Knight templar and knight hospitaller were elite crusader orders. Crusading promised knights they could fight and kill but still reach heaven, while also gaining fame and wealth. However, most crusaders faced low survival rates as only 1 in 3 returned home, with many dying of battle, starvation, or disease in the foreign land's poor conditions. Some crusaders adopted the local culture by washing regularly, eating Middle Eastern food, wearing turbans, and living in Arabic houses with courtyards and fountains, which were more luxurious than their homes in Europe. They also learned new languages and interacted with other races in the Holy Land.

1. Unit 5.4 The Crusades
Life as the crusader knight

2. Define these words
• Saracens (Muslim soldiers in crusade war)
• Knight templar (Elite or high ranking crusaders)
• Knight hospitaller (Elite crusader running the hospital)

3. Recruiting knights
• Promise: Promising knights that
crusading would allow them to
fight and kill but still be
rewarded with eternity in
heaven.
• Public speech: Monk Bernard
spoke in the public crowds and
told them” The earth trembles
and is shaken because the King
of Heavens has lost his land”

4. Recruiting knights
• Chances to gain fame and
wealth : like Sir Godfrey of
Bouillon and Richard The Lion
Heart inspired other knights to
seek glory in the Holy Land.
• Escape poverty : For peasants,
crusades offered the chances
to escape poverty ad the
control of their feudal
overlords.

5. Fighting crusades
• Expensive: Knight have to pay for himself,
weapons, armour, equipments and food
• Not benefited by many: Only a few knight
return home with fame and wealth. But
most of them haven’t returned at all.
• Low survival rate: One of three knights
died (through battle, starvation and
disease
• Starvation: Hunger was a constant
companion for crusaders who often had to
resort eating horses, dogs and rats to live.

6. Fighting crusades
• Diseased in the foreign land:
dysentery, malaria and Cholera due
to poor hygiene, poor diet and poor
health condition.
• Bad weather: Scorching heat from
the desert land during summer
while rain and snow caused armour
to rust

7. Life in the Holy land
• Changing lifestyle : culture
adoption assimilated causing
crusaders to copy what locals
muslims (Saracens) do:
• Washed regularly
• Eat middle eastern food
• Wore turbans
• Arabic houses with courtyard
• Fountains
• Glass windows
These are far more luxurious
compare to the hoe they have in
Europe.

8. Life in the Holy land
• A new culture :
• Some crusaders married local women
• Learning new languages (Arabic)
• Adopting to the living culture of islam
• Some have convert their religion to
Islam
Love affairs between Christian ad muslims
could be cruelly punished , in 1120, wmen
could have their nse cut off and man woud
be castrated
• (The Story of Vassilius wife: Helena :
Hafsah)

9. Life in the Holy land
• Living a multicultural races with
more tolerance
• Interactions between Christian and
muslims particularly through trade
created better tolerance for the
sake of their business.
• Different races and religion in the
holy land : Armenian, Greeks, Arabs
and Jews and they have more legal
right compare to what they had
back at their home countries

10. Military orders
• Sacred Vows of warrior-monk:
They took vow of chastity,
poverty and obedience, they
were also fighters feared for their
disciplines and devotion.