The Seljuks, Seljouks or Saljûqides (Turkish:Selçuk, Seltchouk; Arabic:as-Salâjiqa; Persian:Saljûqiyân) are the members of a tribe of Turkish origin who emigrated from Turkestan to the Middle East before reigning over the current Iran and Iraq as well as Asia Minor between the middle of the 11th cen
The Fourth Crusade was a military campaign that was launched from Venice in 1202. It was originally raised to conquer Egypt, but the crusade was hijacked by the Venetians and resulted in the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders and at the founding of the Eastern Latin Empire in 1204. Call to C
The second crusade began in 1147. It was launched by Pope Eugene III after the fall of Edessa in 1144, and ended in 1149 with a total failure for the Crusaders, who returned to Europe without having won a military victory in the East. . Fall of the county of Edessa The Christians had achieved the i
The greatest crusades rarely included more than ten thousand combatants. The impression of innumerable crowd left by the first two crusades is due to the high proportion of non-combatants who encumber them, delay their advance or compromise them by their excesses. After the second crusade, the autho
First Crusade The First Crusade is a crusade that took place from 1095 to 1099 following, among other things, the refusal of the Arabs to allow Christian pilgrims free passage to Jerusalem. Firstfruits In 1078, the Seljuk Turks dislodged the Abbasid Arabs from Jerusalem who had been living there
The Battle of the Forks of Hattin took place in 1187 near Tiberias (in Galilee). It opposes the Muslim army of Saladin to the Franks, led by Guy de Lusignan. Context Almost a century before, the Frankish armies of Godfrey of Bouillon taking part in the first crusade, taking advantage of the fragmen
General information Date November 25, 1177 Location Montgisard Outcome Decisive Crusader Victory Belligerents Ayyubid Frankish CrusadersCommanders Baudoin IV Renaud de Châtillon Knights Templar Saladin Forces present 500 Knights 80 Templars Several thousand Crusaders approx. 30,000 Lo
Also called Owein (in Welsh), Yvain is the son of Morgane and King Urien, he is the cousin of Calogrenant. He is the hero of a novel by Chrétien de Troyes, Yvain ou le Chevalier au lion (see Calogrenant). In these adventures, he defeats a dark knight guardian of a fountain. In another adventure, he
Uther Pendragon (pen-dragon:head of dragons in Breton) is the father of King Arthur in Arthurian legend. His name seems to be derived from or have the same root as Arthur. The nickname Pendragon comes from a comet in the shape of a dragon that Uther sees and from which he draws inspiration to create
Tintagel is nowadays a small village on the north east coast of Cornwall. Its population is about 700 inhabitants (2001 census). The village was called Trevena (from Cornish Tre war Venydh) until 1850, when it was decided to rename it. The most picturesque building in the village is its Old Post Off
King Arthur, or Arthur Pendragon, is an important character in Breton mythology. He is the central character of the material of Brittany. It is not certain that he really existed, what is however certain is that we find several kings named Arzur, Arthus, Artus, Arthur whose syncretism probably led t
Queen Guinevere is a character from Arthurian legend. Guinevere The legendary character The origin of the name Guinevere comes in all likelihood from the Welsh word Gwenhwyfar (old spelling Gwenhwyvar) which means white ghost or white fairy. (Which is the origin of the name Jennifer). Therefore,
Perceval is in Arthurian legend one of the Knights of the Round Table. In Welsh literature his name is Peredur. He is best known for his participation in the Quest for the Holy Grail. There are many versions about its origin. In most tales he is of noble birth and the youngest of a family of knight
Known as Myrddin or Myrdhin in Welsh, Merzhin or Marzhin in Breton and Cornish, Merlin is generally depicted as a benevolent mage commanding the natural elements and animals. It is particularly attached to Brittonic mythology, which covered mainland Britain and present-day Great Britain (except Scot
Lot dOrcanie is the son of a man named Hector (himself a descendant of the line of Joseph of Arimathea) and the daughter of the king of Norgules. Lot of Orcania becomes king and takes Morgause as his wife, a half-sister of King Arthur with whom he has four sons:Gauvain, Agravain, Gaheris and Gareth.
In the Arthurian tale, Leodagan is the father of Guinevere and therefore the father-in-law of Arthur Pendragon, king of the Bretons. Léodagan is also king of Carmélide. The story goes that Leodagan, struggling with Claudas of the Desert Land, had to ask Arthur for help, who fought with 40 knights an
The material of Brittany is the name given to all the texts written in the Middle Ages around Breton legends, in particular those of the Arthurian cycle. It represents the Celtic tradition, as opposed to the Carolingian tradition of matter from France and the Latin and ancient traditions of matter f
Lancelot is a character in the cycle of Round Table novels and the eponymous hero of the chivalric novel Lancelot du Lac, written in the 13th century in the Romance language by an anonymous author. However, he is best known for the courtly romance of Chrétien de Troyes le Chevalier de la charrette,
The Grail designates a wide and fairly deep dish. It also designates the Holy Chalice in medieval literature at the beginning of Christianity in the West. In this literature, the Grail is a symbolic object:it represents the mystery of Christianity, where the fact of going in search of it results in
Gauvain is King Arthurs nephew and he is also his best friend. He is one of the first knights that the king, helped by Merlin, appoints to the Round Table. There are several Celtic equivalents of its name:Gwalchmai and Gwalchmei (May Falcon or Plains Falcon) as well as Gawain. He helps Arthur with
We already talked in another article about the Gemitus britannorum , the Wail of the Britons, a dramatic plea for help made to Rome by the rulers south of Hadrians Wall in the mid-5th century AD. to face the raids of Picts, Scots, Saxons and Franks. According to the cleric Gildas, author of De excid
In the spring of 1664 another Turkish invasion of the lands of the Habsburg Empire was underway. A large Ottoman army had advanced as far as Hungary and Slovakia. The Turks spread over a large area facing the small Austro-German forces of Marshal Montecucoli. Montecucoli deployed his approximatel
Angkor , archaeological site in present-day Northwest Cambodia is 6 km north of the modern city Siĕmréab . It was the capital of Khmer (Cambodian) Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries, a period considered a classic era of Cambodian history. The most imposing monuments are Angkor
The infamous Moscow Trials organized by Stalin and his cabal from 1936 were not only the dictators successful attempt to consolidate his position in power by eliminating any real or imagined contenders, but also an attempt to vindicate of the tragic and fatal errors of his policy. In the Trial of