Crusader Criminals: The Knights Who Went Rogue in the Holy Land

by Steve Tibble

A vivid new history of the criminal underworld in the medieval Holy Land
 
The religious wars of the crusades are renowned for their military engagements. But the period was witness to brutality beyond the battlefield. More so than any other medieval war zone, the Holy Land was rife with unprecedented levels of criminality and violence.
 
In the first history of its kind, Steve Tibble explores the criminal underbelly of the crusades. From gangsters and bandits to muggers and pirates, Tibble presents extraordinary evidence of an illicit underworld. He shows how the real problem in the region stemmed not from religion but from young men. Dislocated, disinhibited, and present in disturbingly large numbers, they were the propellant that stoked two centuries of unceasing warfare and shocking levels of criminality.
 
Crusader Criminals charts the downward spiral of desensitisation that grew out of the horrors of incessant warfare—and in doing so uncovers some of the most surprising stories of the time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval

384 pages, Hardcover

Published August 6, 2024

About the author

Steve Tibble is honorary research associate at Royal Holloway, University of London, and the author of Monarchy and Lordships in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099–1291. He lives in London.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book showcases a different side to the Crusades of the Middle Ages. Whilst a little repetitive at times, I found it a very interesting read.

[Dropbear123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a little generous but going to give this a 5/5.

I really liked it, it covers all kinds of crimes and violence from individual cases of murder and robbery to more organised banditry, raiding, and piracy. Despite being called Crusader Criminals there is quite a lot on the Muslim side as well. The book is very well written with lots of examples and stories of murder and pillaging. Some of my favourite chapters cover topics including -

Banditry on such a scale it could hold up entire armies

Crusader piracy that became so big and lucrative that the crusader states didn't need a standing navy they could just cobble a navy together from hiring pirates as needed (piracy here is presented as something that was just dipped into when convenient rather than a specific career choice, you could be ferrying pilgrims or shipping supplies and dabble in a bit of piracy if the opportunity came up)

Bedouin raiders who worked with both Christian and Muslim, whoever was more profitable at the exact moment

Crusader prisoners of war after and their descendants in Cairo who took over the illegal wine trade like some kind of medieval bootleggers after the fall of the Crusader states.

For a book about the Crusades religion doesn't actually show up that much. A lot of the crimes and violence are opportunistic and often done to people of the same religion. At most religion just made it a bit easier to justify killing or robbing someone of a different belief, but the crime would have probably happened anyway.

The authors main explanation for the scale of the violence is mainly that the demographic demands of the crusades acted like a black hole sucking in huge numbers of young heavily armed men from all over Eurasia and Africa (crusading Christians, steppe nomads, slave soldiers from sub-Saharan Africa) who are the group most likely to be violent criminals. The presence of all these violent young men meant the locals also had to arm themselves for their own safety and being armed also gave them the opportunity for crime and robbery. All of this turned the region into a incredibly lawless frontier zone where even leaving your own village was dangerous and travel was really dangerous unless in large groups.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must read for any medeivalist who also loves a good criminal underworld thriller!
If you're a writer, wanting to write a book in the medieval criminal underworld, you need to consult this amazing manuscript!

Gangsters, assassin's, corrupt Templars, criminal overlords ( which the author shows is much more appropriate to medieval gangsters, the modern) and even pirates!

There are so many unique stories of individuals from various cultures and backgrounds theoighout this book! Each twisty tale is enviroatingly interesting!!

My only criticism of the authors work is that for someone who chose to write about such a brash and open wound topic the author seems to have a very strong disdain and dislike for the type of individuals that he is writing about. their actions seem to very much disgust our fearless writer.

This might be the north american in me talking but this author seems to be quite ...liberal (sorry had to say it) in his ideas. I get a strong sense that Tibble would not approve of the first amendment. He seems generally troubled, by the fact, everyone in the middle ages carried a sword and knew how to use it. His overall bias towards weapons and carrying them in general is one of disgust.

The author also contributes criminality to hormonal, environmental and cultural issues. the author makes a distinct observation that having several different cultures and religions, all in one place leads to massive criminal activity. i couldn't help but see parallels to some issues we have going on here in Canada today.

As a lover of crime thriller I generally found these stories and individuals very intriguing. The author sadly shyed away from talking about women to a great extent in this book he stated that was because he could not bring himself the talk about the subject of rape and and sexual violence that accompanies women in this time period. I was disheartened by this because I really would have liked to have had a look at those women's stories and hear their voices even if it was from texts written by men. i feel by not including more from them Tibble did a bit of a disservice.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to the library of any medievalist or lover of criminal underworld novels! i hope someone someday writes a thriller novel using some of these people and historical events.

[Moona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crusader Criminals: The Knights Who Went Rogue in the Holy Land by Steve Tibble offers a unique perspective on the Crusades, focusing on the knights who abandoned their noble missions to engage in criminal activities. This historical account sheds light on the lesser-known stories of Crusader knights who turned rogue, driven by greed, power, or personal ambition. Tibble delves into the complex social and political dynamics of the medieval period, where some knights, rather than upholding the ideals of chivalry, became bandits, mercenaries, and rebels in the Holy Land.

The book presents an intriguing contrast between the widely accepted image of Crusader knights as defenders of Christendom and those who chose the path of lawlessness. By exploring these renegade figures, Tibble offers a fresh angle on medieval history, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding the Crusades. For anyone interested in medieval history, military campaigns, or the darker aspects of human nature during times of conflict, this book is a compelling and insightful read.

[Danial Hume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tibble examines criminal cases involving both famous and lesser-known figures of the Crusades, covering Western Franks as well as Muslims. He draws on chronicles such as John of Joinville, al-Qalanisi, Usama ibn Munqidh and Ibn al-Athir, using them to discuss specific crimes, criminal/violent events and how contemporaries wrote about them. There is some reference to legal cases in France, though this is not a major focus, and probably done due to a lack of sources in the Levant on particular case types.

He discusses female violence and organizes crimes thematically—murder, gambling, Bedouins, and piracy, white collar crime etc. The book is geographically limited to the Levant, Egypt and Anatolia, with no coverage of Iberia, southern France, or the Baltics; which is fine but just so you know. Overall, the book is well written and engaging rather than dry, Tibble is openly cynical about most people in the book in general, criticizing both Latin knights and Muslim lords without hesitation; but still fair.

[Květa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, although it took me longer than usual to read due to my circumstances.
I would definitely appreciate more examples from the Crusader states and the other side, if there are any more to be had - even what was provided was interesting though.

[Aidan paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting facts on this timeline of History.

[Maddy McGlynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an insightful and well-structured book about knights not living up to their glorified ideals, changing my perspective on life beyond the Crusader battlefields.

[Jos Deroo · Rating 4 out of 5]

We knew the crusaders were no pacifists but what mr. Tibble shows us is a far worse picture than I ever imagined. The problem I had was the sheer amount of anecdote...

[Gary Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. New perspective on the crusades. Enjoyed reading.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting and informative account of crime during the crusades