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IMC 2026: Sessions

Session 109: Flashpoints and Factions: Internal Temporalities of Crisis in the Crusader States

Monday 6 July 2026, 11:15-12:45

Organiser:Allison Emond, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
Moderator/Chair:Samuel Bradley, Independent Scholar
Paper 109-aAn Inscribed Sword, a Moment of Crisis outside Antioch, and the Making of an Empress
(Language: English)
Lucas McMahon, Department of Archaeology & History, University of Exeter
Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Crusades, Politics and Diplomacy
Paper 109-bDoomed to Failure?: A Case Study of Competing Ambitions at the Siege of Shaizar, c. 1157
(Language: English)
Allison Emond, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
Index terms: Crusades, Politics and Diplomacy
Abstract

This session will examine pivotal moments of internal conflict within the Crusader States, such as the fall of Edessa and the Siege of Acre. We aim to explore the pressing political pressures, the rise of factionalism, and the rapid, often ruthless, decision-making that characterised these "flashpoints." Papers will examine how these crises intensified internal disputes, profoundly shaping governance, succession, and the political landscape of the Latin East.