Following Orders

[SleepyArcher]

Dangit now I need to go to Mcdonalds and the pub cuz you made me hungry.

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

Crusades....brought to you by our sponsors....

[Sir William Marcus]

Dangit now I need to go to Mcdonalds and the pub cuz you made me hungry.

See my beloved sponsors?? The adds are effective and already working! 

[Sir Samuel]

so do you use the WD-40 to help ease the McDonalds down? 

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

And after a consumption of food fit for a King, we use the same substance to help ease us into our fashionable and form fitting maile.....

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

FYI on an event that seems to get over looked between the success of the 1st Crusade and the debacle of the 2nd Crusade:

The Norwegian Crusade was a crusade that lasted from 1107 to 1110, in the aftermath of the First Crusade, by the lead of the Norwegian king Sigurd I.  Sigurd was the first European king to ever go on crusade to the Holy Land, and not one battle during the crusade was lost. The Norwegian crusade seems to have acted out very similar to earlier Viking raids, though the Norwegians' ultimate aims were more noble this time.

From Norway to England (1107-08)
Sigurd and his men sailed from Norway in the autumn of 1107 with sixty ships and perhaps around 5,000 men. In the autumn he arrived in England, where Henry I was king. Sigurd and his men stayed there all the winter, until the spring of 1108 when they again set sail westwards.

In mainland Iberia (1108-09)


The route taken by Sigurd I to Jerusalem/Constantinople (red line) and back to Norway (green line).

After several months they came to the town of St. James (Jakobsland) in Galicia (Galizuland) where they were allowed by a local lord to stay for the winter. However when the winter came there was a shortcoming of food, which made the lord refuse to sell food and goods to the Norwegians. Sigurd then gathered his army, attacked the lord's castle and looted what they could there.

During the travel the Norwegians encountered a great pirate ("viking") fleet of galleys which were seeking peaceful trading-ships to rob. However, Sigurd set his course straight for the pirates and stormed their ships. After a short time all the pirates had been either slain or escaped, and Sigurd acquired eight ships from them.

After this they came to a castle in Muslim Al-Andalus called Sintra (Sintre - present day Sintra, Portugal). They took the castle, and killed every man there as they had refused to be christened. Further they sailed to Lisbon, a "half Christian and half heathen" city, said to be the division between Christian and Muslim Spain. There they won their third battle, and acquired great treasures.
Their fourth battle was won in the town of Alkasse (possibly a reference to Al Qa?r) where they killed so many people that the town was said to have been left empty. Also here they got great treasures.

In the Baleares (1109)
After another victorious battle against pirates when sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar (Norfasund) they sailed further along the saracen land (Serkland) into the Mediterranean (Griklands hafi), and arrived at the Balearic Islands. The Baleares were at the time perceived by Christians to be nothing more than a pirate haven and slaving center. The Norwegian raids are also the first recorded Christian attacks on the Muslim Balearic islands (though smaller attacks certain have occurred).

The first place they arrived at was Formentera, where they encountered a great number of Blåmenn (Black men) and Serkir (Saracens) who had taken up their dwelling in a cave. The course of the fight is the most detailed of the entire crusade through written sources, and might possibly be the most notable historic event in the small island's history. 

After this battle, the Norwegians supposedly acquired the greatest treasures they had ever got. They then went on to attack Ibiza, and then Minorca, in both places victoriously. The Norwegians seems to have avoided attacking the largest of the Balearic islands, Mallorca, most likely as it at the time were the prosperous and well fortified center of an independent taifa kingdom. Tales of their success may have inspired the Catalan-Pisan conquest of the Baleares in 1113-1115.

In Sicily (1109-10)
In the spring of 1109, they arrived at Sicily (Sikileyjar) where they were welcomed by the ruling Count Roger II who was only 12-13 years old at the time.

In Palestine (1110)
In the summer of 1110 they finally arrived at the port of Acre (Akrsborg) (or perhaps in Jaffa), and went to Jerusalem (Jorsala) where they met the ruling crusader king Baldwin I. They were warmly welcomed, and Baldwin rode together with Sigurd to the river Jordan, and back again to Jerusalem.

The Norwegians were given much treasures and relics, including a splinter off the holy cross that allegedly Jesus himself had been crucified on. This was given on the condition that they would continue to promote Christianity and bring the relic to the burial site of St. Olaf.

Siege of Sidon (1110)
Later Sigurd returned to his ships at Acre, and when king Baldwin were going to the "heathen" (i.e. Muslim) town of Sidon (Sætt) in Syria (Sýrland) Sigurd and his men accompanied him in the siege. The town was then taken and subsequently the Lordship of Sidon established.

The journey back to Norway

To Constantinople (1110)
After this Sigurd and his men sailed to Cyprus where they stayed for a short while, before again traveling to Greece and arriving at a Greek port identified as Engilsnes. They stayed here for a while as Sigurd wanted to wait for a sidewind, as the sails of his ships would blow up and look more impressing to the Byzantines.

When they finally sailed into Constantinople (Miklagard) they saw that "over all the land there are burghs, castles, country towns, the one upon the other without interval". The sails of Sigurd's ships were so close that they seemed to form only one enormous sail. All the people of Constantinople came out to see Sigurd sailing into the city, and Emperor Alexios I opened the city port.

To Norway (1110-13)
When Sigurd was preparing to go back to Norway, he gave all his ships and valuable figureheads to the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I. In turn Sigurd received many horses which he would use to travel home over land. Many of his men stayed behind to take up service for the Byzantines.

Sigurd travelled, in a trip that supposedly would take around three years, from Bulgaria (Bolgaraland) and through Hungary (Ungararíki), Pannonia, Schwabia (Sváva), and Bavaria (Beiaraland) where he met with the Emperor Lothar of the Holy Roman Empire (Rómaborg). He later arrived in Denmark where he was greeted by king Niels who eventually gave him a ship so that he could sail all the way to Norway.

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

Another look at an old topic:

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

Hollywood Update:

There is a finished Nicholas Cage pic set for release in 2010: Season of the Witch.

It is "the story of a Teutonic knight in the 14th century, who's trying to transport an alleged witch to a monastery in order for this young lady to be exorcised - to stop the Black Plague wreaking havoc," he reports. Ron Perlman and Christopher Lee (Templar Master Lucas de Beaumanoir in the 97 Ivanhoe adaptation)costar. The alleged witch is played by British actress Claire Foy, who played Amy Dorrit in the Emmy-winning Dickens adaptation Little Dorrit.

[Sir William Marcus]

Very nice discoveries my brother!  The Season of the Witch looks as if its more of a horror flick, and a pretty freaky one at that.  Regardless, I'll more than likely be viewing it upon its release.  Besides, "Christopher Lee" as a Bishop!?  That alone sold me!!

[SirMichael]

Hello my Brothers & Sisters,

Just wanted to wish yoou all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Deus Lo Vult!

Sir Michael

[Sir William Marcus]

Belated Thanksgiving wishes to you & yours frere Michael

[Marcus of Ibelin]

I too want to add my belated Thanksgiving blessings.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, dear Brothers and Sisters.

[Sir Samuel]

I was going to tell everyone happy thanksgiving but i fell into a trytophan sleep....

[Betty Munro]

Warrior Monk, wow - thank you for the history lesson. 
(Re: The Norwegian Crusade)
It seems I snuck into your thread at a fantastic time. 

[Sir Samuel]

Greetings all,
I copied this from another thread but thought it imperative everyone reads this.

All,

Sad to report, but Journeyman Leather was robbed while at Texas RenFaire.

Taken was $5000+ of leather merchandise. Nothing priced less than $225. Please pass on the word to friends and family who are Renny's, into Leather Fashion, Dancers, Goths, etc that if anyone they know of has a new Journeyman piece and they got it for a 'steal' & not bought from Scott at a Faire or James at the Northgate Mall in the Cincinnati Ohio store then the piece is probably hot.

Have them contact Scott Brenis via his websites at:

Journeyman Leather: http://journeymanleather.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thepiratestreasure