The Crusader's Crown (Tales of the Brotherhood Series Book 1) by James Mercer (ink ebook reader txt) 📗

   “So what now?” asked the Commander beside him.

  The men had been told only that they had been hired by the knight to assist him in a mission given to him by King Pedro. To avoid discord amongst them, the men had not been told that the knight and his squire were followers of the Cathar faith.

  There was a gleam of fanaticism in Sir Tomas’s eyes. “Now Commander, we spill the blood of an enemy who butchers the innocent for no purpose at all.”

Authors Note

Like the ‘Turin Shroud Trilogy’ this novel follows the actual historical events that happened during the beginning of what today is known as ‘The Reconquista’.

  It is thought that it was actually the failed campaign known as the Disaster of Alarcos in 1195 which impelled the Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Portugal and Navarre to put aside their differences and take back the southern lands of what is now the country of Spain.

  In 1211 Muhammad al-Nassir crossed the Straits of Gibraltar with a powerful army and invaded Christian territory including the capture of Salvatierra Castle, the stronghold of the knights of the Order of Calatrava. The threat to the Hispanic Christian kingdoms was so great that Pope Innocent III called a Crusade to take back what had been lost. With the encouragement of the Pope, King Alfonso of Castile was able to unite the four Kingdoms to Crusade south and start to seize control of the peninsula.

  The details within this novel regarding the campaign itself, where the armies of the four Kingdoms met, is relatively accurate. During my research and studies before writing the novel it was clear from several sources that Toledo was not only one of the strongest Christian-held castles in the south, it was also large enough to accommodate the vast number of troops.

  However it was also said to be one the main reasons why a large number of knights from France abandoned the campaign. Some Historians believe it was because the French lords and their vassals disapproved of the leniency shown by the Castilians to the Arabs who lived within the city walls. The French knights and volunteers were said to have taken several thousand troops with them, back across the border of Aragon leaving the Crusader forces in a far weaker position.

The fictional side of my novel carries on the saga of the young Englishman, Robert of Oldfield, the Commander Reynard, the Forgotten Army and the two opposing factions, ‘The Brotherhood of the Turin Shroud’ and ‘The Order of the Blooded Cross’. However the involvement of the other Holy Orders that are mentioned in the novel is true.

  As well as the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitallers, two other Orders of warrior monks also took part in the Crusade, both of which originated in what is modern day Spain: The Order of Santiago and the Order of Calatrava. All four of these holy Orders played an integral part in the battles that took place but sustained heavy losses.

  The climactic battle of this book is the battle of Tolosa where the outnumbered Christian Army defeated the forces of the Almohad Caliph Muhammad al-Nasir whose army received significant losses.

  The fabled story of the armies of the Christian Kings being led through the mountains of Andalusia by the shepherd Martin Alhaja, is one that many believe is based on true accounts. The Crusader army took the Almohad forces completely by surprise and drove them from the battlefield. When destroying the enemy’s vast encampment it is also true, as described in the novel, that the generals and their knights found a ring of chained slaves circling the Caliph’s tent. This was said to be his last line of defence. However the Caliph and his entourage had already retreated leaving thousands of their men behind.

  The novel follows accurate accounts up until the Christian armies took the cities of Ubeda and Baeza. I actually swapped the order in which these two cities were taken. It was Baeza that fell first but as it is stated in the book, the city was actually abandoned and its inhabitants had already fled to Ubeda, the stronger of the two cities.

The religious treasure that my characters pursue in this novel is actually a well-known artefact which can be seen to this day in the Cathedral of Monza near Milan. The legend relates that a nail used at the crucifixion of Jesus resides in the inner circlet of iron within the golden crown. However, the details describing how the Crown was hidden in Spain is complete fiction. The whereabouts of the Crown of the Lombards has been recorded in detail over the centuries and at no time has it been said to have travelled any further than the borders of modern day Italy. This is why I had my characters make the claim that the Crown that was in possession of the Lombard kings was a fake.

My final addition to this novel nearing the end was not actually originally intended but I wanted something to give me a good starting point for the next in the series. That is why I have introduced the Cathars. The Cathars occupied a fascinating and mysterious role in European history with many legends relating to them and differing reasons for why they were persecuted so ruthlessly. This I hope will all come to light in the sequel to this novel.