 ‘Lignum Salutifere Crucis quod in Prelio Detulerunt’: The Use of Sacred Objects in Battle during the Crusades more

‘Lignum Salutifere Crucis quod in Prelio Detulerunt’ The Use of Sacred Objects in Battle During the Crusades Jan Vandeburie University of Kent ISHA Winter Seminar Leuven 24-02-2011 Relics and the Crusades Letter from emperor Alexius Comnenus to count Robert of Flanders (1092) “(…) Therefore, you should make every effort to stop them capturing Constantinople, thus ensuring that you will gain the joy of glorious and ineffable mercy in Heaven. Given the immensely precious relics of the Lord to be found in Constantinople, better that you should have it than the pagans. Here is a list: The pillar to which He was tied; The whip with which He was scourged; The crimson cloak in which He was wrapped; The crown of thorns with which He was crowned; The reed which was placed as a mock sceptre in His hand; The clothes which were taken from Him before crucifixion; A very large piece of wood from the cross on which He was crucified; The nails by which He was hung; The linen wrappings found in His tomb after the Resurrection; Twelve baskets of fragments from the five loaves and two fishes; The head of St John the Baptist complete with hair and beard; Relics or bodies of many innocents and some prophets, apostles and martyrs –particularly St Stephen the Protomartyr- and confessors and virgins, which we shall not list in detail because of their sheer numbers. It is more fitting for Christians than pagans to have all these. If they do have them all, it will be an important possession for the whole of Christendom. If they do not, it will be a major loss for which they will be held to account.” The True Cross “Their great cross which they call the True Cross (Șalīb al-șalbūt: ‘the cross of the crucifixion’), claiming that it contains a part of the wooden structure on which the Messiah (on him be peace) was crucified.” -Ibn al-Athir (1160-1233), al-Kāmil fi’l-ta’rīkh- The crusaders swear allegiance to the True Cross Engraving by Gustave Doré The Battle of Ascalon (1099), Engraving by Gustave Doré. ‘Ut autem certis indiciis et evidentibus signis Dominum sibi terribiliter offensum agnoscerent et divine protectionis clipeum ab ipsis recessisse non dubitarent, lignum salutifere crucis quod die illo tenebroso in prelio detulerunt, lamentabili infortunio amiserunt.’ ‘And because they could recognise from certain indications and evident signs the terrible wrath of God upon themselves, not doubting that the shield of divine protection had been taken away, for the wood of the cross of salvation, that they had carried with them in battle on that dark day, was lost by a lamentable misfortune.’ -Jacques de Vitry, Historia Orientalis, XCVI- Capture of the True Cross by Saladin at the battle of Hattin (1187) Illustration from a manuscript of Matthew Paris, Chronica Majora (c. 1250) Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge: Ms 26, f. 140r The Battle of Hattin, Anonymous 15th C. Manuscript of the Estoire d’Eracles ‘At the same time as the king was taken, the ‘True Cross’ was also captured, and the idolaters who were trying to defend were routed. It was this cross, brought into position and raised on high, to which all Christians prostrated themselves and bowed their heads. Indeed, they maintain that it is made of the wood of the cross on which, they say, he whom they adore was hung (…). They had housed it in a casting of gold, adorned with pearls and gems, and kept it ready for the festival of the Passion, for the observance of their yearly ceremony. (…) Its capture was for them more important than the loss of the King and was the gravest blow that they sustained in that battle. The cross was a prize without equal, for it was the supreme object of their faith. To venerate it was their prescribed duty, for it was their God, before whom they would bow their foreheads to the ground, and to which their mouths sang hymns. They fainted at its appearance, they raised their eyes to contemplate it, they were consumed with passion when it was exhibited and boasted of nothing else when they had seen it. They went into ecstasies at its reappearance, they offered up their lives for it and sought comfort from it (…). So when the Great Cross was taken, great was the calamity that befell them, and the strength drained from their loins. Great was the number of the defeated, exalted the feelings of the victorious arm. It seemed as if, once they knew of the capture of the Cross, none of them would survive that day of ill-omen.’ -’Imād ad-Din (Damascus, 1125-1201), al-Fath al-qussi fi l-fath al-qudsi, (1888 ed., 18-29)- The Holy Lance “Pauci contra multos ad prelium coacti sunt exire, lancea Domini sancta qua latus eius in cruce fuerat perforatum eos pro vexillo precedente.” -Jacques de Vitry, Historia Orientalis, XIX- ‘I am Saint Andrew the Apostle. My son, when you have entered this city and have it in your power, go quickly to the Church of St Peter and you will find there in a place I will show you the Lance which pierced the side of Our Saviour.’ - Robert the Monk, Historia Iherosolimitana, Book VII, Chapt. II - The Crucifixion with Longinus and Saints, by Fra Angelico “Thirteen men dug there from dawn to dusk and, by God’s will, they found the Lance. The whole people rejoiced, loudly chanting the Te Deum and Gloria in excelsis deo. All swore unanimously that they would not flinch from any tribulation or from death, or give up on the journey to the Holy Sepulchre. The whole common mass rejoiced that its leaders had sworn this oath. They bolstered each other’s courage and gloried in the prospect of divine help which each of them faithfully expected.” -Robert the Monk, Hist. Iherosolimitana, VII-3- The Occitan monk Peter Bartholomew discovers the Holy Lance in Antioch. Causing controversy between the Occitans and the Normans. “The reverend Bishop of Le Puy could be seen, wearing breastplate and helmet and carrying the Holy Lance, face flooded with tears through sheer joy. He exhorted them and to thank God to whom they owed their victory.” -Robert the Monk, Hist. Iherosolimitana, VII-16- The Holy Blood A Fifteenth-Century Version of Matthew Paris’s Procession with the Relic of the Holy Blood Basilica of the Holy Blood, Bruges, Belgium Basilica of the Holy Blood, Bruges, Belgium Holy Blood Procession, Bruges, Belgium Gentile Bellini, Processione della Vera Croce a Piazza San Marco a Venezia (1496) Venezia, Gallerie dell'Accademia Saints Leading in Battle Saint George and the Dragon, c. 1375 - 1420 (English; Polychromed alabaster) National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Personal Relics Crusader pilgrim flask with the image of Saint George to carry holy oil (Chrism/Myrrh) with them in battle. British Museum, London Muslim Relics It was said of Khalid al-Walid, who was buried in Hims, that ‘He conquered Damascus [wearing] a [tall hat] containing hairs of the Messenger of God (…) seeking victory through them and their blessing (baraka)’. The sword (middle) of Khalid al-Walid, Topkapi Museum, Istanbul Sacred Weapons Ottoman Weaponry (15th Century) British Museum, London The sword and the bow of the Prophet Muhammed, Topkapi Museum, Istanbul “Converted Western Sword” Royal Armouries Collection Leeds Amulets to ensure passage into heaven “Whatever the strategic realities and legal parsing, however, the recovery of Jerusalem as the ultimate Christian relic remained central to crusading ideology and propaganda.” -Brett E. Whalen-