eastern Christian, and Arab traditions, this study will show that his knowledge was drawn extensively from his inter-cultural exchanges within the Mongol Empire and Cilician Armenia’s position as a medieval crossroads. The study of his career reflects the range of contacts of the Eurasian world. ii Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the financial support of SSHRC, the Marjorie McLean Oliver Graduate Scholarship, OGS, and Queen’s University.
    [Show full text]
  • Attila Hárány
    THE LAST REX CRUCESIGNATUS, EDWARD I, AND THE MONGOL ALLIANCE Attila Hárány This study explores the crusading efforts of Edward I, king of England (1272— 1307), in the last decades of the thirteenth century. It investigates the reason why the Plantagenet ruler was highly respected as the only athleta Christi on whom all the Christian powers laid their hopes to withstand the Muslims. I would not like to provide a detailed overview of King Edward's 1270 crusade, but give an analysis of the king's role and introduce his motives in the mirror of the expectations of the West. Edward I never ceased to support the negotium Terrae Sanctae, and after the fall of Acre he was treated as the apostle of the recuperatio. Edward was the only ruler in Europe to realize how rational it was to ally with the Mongols; therefore here I am examining Edward's life-long struggle to have an alliance with these pagans acknowledged. I am not giving an overview of the formation of the Franco-Mongol alliance from the late 1240s. Nevertheless, it has to be noted at the outset that England, and especially her monarch, Edward, played a primary role in the endeavors to establish not only political but strategic and tactical cooperation with the Il-Khans of Persia against the Mamluks. The Plantagenets were much concerned with taking a stand in the crusading enterprises and were the first to seek knowledge about the Mongols. They were well aware of the Tatars' superior military machinery. I will give a few snapshots of how they obtained direct knowledge about the Mongols, for instance, the letters incorporated in Matthew Paris' Chronica Majora.1 The Carmen Miserabile of Rogerius, Dean of Várad (Oradea) must also have been known to them through Rogerius' patron, the English Cardinal John Toletanus, and his circle, the English delegates at the Council of Lyons I.
    [Show full text]
  • Pope Gregory X and the Crusades
    1 POPE GREGORY X AND THE CRUSADES A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE SCHOOL OF HISTORY AT QUEEN MARY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON BY PHILIP BRUCE BALDWIN UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF DR. THOMAS ASBRIDGE 2 FOR MY PARENTS 3 ABSTRACT This study examines the crusading movement during the reign of Pope Gregory X in the latter part of the thirteenth century, before the Latin presence in the Levant came to an end. It seeks to demonstrate the important position of this little-known pope, who formed the bridge between what can now be seen as two separate eras in the crusading period, namely, the era of the traditional passagium generale, and the ‘new’ era of the passagium particulare. To do this, it will study Western and Muslim sources to understand the condition of the Holy Land during Gregory’s pontificate to see the effect it had on the manner in which he organised his crusade, using both traditional and ‘new’ methods. By drawing on sources from crusading in Iberia, it will show that Gregory approached the crusade flexibly, and was not, as commonly described by historians, wholly obsessed with the Holy Land. It also seeks to dispel one of the more popular myths surrounding Gregory, which is that he wanted to change the government of the kingdom of Jerusalem by putting Charles of Anjou in charge there. A study of the Angevin chancery records – little used by crusade historians – will demonstrate that it was not Gregory’s idea, but rather Charles’ own. Finally, using Gregory’s papal registers and chronicle evidence, this study will attempt to imagine the crusade that would have occurred had Gregory not died prematurely.
    [Show full text]
  • The Indian Ocean Scenario in the 14Th Century Latin Crusade Tract: Possibilities of a World Historical Approach
    Asian Review of World Histories 3:1 (January 2015), 37-58 © 2015 The Asian Association of World Historians doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12773/arwh.2015.3.1.037 The Indian Ocean Scenario in the 14th Century Latin Crusade Tract: Possibilities of a World Historical Approach Ranabir CHAKRAVARTI Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, India [email protected] Abstract The paper examines, in the light of current historiography, the re- cent trends in the application and applicability of the World His- torical studies on the Indian Ocean scenario. Calling for the com- bination of the breadth of the World Historical studies with the analysis of a historical scenario in its specific spatio-temporal context—instead of a synchronic approach—the present study takes a close look at commerce and politics in the western Indian Ocean in the light of an early 14th century Latin Crusade tract, How to Defeat the Saracens by William of Adam (Guillelmus Ade, Tractatus quomodo Sarraceni sunt expugnandi), a Dominican fri- ar. The text offers remarkable insights into the interlocking of the Indian Ocean and the South Asian subcontinent with the Mamluk Sultanate, the Ilkhanid realm and the Crusades. The paper argues for what is now termed as braided and connected histories. Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 04:51:43PM via free access 38 | ASIAN REVIEW OF WORLD HISTORIES 3:1 (JANUARY 2015) Key words Indian Ocean, Indian subcontinent, Red Sea, Mamluk Sultanate, Ilkhanate, Crusade, maritime trade, maritime contestations I. PROLOGUE The World Historical approach and methodology have been at- tracting the practitioners of pasts largely because of the breadth of such enquiries.
    [Show full text]
  • “In the Syrian Taste”: Crusader Churches in the Latin East As Architectural Expressions of Orthodoxy “Ao Sabor Sírio”
    BLASCO VALLÈS, Almudena, e COSTA, Ricardo da (coord.). Mirabilia 10 A Idade Média e as Cruzadas La Edad Media y las Cruzadas – The Middle Ages and the Crusades Jan-Jun 2010/ISSN 1676-5818 “In the Syrian Taste”: Crusader churches in the Latin East as architectural expressions of orthodoxy “Ao sabor sírio”: as igrejas dos cruzados no Oriente latino como expressões da arquitetura ortodoxa Susan BALDERSTONE 1 Abstract : This paper explores how the architectural expression of orthodoxy in the Eastern churches was transferred to Europe before the Crusades and then reinforced through the Crusaders’ adoption of the triple-apsed east end “in the Syrian Taste” 2 in the Holy Land. Previously, I have shown how it can be deduced from the archaeological remains of churches from the 4th-6th C that early church architecture was influenced by the theological ideas of the period 3. It is proposed that the Eastern orthodox approach to church architecture as adopted by the Crusaders paralleled the evolution of medieval theology in Europe and can be seen as its legitimate expression. Resumo : Este artigo explora o modo como a expressão arquitetônica da ortodoxia nas igrejas orientais foi transferida para a Europa antes das Cruzadas e, em seguida, reforçada através da adoção dos cruzados da abside tripla “de gosto sírio” na Terra Santa. Anteriormente, eu mostrei como isto pôde ser deduzido dos restos arqueológicos de igrejas dos séculos IV-VI e como a arquitetura da igreja primitiva foi influenciada pelas idéias teológicas do período. Proponho que a abordagem do Oriente ortodoxo para a arquitetura da igreja foi adotada pelos cruzados paralelamente à evolução da teologia medieval na Europa, e pode ser visto como uma expressão legítima.
    [Show full text]
  • The Crusades Constantinople
    History 131—Western Civilization Dr. Kelly Obernuefemann Primary Sources, Print & Electronic Books, and Internet Sources Please note: The resources listed below are not all-inclusive. They are meant to function as a starting point. THE CRUSADES Encyclopedia - Crusades http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/wars-and- battles/crusades First Crusade http://www.umich.edu/~marcons/Crusades/timeline/summaries/First_Crusade.htm The First Crusade: Primary Sources and Article https://deremilitari.org/ (search Crusades) Second Crusade http://www.umich.edu/~marcons/Crusades/timeline/summaries/second_crusade.htm Third Crusade http://www.umich.edu/~marcons/Crusades/timeline/summaries/third_crusade.htm Fourth Crusade http://www.umich.edu/~marcons/Crusades/timeline/summaries/fourth_crusade.htm Fifth Crusade http://www.umich.edu/~marcons/Crusades/timeline/summaries/fifth_crusade.htm CONSTANTINOPLE Constantinople: https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/constantinople Constantinople: https://www.britannica.com/place/Istanbul/Constantinople 1 History 131—Western Civilization Dr. Kelly Obernuefemann Primary Sources, Print & Electronic Books, and Internet Sources Please note: The resources listed below are not all-inclusive. They are meant to function as a starting point. Constantinople (New World Encyclopedia): http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Constantinople A HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES University of Wisconsin Digital Collections First Hundred Years: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/History/History-idx?id=History.CrusOne
    [Show full text]