Chapter CXIV
In this telling of the story of the end of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem I have endeavoured to keep close to the facts of history. I have drawn extensively on original sources wherever possible, both Christian and Muslim. I must emphasise, however, that while the events in the Kingdom of Jerusalem are factual, Guy d'Orleans, all his household and all their doings spring solely from my imagination.
In particular I am to blame for depicting so many men (and women) of goodwill in that time of fierce religious passions. Arcane theological points generated intense bitterness and people were killed, often with great cruelty, because they failed or refused to use the "correct" terminology when challenged.
That is not to say that there were no men of moderation on both sides. St Francis, who travelled to Egypt in an attempt to convert the Sultan, both experienced and showed considerable courtesy and reason, and there were others who, amid the prevailing intolerance, displayed great graciousness in their interactions with those who disagreed with them.
In talking about the much disputed doctrine of the Trinity and other matters I have endeavoured to use ideas and arguments that were current in 1100 AD. Some of them may sound strange - or even heretical! - to modern ears, but they were considered persuasive back then.
If this book has any purpose beyond remembering a crucial event in history, it is to appeal for the sort of toleration shown by the various characters. We in the Twenty-first Century seem to be slipping into another age of fierce passion and religious bigotry, yet there is nothing in either Christianity or Islam that actually requires such attitudes. Those who embrace violence and intolerance would do well to remember that history has never been kind to their sort. Saladin and St Francis are honoured today where their less tolerant compatriots are forgotten or, if remembered, execrated.
Perhaps more importantly, from the zealot's point of view, it is Saladin and St Francis who, in the long run, have had the greater effect on the world. Bombs and swords have not, in the end, been as effective as wise words and loving attitudes.
Kendall K. Down
