Chapter 215 Intermission (two in one)
June is a good month for England.
The rainy days that lasted for several months finally left this land. You must know that during those days, there was never a week without rain.
The warmth of summer envelopes Winchester Castle, bringing with it the fresh scent of grass and trees.
Even Eleanor, with the help of the maid, left the tower and came to the city wall to relax.
The air smells of grass and earth, mixed with the incense of wood smoke - the stove in the kitchen where breakfast is prepared. The flag above the castle flutters in the breeze, announcing the ownership of this castle to all directions.
Everything seemed fine, but not to Eleanor.
After all, Winchester Castle was an unlocked prison for the Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of England, wife of Henry II, and mother of Richard the Lion-Hearted.
She was restrained and imprisoned here for 15 years.
Born in 1122, she is now a 66-year-old woman.
As the wife of two consecutive kings and the mother of a total of ten children, Eleanor seemed to have a particularly authoritative say on marriage and family.
Words like marriage, love, and the end of the world make her laugh just by thinking about it.
She would have known the answer when she and her daughters Marie, Ermengarde, the Viscountess of Narbonne and Isabel of Flanders... listened to the lovers' quarrels in the Court of Love in Aquitaine,
Where does true love come from in an aristocratic marriage?
In other words, in this male-dominated society, how do women have the right to pursue true love?
Eleanor couldn't help but feel bitter when she recalled her wedding to Louis VII and her subsequent marriage to Henry II.
She understands that she is a pawn used to control Aquitaine.
No matter what position she held, she was never able to truly influence the knights around her, and even the occasional orders she issued were despised because of her female gender.
After marrying Henry, the marriage between the two of them was not happy. In fact, Henry II was very promiscuous and had countless lovers and one-night stands.
Due to family conflicts and conflicts of interest among the lords, the most beautiful Eleanor in Europe was no longer favored after her beauty faded in old age...
In return, Eleanor continued to encourage her children to rebel against King Henry II.
These past events always make people feel depressed, especially in England, a land where sunny weather is rare.
The gloomy sky seemed to match her mood. Without the bright sunshine of Aquitaine, every day seemed extremely monotonous and depressing.
Sunny days like today don’t come often!
Eleanor's hands brushed across the city walls, and she missed her homeland of Aquitaine.
But today was different. When the old queen looked into the distance, she actually saw an army marching from the distance, and the flag was the coat of arms symbolizing Aquitaine! ,
"Alice, go inform the housekeeper and prepare a banquet, saying that the future King of England is coming soon."
Eleanor calmly ordered the maid beside her.
Although she was imprisoned and unable to leave the castle, as the queen of England, she still had the right to make insignificant arrangements for the affairs of the castle.
"Lion-Hearted" Richard looked up at the sun. Such sunny weather was rare in England during the year.
Compared with France, which is full of sunshine and symbolizes romance and passion, England seems to symbolize conservatism and repression.
This is not only a cultural contrast. In fact, even the climate is cold. Many people directly call this place a "bitter cold place."
Now, through a compromise with his father, as the prince of England, lord of Aquitaine and Gascony, and vassal of France, Richard the "Lion-Hearted" finally had the opportunity to reunite with his mother.
"Long time no see."
Richard gently hugged his mother Eleanor, and although she didn't understand why Richard could come here in person, it was not the time to ask why.
A banquet is being prepared for these knights in the castle. There are too many entourages around. I wonder if they are Henry's eyes and ears.
After the banquet dispersed and mother and son were alone, Richard revealed to Eleanor the true reason for coming here:
"I have promised my father to lead a crusade to fight for the Lord in the Holy Land on behalf of England and France. When I go to sea, mother, you will be free."
Listening to Richard's statement, Eleanor was silent for a long time, and finally said softly: "You compromised."
"Yes, I compromised."
"But as soon as you leave, he will take back your fiefdom. No matter how great your achievements are in the Holy Land, when you return, I am afraid that the throne will have already fallen into the hands of others."
"That's just giving the throne to John," Richard smiled lightly. He had no obsession with the throne.
Although Eleanor and Henry II had five sons and three daughters, the young William died in infancy. Although the younger Henry was crowned co-monarch, he died of illness early. Geoffrey also died in a joust.
Now Eleanor only has two sons, Richard and John.
Unlike the common royal family, Eleanor's children have conflicts, but there is no lack of brotherly love.
In history, after Richard's Eastern Campaign, even though John usurped the throne, Richard finally chose to forgive and made John his successor.
When young Henry decided to confront his father, both Richard and Geoffrey supported him without hesitation.
At the French court, the three brothers swore to become vassals of King Louis VII of France and vowed never to negotiate peace with Henry II alone.
"Now, French King Philip seems to be unwilling to get involved any longer. Maybe he thinks that I am just a trouble." Richard said slowly.
It was precisely because of the support of King Philip of France that Richard and Henry II were able to contend with Henry II for a long time. Now that King Philip II of France wants to reconcile with Henry, Richard has become redundant.
Eleanor sighed softly: "I cannot promise you the throne, but I only hope you return safely. If John is crowned king, Aquitaine and Ascone must be yours no matter what."
In Eleanor's heart, Richard and John were equally cherished children.
She just hoped that the dispute between the two would not end in fratricide.
Richard is willing to go to the Holy Land in exchange for his mother's freedom, and even Eleanor cannot refuse this sincerity. After all, she has not left this small place for a long time.
"I love you, mother," Richard said softly.
"I love you too, kid."
A butterfly in the Holy Land flapped its wings slightly, because Garris had urged Balian and the others to send a mission to Europe for help.
The nobles from Jerusalem traveled around Europe holding numerous images of Jerusalem being burned.
Educate European Christians about the horrors of the Holy Land.
Therefore, this time the Third Crusade was organized more than a year earlier than the one in history.
Meanwhile, Barbarossa was gathering his legions.
Frederick Barbarossa, the most "great" emperor in the Middle Ages, brought the word "holy" to his "empire" with the blood of thousands of people in Rome.
Before Frederick Barbarossa, strictly speaking there was no concept of the Holy Roman Empire.
According to this group of Germanic people, they called themselves the "Roman Empire".
To outsiders, this was the German "Roman Empire."
Under Barbarossa's rule, the empire's national power reached its peak, and it was one of the strongest countries in Europe. However, the peak of power also meant the beginning of its decline.
When Frederick returned to Germany after his defeat in northern Italy, he was a frustrated and frustrated old man.
Not only did the German princes not succumb to the authority of the royal family, but they increasingly controlled the wealth and power of Germany. The fruits of victory accumulated in several previous wars in Italy were also lost due to successive defeats.
Defeats came again and again...even Conrad as far away as Tire defeated and captured Barbarossa's troops.
Power, wealth, glory... these things were once his pursuits, and now they are within his grasp. And what he cannot achieve, God seems to have warned him through several failures.
At fifty he knew destiny, but at sixty his ears were attuned. Now 65 years old, Barbarossa suddenly realized that he had reached the extreme of worldly pursuits.
Ambition was gradually withdrawn from the heart of such an old man, and turned into pious faith. The emperor intended to seek peace after death.
At this time, a letter from Tire arrived in Barbarossa's hands, written by Balian. The letter detailed the battle of Hercynium in Galilee and the outcome of the battle to defend Jerusalem. .
The Holy Land has fallen and the kingdom is in danger!
Christians wandering the Levant looked to the west with tears in their eyes, praying for help from the most powerful emperor in Christendom.
At that moment, Barbarossa seemed to be inspired by the gods, like a bolt of lightning piercing the night sky and spring rain moistening the earth. He suddenly realized that he still had an unfinished holy mission waiting for him to complete.
He firmly believed that this expedition would open the door to heaven for him and welcome the Lord's grace and love.
At the Congress of Mainz, Barbarossa announced to the many vassals present that he would bear the cross of the Crusades and solemnly declared that the "Holy Roman Empire" was about to launch a "holy general expedition" against "infidels".
In short, the most powerful empire in Europe mobilized, and fifteen thousand elite soldiers were assembled, including as many as four thousand knights.
In view of the fact that Barbarossa had concluded a friendly agreement with Saladin in 1175, he sent Henry II, Count of Dietz, to issue an ultimatum to Saladin and formally declare the agreement invalid.
When the messenger returned from the Holy Land, he also brought exciting news.
"Cyprus openly announced its support for the Third Crusade? And emphasized its willingness to prepare supplies for the passing Crusaders and provide repaired military camps?"
"How is this possible?"
Although the first Crusade was due to Basilius of the Eastern Empire taking the initiative to seek help from the Pope, in terms of the effectiveness of all previous Crusades.
Two words: bad luck. In this process, the Orthodox Church can be said to be a great grievance.
This time, the Church of Cyprus actually took the initiative to join the crusade, which can be said to have released strong goodwill to the Catholic world.
And you can see from the map how important Cyprus is in the Eastern Mediterranean and how critical it is to the situation in the Holy Land.
As the largest island in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus, with a population of hundreds of thousands, can easily support an army of 20,000 to 30,000 people.
As an unsinkable giant ship, Cyprus can also provide pilgrims and crusaders passing by by boat with a long period of rest to prepare for the subsequent campaign in the Holy Land.
It can be said that Cyprus's statement immediately made the truly knowledgeable people in the Catholic world full of confidence in this Crusade.
Barbarossa subconsciously made the sign of the cross, bowed his head and prayed. When the prayer ended, it suddenly became clear to him: this was a "real" crusade unfolding under the watchful eye of the Lord.
If the Lord had not given instructions and personally intervened in the world, how could there have been changes in Cyprus? !
The name of Gairis also appeared in Europe, but the news about Gairis was deliberately obscured by Cyprus.
Galis became a saint recognized by the Church of Cyprus, a saint from Jerusalem, who contributed to the conversion of Cyprus.
This must be because the Lord couldn’t bear to see the Holy Land destroyed, so He interfered in the human world!
Otherwise, why would there be an extra saint for nothing?
The difference between a saint and a saint is still very big.
In Christianity, a saint is a person considered to have extraordinary faith, virtue, and spiritual life.
Saints are regarded as having special grace and moral examples, able to guide and inspire the lives of believers, and symbolize noble embodiments of Christian values.
In the Christian tradition, especially in the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches, saints are also considered to be able to convey prayer requests between believers and God, and possess the grace of part of God's power.
Therefore, there is only one Holy Son in Catholicism and Orthodoxy, but there are many saints who perform "miracles".
"He is there, looking down at all living things. He gives us trials, and I will lead you to respond to his call."
"That Holy Land, the site of Christ's Passion and Resurrection, is now in the hands of infidels. How can we tolerate such desecration? How can we stand by and watch the Holy City fall and our faith be insulted?"
"You have fought for me and fought for glory. Now, I ask you to fight in the name of the Lord! Dedicate our glory to Him!"
Barbarossa's voice resounded throughout the hall. He led his vassals to sign the sign of the cross devoutly. Every movement was solemn and firm, expressing his willingness to shoulder the mission of holy war.
Their eyes shone with determination and fanaticism, as if at this moment, this army was not gathering for worldly interests, but fighting for a greater belief.
In this Crusade, due to Cyprus, Barbarossa gave up his plan to march to Jerusalem by land and decided to take a sea ship instead.
Another flapping of butterfly wings inadvertently changed history.
At least this time, the HRE Emperor Barbarossa should not drown in the river again.
……
In Frederick's view, the Crusades might be the only way to heaven.
On the side of the British and French allied forces, it was a different story. Using the excuse of the Eastern Expedition, both King Henry II of England and King Philip II of France worked overtime to collect taxes.
Under the call of the "Holy Mission", the three major powers in Europe temporarily put aside their conflicts and jointly assembled crusaders.
However, behind this sacred name, there are still many undercurrents that are unknown to the public. As the crusaders gathered, some of the usual activities that preceded a campaign were repeated.
Just like the First Crusade and the Second Crusade, some plundering that the nobles loved to see began.
However, there is one group that suffers extraordinarily much.
At the time of the First Crusade, Europeans were incredibly fervent in their faith.
At that time, the Muslims were far away, but there was a pagan group right in front of them.
In parts of France and Germany, Jews are seen as the same enemies as Muslims. After all, they believe that it was Judas who betrayed Jesus.
Therefore, a "thought-provoking" question arises in people's minds: Since there are pagans at their doorstep, why do they have to travel thousands of miles to the Holy Land?
Are Muslims more evil than Jews?
Once this idea spreads, it becomes difficult to control.
What's more, many Crusaders found themselves forced to borrow money from Jews in order to finance their expeditions to the Holy Land.
Since Catholicism strictly prohibited usury, Jewish lending business accounted for a large proportion in this era.
Borrowing... well, the Jews really dared to borrow... What could be happier than a loaded Crusader discovering that his creditor was actually a pagan?
The matter got out of hand.
Godfrey of Boulogne, one of the founders of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, asserted before the expedition:
[Only by eradicating the Jews from the world, and only by calming down the burning anger in our hearts, can we be worthy of the crucified Christ. 】
The literal translation of this sentence is: I will not continue the march until I kill all the Jewish creditors.
The Jews themselves also recorded the tragic situation at that time:
[When the Jewish community in France heard these things, visceral fear seized them. They wrote letters and sent messengers to all the communities around the Rhine, telling them that they should fast and seek mercy from God high in the clouds so that He could save them from the hands of the Christians. 】
[When this letter reached the Rhine lands, they wrote a reply to their brothers in France: The community had ordered a fast. We have done what we should do. May the Lord save us, and may He save you from all the sorrow and oppression that may befall us, for which we fear. 】
In short, almost every wave of Crusades was accompanied by a European-wide anti-Semitic movement.
But Barbarossa was not an ordinary ruler after all. After he received a not too generous "tax" from the Jews, he sent his own army to drive away the "Crusader" who intended to attack the Jewish community.
He also issued an imperial edict: Anyone who maimed or killed a Jew would be punished with an eye for an eye.
In the summer of 1188 in Europe, amid all the chaos, robberies or being robbed, anti-Jewish or not anti-Jewish, preparations for the Crusade began, full of vitality and all things competing.
……
At the same time, in Acre, the most prosperous port city on the coast of Palestine and the Holy Land.
Saladin also began to prepare his army for war.
Although he did not know much about the situation in Europe, he was still aware of Europe's crusading enthusiasm.
Retaking the Holy City does not mean the end. As long as Christians are still interested in the Holy Land, there will be a steady stream of Crusaders coming from the west.
In order to prepare countermeasures before large-scale Crusaders land in the Holy Land.
Saladin planned to attack the Crusaders quickly and launch a general offensive against the participating Crusade forces this summer before the Crusaders arrived.
However, there were some things that he didn't expect.
On the pocket peninsula where the city of Acre extends to the ocean, there is an L-shaped sea wall, where the palace originally belonging to the Knights Templar was located.
This large-scale palace is now the residence of Saladin's friend Issa Hakkari.
Today, Issa Hakari invited Saladin over and informed him of a message.
"I noticed one thing. Smallpox is spreading in the city of Acre. You'd better stop gathering troops and quickly disband those troops that were not gathered in a hurry. At the same time, I have also arranged a ship for you to go to Egypt. Avoid this plague.”
When he heard the news, Saladin was stunned.
Now is the critical moment of the war, why...
Compared with the city of Tyre, which has clearly established an isolation and quarantine system, Acre, only a few dozen kilometers away, did not receive clear information about the smallpox epidemic in Tripoli.
The exchanges between the ports along the eastern Mediterranean coast are particularly close.
As long as there are a few cases of illness and ships enter the port of Acre, it will be very easy for the plague to spread out of control, as was the case in the Middle Ages.
It can be said that this time the smallpox plague directly disrupted Saladin's plan.
Man's calculation is not as good as God's calculation, maybe this is the original intention of Allah...
Saladin couldn't help but sigh.
"Isa Hakkari, I will not go to Egypt. The legions here in Palestine need me."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
After answering this sentence, Saladin couldn't help walking to the window sill and looked at the Customs House not far away, which was also the property of the Knights Templar.
"Everything is God's will. If He feels that I deserve to die, then let Azrael take me away."
Saladin knew that he could not leave his army behind this time and flee back to Egypt alone.
If we say that in the previous Mongisa war, the formation was destroyed because of the direct confrontation with the Frankish knights, it would be excusable for him to ride a camel to get rich.
During this smallpox plague, if he had not done a good job of isolating the plague, he would not have been with the legions.
Then the soldiers below may have actually spread rumors, claiming that they should not recapture the holy city of Jerusalem because it offended God and violated God's will.
This was a crisis that greatly weakened Saladin's legitimacy. As a "warlord" who usurped the throne and seized power, his legitimacy itself was extremely weak and he could not withstand such a wavering.
Therefore, he must and can only stay with his legion and face smallpox!
Two in one, just this chapter
(End of chapter)