The Templars, the Crusades and the social relations with Islamism

After the Thousand year an ideological split divided the Mediterranean world between Islam and Christianity. During the period of the Arab presence in Sicily and Spain economic and cultural relations were intences  between this two civilizations.

The Arabs conveied to the western world techniques, tastes, artistic forms, scientific ideas, which had greatly enriched the cultural baggage of European populations. However these contacts between cultures were accompanied by a rigid ideological closure: Christians considered Muslims as “infidels”; on the contrary for Muslims “infidels” were the Christians.

The Concil held in Narbonne in 1054 proclaimed: no Christians kill another Christian, because he who kills a Christian sheds the blood of Christ. Distracted by men and by the evangelized world, violence would be directed against the infidels and for Christian infidels were above all Muslims.

The “peregrinationes”, later called Crusades were great military expeditions that moved from West to the East in order to liberate Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim rule. In the Middle Ages  many Christians driven by religious fervor, made long journeys to visit the Holy Sepulchre and Jerusalem.
When the islamic tribes of Seljuk (fanatic Muslims) managed to conquer  the Holy Land (1076), the pilgrims who went to those places began persecuted by the new rulers.

The new of the danger for Christendom because of the spread of Arab hordes, move to tears all Europe. Pope Urban II (Ottone of Lagery), in the Councils of Piacenza and Clermont (1095), proclaimed solemnly Crusade, preached  shortly before in Germany, France and in Italy by Peter of Amiens, said the Heremit.

The reconquest of Palestine was the first duty of every Christian. As a good politician the Pope did not fail to add to this religious call a clear allusion  to the financial benefits that the soldiers of Christ could have taken  from their espeditions in the East.

The people of Europe rose in arms with the cry “God will it”. As a sign of the promise to fight for the liberation of the Holy Sepulcre, each one clung to his breast a cross of cloth, hence the name of Crusaders.

The most ardent among them but, without the necessary military discipline directed towards Asia, along the Danube valley. Many died by the way because of starvation; those who managed to reach Asia Minor were massacred  by the Turks.

Soon, however, the first great East Ceusade left towards Orient under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon of Belgium, assisted by the most noble and valiant lords of Europe: Baldwin, Godfrey’s brother, Hugh of Vermandois brother of the king of France, Robert of Normandy, Umberto II of Savoy, Bohemond of Taranto and Tancred his valiant cousin and many others.

After winning several times the Turks in Asia Minor and Syria, the Crusaders arrived tired and reduced in number before Jerusalem. All the same the town fell into their hands after 39 days of siege on July 15, 1099. The conquest was followed by an unnecessary massacre of thousands of unarmed citizens.

Although the Crusaders occupied the fortresses and castles of urban Palestinian and Syrian plains, were not sufficient to prevent looting and acts of banditry almost continuos from the Muslim side.

It was to protect the weaks that Hugo de Payns gathered a few companions and remained in the Holy Land to devote themself to the defence of pilgrims, the road safety and to guard the Holy Sepulchre. The new organisation established by the Templar order will change any previous monastic or lay order giving rise for the first time in Christian history to a new figure, that of “warrior-monaco”.

In the period of the Crusades relations with Islam were not limited to weapons. For example muslim world influenced the Templers who, perhaps in search of an universal monasticism were attracted by the rules of Sufism.

“Who is lord of his own soul is certainly lord of the cosmos; just how who is dominated by his own soul is certainly dominated by the whole cosmos”

This is the beginning of the ascetic movement which draws its name from the rough white wool (suf) worn by islamic heremits. Their wish was to try the ecstasy if the vision of the God of the three religions (Jewish, Christian, Islamic) in all its beauty and harmony, contemplating theirs own heart.