‘I am glad it makes you happy,’ Heinnie said. He was staring ahead too, but Fulk was sure that his attention was not forward. The man had some secret that he would not share with Fulk. Lothar had said that he was not mad, but would not elaborate beyond that.
Fulk considered the man briefly, but then found he was looking past Heinnie. It was as if he could see all the others who had first joined this pilgrimage: Benet, Josse, Peter of Auxerre, Jeanne and many others, dead now and lying in shallow graves, or none, over the hundreds and hundreds of miles. He could see them distinctly, rank upon rank, people laughing, crying, or weeping. They had planned to come and free Jerusalem. None had so much as seen the Holy Land, let alone the city.
Perhaps that would be his own fate, Fulk thought.
The ships were approaching Nicaea. Suddenly, arrows sleeted down as the archers found their range, and men shrugged their shoulders, as though they could shrink under the protection of their helmets. Shields were raised, and arrows plinked from metal bosses or whacked into the leather, canvas and wood.
Yes, perhaps he would not see the Holy Land, but whether he did or not, he would fight while he could.
He had nothing else to live for.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
It was while I was researching my Templar Series that I first began to read about the Crusades.
The story of the tens of thousands of Christian men, women and children who made their way over thousands of dangerous miles to join in a fight between faiths was inspiring then, and since looking into the different Crusades, my respect for these people has not diminished.
It is true that few, very few, of those setting out on the grand pilgrimage to Jerusalem had even a faint inkling of the dangers that they would encounter on their journey. Their way would be beset by brigands and outlaws, as well as organised armies keen to dissuade these enormously disruptive and dangerous religious fanatics. They would be forced to suffer hunger, thirst and the risk of death or slavery. For all the honeyed words of preachers like Peter the Hermit, their paths would not be easy.
During the writing of this book it became clear that there were some areas of confusion about travelling times to cover certain distances, about dates for certain encounters, and not least about the acts committed by Christians against other Christians.
For those who are keen to learn more, I cannot recommend highly enough that readers go to books that have been published on the subject. Although there are many sources listed on the internet, it is necessary to consider what the motivation is of the author concerned.
The Crusades were a cataclysmic series of wars over (in the Holy Land) some two hundred years. They were largely responsible for waves of anti-semitism that led to the medieval slaughter of Jews and the German genocides of the Second World War. The hatreds that grew between Muslim and Christian were exacerbated and have grown in recent years.
The internet has given access to a vast amount of information. Sadly, some of the information is skewed, censored, or plain wrong – but when it comes to religious matters, I suggest that the reader has a duty to be dubious about much of the information presented. Much will have been put up in support of one or other religious line of thought and will be as misinformed as the propaganda spread by Peter the Hermit and his companions.
My advice would be to go to a library and look at books such as: Dungeon Fire and Sword by John J Robinson (Michael O’Mara Books, 1991), Armies of Heaven by Jay Rubenstein (Basic Books, 2011), The Crusades by Thomas Asbridge (Simon & Schuster, 2012), or (for a briefer summary) The Crusades by Geoffrey Hindley (Constable and Robinson, 2003), or Crusades by Terry Jones and Alan Ereira (BBC Books 1995).
For a more in-depth study of impacts and effects of Crusades and Jihadism, I recommend Karen Armstrong’s Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today’s World (Macmillan, 1988). I also heartily recommend Norman Cohn’s The Pursuit of the Millennium, which can be found in many versions since the original edition in 1957.
For those who want to look at specific areas of the history I’ve set out in this book, I can recommend Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King by Ian W Walker (Sutton Publishing, 1997); The Siege of Jerusalem by Conor Kostick (Continuum, 2009); Byzantium: An Illustrated History by Sean McLachlan (Hippocrene Books Inc, 2004); Roger II and the Creation of the Kingdom of Sicily by Graham A Loud (Manchester University Press, 2012); and if you can get it, a copy of Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire – my copy is an elderly Folio Society edition. For a good examination of the distances covered and the time taken (as well as the confusion of languages, coinage, and customs) I would suggest you find a copy of The Itineraries of William Wey by Francis Davey, published by The Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, 2010.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but these are the books I turned to routinely while trying to sift the sands of information and come to a conclusion about conflicting dates and locations.
Although I always try to get to the facts of any events I write about, sometimes the histories just do not agree. Of course, the most egregious errors are those posted on the internet. If I pick up a book – let us take the last example above: William Wey – I will know that the author has put his or her name to that piece of work. I can be sure that it will have been read by an editor with either a knowledge or interest in that period or subject. It will have been read and fact-checked by a minimum of one copy editor. Then it will have been proof-read by a professional who has some understanding too – they tend to be picked for that reason and matched with books that would be relevant for them. These give me confidence that the book, when published, will have factual merit.
Compare that with a blog or posting on a site where there is no validation, other than, perhaps, the good will of the poster, and you will see why I still go to efforts to find printed books that are published by professionals.
My key advice, however, is not to look at any piece of work with an entirely uncritical eye. The events portrayed, whether described by a Christian, Muslim or Jew, will carry the perspective of that religious belief system.
Michael Jecks is the author of the bestselling Templar series, comprising thirty-two novels starring Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Simon Puttock, and the acclaimed Vintener trilogy starring Berenger Fripper. Pilgrim’s War is the first instalment of his new Crusader series, following two families separated by a blood feud.
He is a past Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, helped found the Historical Writers’ Association, and founded Medieval Murderers. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, helping students at Exeter University.
Michael lives in northern Dartmoor with his wife, children and dogs.
To find out more about Michael and his work, please visit his website at www.michaeljecks.co.uk, where you will find links to his Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Wordpress accounts.
Also by Michael Jecks
The Last Templar
The Merchant’s Partner
A Moorland Hanging
The Crediton Killings
The Abbot’s Gibbet
The Leper’s Return
Squire Throwleigh’s Heir
Belladonna at Belstone
The Traitor of St Giles
The Boy-Bishop’s Glovemaker
The Tournament of Blood
The Sticklepath Strangler
The Devil’s Acolyte
The Mad Monk of Gidleigh
The Templar’s Penance
The Outlaws of Ennor
The Tolls of Death
The Chapel of Bones
The Butcher of St Peter’s
A Friar’s Bloodfeud
The Death Ship of Dartmouth
The Malice of Unnatural Death
Dispensation of Death
The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover
The Prophecy of Death
The King of Thieves
No Law in the Land
The Bishop Must Die
; The Oath
King’s Gold
City of Fiends
Templar’s Acre
Fields of Glory
Blood on the Sand
Blood of the Innocents
Act of Vengeance
Rebellion’s Message
A Murder Too Soon
First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2018
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