Frankish Women During The Crusades

Thesis During the time of the Crusades Muslims and Christians attempted to observe and describe their experience of each other’s personal virtues and religious practices. Historical documents gathered during the period of the Crusades depict the various views held by these opposing groups. Although the encounters between these two groups of people often illustrate that they found each other to be strange or inappropriate, they also give some evidence of approval to certain virtues or practices. The tendency for each religious group to glorify itself and degrade each other’s character is also evident. Analyzing the historical documents from Christians and Muslims during the Crusades provides wonderful insight concerning how they viewed

He describes their beauty but goes on to refer to them as “broken down little fools...” 5. He also explains that some Frankish women dressed up as men and went into battle, and that they were not discovered to be women until after they had been “stripped of their arms”.6 His statement may have been a compliment to the fighting ability of the women. However, he writes that the women warriors were desperate to “save themselves from the terror of dismay”7 and “stupid and foolish because of the harm they had suffered”. 8 His description shows that he feels the women did not have virtue and that they allowed themselves to be exploited because of it. 2.) Usamah Ibn Muniqidh, 187.

3.) Usamah Ibn Muniqidh, 187.

4.) Imad ad-Din, “History of the Fall of Jerusalem,” in Merry Wiesner, William Bruce Wheeler, Franklin Doeringer, and Kenneth Curtis, eds, “Two Faces of ‘Holy War’: Christians and Muslims (1095-1270s),” Chapter Seven in Discovering the Global Past: A Look at the Evidence, Vol. 1, 4th ed. (Boston: Wadsworth, 2012). 190.

5.) Imad ad-Din, 191.

6.) Imad ad-Din, 191.

7.) Imad ad-Din,

In the account “Usamah ibn-Munqidh Describes the Franks” 11, Usamah Muniqidh, a physician, describes some of the medical/ religious practices of the Franks. He tells about a Frankish woman who was suffering from imbecility and the ways in which the Franks attempted to cure her. He explains that the Franks said she was possessed by a devil, so they treated her by shaving off her hair and cutting into her head.12 He explains that the woman eventually died from the treatment. By highlighting this practice, Usamah Muniqidh gives evidence that he found this particular religious form of medicine to be both foolish and