As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Balian was a "poulain" -- a native of the crusader kingdoms, born and raised in "Outremer." Although his personal wealth was rural (as for feudal lords in the West), he lived in a society that was exceptionally urban for its time.
In fact, it has been estimated that roughly 50% of the Frankish population in the crusader kingdoms was urban. That represents a much higher proportion than in Western Europe at this time, and by the post-Hattin era, even the majority of noblemen were dependent on non-agricultural income for their wealth. In short, the degree of urbanization in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, particularly the 13th century Kingdom, resembled the Italian city states more than the large western kingdoms such as England and France. To understand the crusader kingdoms, therefore, it is important to understand the urban economy.
In fact, it has been estimated that roughly 50% of the Frankish population in the crusader kingdoms was urban. That represents a much higher proportion than in Western Europe at this time, and by the post-Hattin era, even the majority of noblemen were dependent on non-agricultural income for their wealth. In short, the degree of urbanization in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, particularly the 13th century Kingdom, resembled the Italian city states more than the large western kingdoms such as England and France. To understand the crusader kingdoms, therefore, it is important to understand the urban economy.
The Medieval cities of the Holy Land had many covered markets similiar to these in
Acre (left) and Jerusalem (right).
The most
obvious source of wealth was the control of the key ports along the coast of
the Levant which meant the points at which the “riches of the Orient” were
transshipped for export to the increasingly prosperous population of the West.
It was in Beirut and Tyre, Acre and Caesarea, Jaffa and Ascalon that Damascus
steel and Indian spices, Ethiopian incense and Nubian gold, Persian carpets and
Chinese silk, African ivory and Egyptian papyrus were exported to the hungry
markets of Italy, and from there onward to the Holy Roman Empire, France,
Iberia and far off England and Scandinavia.
The port of Acre was the most important in the crusader states.
In addition to
these transshipped items, the crusader kingdoms themselves had a number of
export goods that were highly lucrative. While sugar was probably the most
important bulk commodity, the export of Holy Relics and souvenirs should not be
under-estimated. By some estimates, the population of Jerusalem doubled during
the summer pilgrimage (tourist) season, and all of those pilgrims wanted to
take some mementos home with them as well as gifts for family and friends, just
like modern tourists today.
All those
pilgrims also needed a place to stay and food to eat — and not just in
Jerusalem. The pilgrimage sites included not just obvious sites such as
Bethlehem and Nazareth, but also the site of every moment in Christ’s life as
recorded in the Gospels, and places associated with the Virgin Mary, Mary
Magdalene, and other saints. There was hardly a place in the entire Kingdom of
Jerusalem that could not lay claim to some biblical event of importance, and
devout pilgrims, who ventured so far at such cost and risk, generally stayed
until the fall sailing season, which meant spending roughly six months in the
Holy Land. In short, the pilgrimage “service industry” was, in proportion to the
population of the time, at least as important as tourism is to Israel today.
The Knights Hospitaller provided hostles, hospices and hospitals for the pilgrims. Above the Hospitaller compound in Acre.
Last but not
least, a large proportion of the Latin settlers were skilled craftsmen. Serfs
could not legally leave their villages and lands (and most probably didn’t want
to), so the pilgrims, whether armed and unarmed, were predominantly men of
higher status: craftsmen, guildsmen, or merchants. They brought their skills
with them, and established themselves in the cities and towns of the crusader
kingdoms, where they worked side-by-side with native craftsmen. Here some of
the most productive if most prosaic of inter-cultural exchanges took place in
the development of dying and cloth-making, leather-working, gold and silver smithing, pottery, carpentry, masonry, glass-working, and all the countless
other skills essential to survival and a high contemporary standard of living.
Based on the
names of the streets alone, it is clear, for example, that Jerusalem had a high
concentration of furriers and tanners, but also gold and silver smiths. Pottery
from the region, glazed on the inside, is known to have been a particularly
popular practical ware, (an early version of Teflon), and that glass-makers and
glass-blowers were renowned. The massive construction projects undertaken
primarily in the mid-12th century, ensured work for carpenters,
masons and sculptors, and the remaining fragments of their work are testimony
to the high quality of their workmanship.
 |
| An example of crusader pottery. |
At the
high-end, Jerusalem also exported illustrated manuscripts from a scriptorium
established by the Canons of the Holy Sepulcher. Books produced in such a
sacred place had an added value beyond the high quality of the work, and
undoubtedly represented one of the luxury goods with the highest margins exported
from the crusader kingdoms — albeit, as with all truly valuable, custom made
objects, only in very small quantities.
The crusader
kingdom of Jerusalem, far from being a wasteland inhabited by barbarians, was a
highly cultured, economically dynamic powerhouse.
Learn more about crusader society at: Balian d'Ibelin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The first two books in the Balian d'Ibelin series, Knight of Jerusalem and Defender of Jerusalem are available for purchase.
A landless knight,
a leper king,
and the struggle for Jerusalem.
A divided kingdom,
a united enemy,
and the struggle for Jerusalem
Buy now in Paperback or Kindle format! Buy now!
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