“The State of These Countries… Is Truly More Astonishing than Our Story Can Fully Convey”: The Crusader States in the Late-Twelfth Century from the Perspective of Three Pilgrims

This senior honors thesis examines the multiethnic, proto-colonial society of the Crusader states in the late-twelfth century through the writings of three pilgrims: two European Christians (John of Würzburg and Theoderich) and one Spanish Muslim (Ibn Jubayr). In their accounts, the three travelers offer a unique vantage-point as “outsiders” in the Levant They describe a European settlement on the verge of collapse due to external pressure, the lack of a proper colonizing population, and a dependence on other entities. Divided into two chapters, the first part of this thesis examines the perception of the Holy Land – specifically in relation to its places of worship – as the Crusaders attempted to “restore” their brand of Christianity to the Levant. The second chapter deals with the interactions between Crusaders, Eastern Christians, and Muslims observed by the pilgrim writers, and how these reflect the Latin administration’s attempts to forge a functional society amongst the many ethnicities residing in the Holy Land. From an analysis of these accounts, new claims can be made regarding the demographics, administration, and motivations behind the Crusader states.