IMC 2023: Sessions

Although Germany produced numerous crusaders and pilgrims, the place of the empire within the crusade movement has been relatively little studied in scholarship until recently. Despite the appearance of important monographs, conference proceedings, and exhibition catalogues over the last two decades, there is still a need for investigations of many key personalities and sources as well as particular regions and social groups. In this round table discussion, historians who have produced recent monographs or source translations relating to Germany and the crusades will discuss important trends in research and highlight desiderata for future scholarship. The round table discussion invites further contributions and questions on all relevant topics, including: networks of crusaders and the wider political, social, and economic framework of crusading; regional origins and social status of crusaders, their motivation and preparations (vows, regencies, pious donations, finance); the effects of crusade participation on the families and regions of origins of crusaders within the Empire (e.g. religious foundations and acquisition of relics); narratives in Latin and German: crusade appeals and sermons, historiographical, hagiographical, and literary texts and their authors.

Participants include Daniel Franke (Richard Bland College of William & Mary, Virginia), Graham A. Loud (University of Leeds), and Stefan Tebruck (Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen).