CAST OF CHARACTERS
The First Crusade: The People’s Crusade (Chapters 1-2)
Alexius I Comnenus: Byzantine emperor whose appeal for help to Urban II resulted in the First Crusade
Emicho: Count of Leiningen and leader of the anti-Semitic ‘German’ Crusade
Kilij Arslan: Turkish sultan based in Nicaea
Peter the Hermit: French priest, main leader of the People’s Crusade. Also known as Peter of Amiens
Urban II: The pope whose speech at Clermont in 1095 launched the First Crusade
Walter Sans-Avoir: Lord of Boissy-sans-Avoir, minor leader of the People’s Crusade. Also known as Walter the Penniless
The First Crusade: The Prince’s Crusade (Chapters 3-6)
Adhemar of Le Puy: Papal legate, spiritual leader of the First Crusade
Baldwin: Brother of Godfrey of Bouillon. Founded the first crusader state (Edessa), second King of Jerusalem
Bohemond: Prince of Taranto, founded the second crusader state (the Principality of Antioch)
Godfrey: Duke of Lower Lorraine, first (uncrowned) King of Jerusalem with the title ‘Defender of the Holy Sepulcher’
Hugh of Vermandois: Younger brother of the King of France, first major noble to leave on Crusade
Kerbogah: Atabeg of Mosul
Peter Bartholomew: French mystic who had a vision of the Holy Lance at Antioch
Raymond: Count of Toulouse, major rival of Bohemond
Stephen of Blois: Son-in-law of William the Conqueror
Tancred: Nephew of Bohemond, later Prince of Galilee and regent of Antioch
Taticius: Byzantine general who traveled with the crusaders to Antioch
Yaghi-Siyan: Turkish governor of Antioch
Formation of Outremer (Chapters 7-9)
Baldwin II: Cousin of Baldwin I, third King of Jerusalem. Also known as Baldwin of Le Bourg
Baldwin III: Son of Fulk and Melisende, fifth King of Jerusalem
Daimbert: Papal legate appointed to succeed Adhemar of Le Puy
Domenico Michele: Doge of Venice
Fulk of Anjou: Husband of Melisende, fourth King of Jerusalem
Hugh of Payns: French knight who founded the Knights Templar
Joscelin II: Count of Edessa whose rivalry with Raymond of Poitiers led to the fall of the County of Edessa
Melisende: Daughter of Baldwin II who ruled with her husband Fulk as regent for their son Baldwin III
Raymond of Poitiers: Prince of Antioch and uncle of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Zengi: Emir of Aleppo whose victories precipitated the Second Crusade
Second Crusade (Chapters 10-11)
Bernard of Clairvaux: Cistercian monk, responsible for the Second Crusade
Conrad III: Holy Roman Emperor
Eleanor of Aquitaine: Wife of Louis VII and niece of Raymond of Poitiers
Eugenius III: Pope who called the Second Crusade
Louis VII: King of France, first major figure to take the crusading oath
Manuel Comnenus: Byzantine Emperor, grandson of Alexius I Comnenus
Nūr al-Dīn: Emir of Aleppo, son of Zengi
Third Crusade (Chapters 12-15)
Amalric: younger brother of Baldwin III, sixth King of Jerusalem
Baldwin IV: Son of Amalric, seventh King of Jerusalem. Also known as the ‘Leper King’
Frederick Barbarossa: Holy Roman Emperor, nephew of Conrad III
Gregory VIII: Pope who called the Third Crusade
Guy of Lusignan: French noble, ninth King of Jerusalem
Henry II: King of England, second husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Isaac Angelus: Byzantine Emperor during the Third Crusade
Philip II Augustus: King of France, son of Louis VII
Reynald of Châtillon: Prince of Antioch whose reckless behavior led to the loss of Jerusalem
Richard the Lionheart: King of England, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. The major figure of the Third Crusade
Saladin: Son of Shirkuh, reconquered Jerusalem for Islam
Shirkuh: Kurdish general of Nūr al-Dīn who made himself vizier of Egypt
Tancred of Lecce: King of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. Also known as the ‘Monkey King’
Fourth Crusade (Chapter 16)
Alexius III Angelus: Byzantine Emperor, younger brother of Isaac II
Alexius IV Angelus: Byzantine Emperor, son of Isaac II, allied with the crusaders
Alexius V: Byzantine Emperor, overthrew Alexius IV. Also known as Mourtzouphlos
Boniface: Marquess of Montferrat, leader of the Fourth Crusade
Enrico Dandolo: Doge of Venice, leader of the Fourth Crusade
Innocent III: Pope who called the Fourth and Fifth Crusades
Isaac II Angelus: Byzantine emperor, overthrown by Alexius III just before the Fourth Crusade was called
Thibaut: Count of Champagne, nephew of Richard the Lionheart
Fifth Crusade (Chapter 17)
al-Kamil: Sultan of Egypt during the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Crusades, nephew of Saladin
Andrew: King of Hungary, leader of the Fifth Crusade
Frederick II Barbarossa: Holy Roman Emperor. Also known as Stupor Mundi
John of Brienne: Regent of Jerusalem, leader of Fifth Crusade
Leopold: Duke of Austria, leader of the Fifth Crusade
Nicholas of Cologne: German shepherd boy, one of the leaders of the ‘Children’s Crusade’
Pelagius: Papal legate, leader of the Fifth Crusade
Sixth Crusade (Chapter 18)
Frederick II Barbarossa: Holy Roman Emperor, leader of the Sixth Crusade
Gregory IX: Pope who succeeded Honorius III, excommunicated Frederick II
Honorius III: Pope who called the Sixth Crusade
Yolande: Daughter of John of Brienne, heir to throne of Jerusalem
Seventh and Eighth Crusades (Chapters 19-21)
Baybars: Mamluk sultan of Egypt
Charles of Anjou: Brother of Louis IX, King of Sicily
Edward I: King of England who joined the Eighth Crusade after it had officially ended. Led what is sometimes called the Ninth Crusade. Also known as ‘Longshanks’
Hulagu: Grandson of Ghengis Khan, leader of the Mongols
Innocent IV: Pope during the Seventh Crusade
Louis IX: King of France, leader of the Seventh and Eighth Crusades. Also known as Saint Louis
Prester John: Legendary Christian king of the East
Robert of Artois: Brother of Louis IX