The Crusaders and their enemies : the Latin terminology of group identity in chronicles of the First Crusade

Abstract

This thesis examines the collective terminology of identity in a number of Latin chronicles of the First Crusade. It is concerned with the language used by the authors examined here to denote the Latin crusaders, the eastern Christians and the Muslim opponents of the crusade. Other groups such as western Christians who did not take part in the crusade, national groups within the Byzantine anny and the Jews will be examined briefly. The works to be investigated in this thesis are the anonymous Gesta Francorum, Baldric of Dol’s Historia Jerosolimitana, Raymond of Aguilers's Historia Francorum, Albert of Aachen’s Historia Hierosolimitana and the Chronicon of Ekkehard of Aura.