Jordan Voltz SSI210B- Travel Writing Prof.

Joshi Robert the Monk was a member of the 1st Crusade, and the text Robert the Monks History of the First Crusade by Ashgate Publishing is one of the most complete texts from the 1st Crusade. In this text, I am primarily concerned with the ways which he talks about Muslims and Islam, specifically how he refers to them through the lens of his religion. This is mainly done against the setting of Jerusalem, since, in such a religious place, any particular beliefs that he has will be amplified through his writing. On page 204, he refers to the Emir of Babylon, opposed to everything good, wanted to destroy the Holy Sepulchre and ranted against it to the arrogant people. In this, we receive a picture of the specific Emir, but we also receive a judgment of the Babylonians, who are Muslim. Further in the chapter he refers to him as Demented, in a parody of his name Clement There is also a speech which he assumedly gives as he is dying, which Robert describes as Demented. While this speech was certainly not composed himself (45), noted by the incorrect theology he espouses, it is a useful tool for learning about the Christians ideas of the Muslim religion during this Crusade period. In this speech, he beseeches Muhammed, O, Muhammed, Muhammed who has ever invested more in the magnificience of your worship [] decorated with beautiful idols of you. (205), heavily referencing Christian beliefs regarding pagans. He continues by supposedly questioning the strength of Muhammed in light of the Christians triumph. Finally, he is further described as that writing serpent and slippery eel (204), inviting comparison to the Snake in Genesis. The writer also includes a footnote that states that this is the turning point in Roberts text in which he stops referring to the Muslim armies as explicitly Saracen, but begins to liken them to the Devil. This occurs the day

after the siege, in which the Emir of Babylon attempts to (re)reclaim Jerusalem, and occurs at the walls of Jerusalem itself. The siege and aftermath of Jerusalem is easily the most relevant portion of this text to my study- in which the Christians actions and beliefs are described at the height of any religious fervor. In the aftermath of the seige, in the Holy Sepulchre, Robert describes the scene as, It was there that the humility of the Redeemer was triumphant and the pomp of the Deceiver soundly defeated. The people of Christ humbly worshipped Christ the humble, and the old Lucifer who wanted to rival the creator was shamed. (201) This is one of the most obvious acts of reference to Muslims-as-Devil servants, contrasting Christ/God and Lucifer in many of the names that they are each referred to. This is followed by a segment which describes a group of Muslims committing suicide from the top of the Temple of Solomon, while the author compares their lack of flight to the lack of their Gods divinity. (201) In the beginning of his travel chronicle, he records the speech supposedly given by the Pope, which includes a few choice words about what he perceives to be the actions of the Muslims. This is relevant to my topic because the Popes speech sets the initial impressions of the land of Jerusalem in Roberts mind- particularly its more sacrilegious elements relating to the Holy Sepulchre, They throw down the altars after soiling them with their own filth, circumsize Christians, and pour the resulting blood either on the altars or on the baptismal vessels. [The description continues with a detailed description of ritualized disembowelment.] (80) as well as, let the Holy Sepulchre move you- in the power as it is of foul races- and the holy places now abused and sacreligiously defiled by their wicked practices. Furthermore, Pope Clermont describes Jerusalem as a land flowing with milk and honey (81), in obvious reference to Exodus.

Furthermore, the Christians encounters with the Muslims in their mosques describes their perspective well, And so the soldiers of Christ marched out against the acolytes of the Anti-Christ, through the gate in front of the mosque. (167) By now, I have certainly presented an effective image of the Crusader Christians perception of Islam as their principal adversary, with a particularly Satanic bent. The two main monuments that are referenced are the Temple of Solomon and the Holy Sepulchre, each of which serve as a physical focal point for their attentions on the Crusade (as well as the city itself, but these two buildings are indicated the most), while the enemy who they see as attempting to prevent them from achieving holiness is branded with the terms which represent the opposite of their religious beliefs, yet are still contained in their holy text. This reflects upon the topic of the other that is brought up in both Carl Thompsons text and Michael Frassettos anthology of essays, Western Views of Islam in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: Perception of Other. In Popular Attitudes towards Islam in Medieval Europe, the author mentions the concept of Dualism and how that applies to the perspective of Christians towards the Muslims. To do this, the author uses The Song of Roland, a poem centering around the son of a Muslim man and a Christian woman. Since it was commonly believed that any children of the two faiths/races would have black and white spotted skin (65), this text can be viewed as a warning against Christian/Muslim co-existence. Since this is a redemption story, the protagonist is constantly having to redeem his darker side (63), as in the physical spots on him that are darker. In this text, the darkness of skin clearly illustrates the duality of Christian right/wrong and light/dark, since constant notes are made about the darkness of the Muslims skin. Its this type of thinking that, although the text isnt directly necessary to my point, is necessary to state. This evidence of Duality as far as light/dark skin color, God/Devil,

Monotheism/(what the Christians considered) Polytheism is crucial to understanding the perceptions of Muslims during the First Crusade in Jerusalem. Another essay in Frassettos collection is called, Muslims as Pagan Idolaters in Chronicles of the First Crusade by John V. Talon. This text unpacks the Biblical imagery used in Crusade Chronicles (including Robert the Monks) and its relation to the depiction of Muslims. To this end, he cites the example of how Christians describe any Muslim use of the word God as Muhammed, as well as taking no pains to indicate statues or idols of Muhammed. Their struggle is constantly compared to that the of the Apostles, in which they must establish the legitimacy of Christianity in a place where it is defiled. (111) This is furthered by the comparison between the polytheistic religious practices of the regime of Ancient Rome and the supposedly polytheistic practices of the Muslim (Because, really, who are the Christians to condemn others for polytheism? I kid, of course). However, he does not express, in any depth, the number of times in which Muslims are described as being in league with the Devil- the archenemy of the Christian God- which come up many times in the primary source material. In this paper, I hope to merge the two together, indicating that they are both aspects of the other in Christian society, and the Christians indicated these symbols, through their location and depiction in Jerusalem, in order to convey their perception. Although these are both depicted, they are indications of the Christian desire to place Muslims as the other, and this shines through the clearest in the First Crusade. Nirenbergs text describes the nature in which this violence is committed, stating that it is common for this type of religious violence to occur and that this violence is, in fact, a very clear and establishing line between these two religions. He argues that because this violence exists, there will be a dividing line between these two societies that allow them to preserve their own

identity. This can be applied easily to the First Crusade texts, such as Robert the Monk. Religious differences and misperceptions, in this case, are used to indicate the differences between the two religions so that Christianity can better understand their own religion in relationship to the others.