Following Orders

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

20 May

1217 – The Second Battle of Lincoln is fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. (This battle would have taken place in and around various Templar and Hospitaller holdings in England)

1277 – Death of Pope John XXI (b. 1215)

1285 – Death of John II of Jerusalem, King of Cyprus (b. 1259)

See more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Lincoln
http://www.ancientquest.com/templarsites/engl-mid/oxon/015-index-cowley.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_XXI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_II_of_Jerusalem

[Yawehtah]

I was just talking about mercenaries on create a character under the thread, do they exist? http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?topic=10717.0,
and about how some mercenaries are of the religious type, and speaking about England and its mercenaries, how one theory of how one Roman Emperor, called Septimius Severus,
who died in the UK, could have came from England as a mercenary and conquered Rome, but this is not possible.

Another theory of England is how, King Harald of England or mispelled 'Herod' was King of Jesus Christ, and Jesus went from England as a mercenary to Rome as well, but again this is not possible.

lol

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

I am not sure what you are getting at brother, especially on this thread.

A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict, who is not a national or a party to the conflict, and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of that Party".

Did mercenaries exist within other countries, absolutely. The Crusades had plenty, some could even be consider in the class of Turcopole. But I can't see where one would be a mercenary by definition for religion, as the result is to gain some sort of tangible reward, not spiritual. A Warrior by this focus would be more of a devout servant of his faith, Crusader, Jihadi, etc. Their reward is heaven (quite intangible) or martyrdom, a legacy, but nothing a mercenary would benefit from.

[Lord Clisto of York]

A mercenary specifically works for reward. Usually money or land. They were good at what they did, but at a price and the highest bidder got them. It was not uncommon for them to fight for one person and their cause one time, and then fight against them the next, being paid more from the other side. Religion really had nothing to do with whom they followed during a crusade or specific "job". To do so would give purpose to why and what they did. They have no specific purpose other than to make money or get rewarded materilistically for what they did. It also gave them braging rights or status if they survived, thus uping their worth for any other person wishing to aquire their services.

A good example of this is in Elezibethan time with the Gremans. The German Landsknechts were hired mercenaries. Queen Elizabeth hired them to do many thing for her from guards to protection to fight in battles etc.

Lord Clisto

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

21 May

1254 – Death of King Conrad IV of Germany (b. 1228)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_IV_of_Germany

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

22 May

1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to murder Saladin near Aleppo. (A medieval version of SEAL Team 6?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashshashin

[Butch]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

22 May

1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to murder Saladin near Aleppo. (A medieval version of SEAL Team 6?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashshashin

Great analogy!

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

23 May

1125 – Death of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1081)(struggled against Papal authority during the time of the first Crusade)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

24 May

1218 – The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Crusade

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

25 May

1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain back from the Moors (Preceding the First Crusade, in the time of El Cidin the period of the Reconquista).

1420 – Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ (The Military Order derived from the now disbanded Order of the Temple/Templars).

1261 – Death of Pope Alexander IV

See more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_VI_of_Castile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_the_Navigator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Christ_(Portugal)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_IV

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

26 May

1135 – Alfonso VII of León and Castile is crowned in the Cathedral of Leon as Imperator totius Hispaniae, "Emperor of all of Spain".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_VII_of_Le%C3%B3n_and_Castile

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

27 May

1096- The First Crusaders enter Mainz, and go pure "Mel Gibson" on the Jewish population. The Jews on numerous occasions received horrific treatment like this despite mandates delivered by Papal Authority and various Kings (Richard the Lionheart).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Jews_in_the_First_Crusade

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

28 May

1371 – Birth of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1419)(Fought Ottoman Turks)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Fearless

[Lord Clisto of York]

I sense a Burgundian War in the future...

[Monsignor de Beaumanoir]

This date in Medieval Crusading History:

29 May

1453- Constantinople falls to Sultan Mehmed II.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Constantinople