Historical writing (or the manufacture of memory)

Abstract

The First Crusade (1095-1099) was the key event in the closing years of the eleventh century and provided the impetus for an extraordinary increase in the volume of historical writing. The new texts aimed to explain, document and propagate the providential nature of the holy war proclaimed by Pope Urban II in Clermont on 27 November 1095. The torrent of writing was instigated by the nature of the crusade and its novelty: never before had a holy war been proclaimed by a pope on God’s behalf; never before had fighting for God by Christians been characterized as meritorious. The idea of crusade became a key element of Christianity, transforming its development and shaping the course of history ..