What would you have been in the medieval age?

[SirNathanQ]

Actually, the siege of Jerusalem is quite well documented. It was rather important for Christendom, you see. The Wikipedia page covers the gist of it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(1099)

Lord Dane, what sources do you have to substantiate your claims?
And what was the Church's goal if not the reunification of Christendom? And also, the Byzantines were quite thrilled that the turnout was so massive. Also, the total maximum estimated turnout for the 1st Crusade was closer to 60,000 or 70,000 at the most (to but some perspective, in the siege of Jerusalem, the Crusaders had 13,300 men to the garrison's estimated 10,000) . And for almost the first half of the campaign, the Crusaders worked well with the Byzantines and handed the conquered lands right to Alexius, just as they agreed. The troubles came at the siege of Antioch where Alexius withdrew his reinforcements when the crusaders needed them most. The fact that Antioch was held by Bohemond I (a historic Byzantine enemy) sealed the fate of the alliance.   

The sacrament of Confession would allow a Catholic (all of the crusaders) to gain total remission for their sins at home. While they did gain this on Crusade, it wasn't merely a shady deal of salvation. For the great nobles who had everything to lose doing this, it was a great risk with little chance of profit (if things had gone to the original plan, all the cities would have been given back to the Byzantines). It was a show of devotion for many of them, and the Catholic doctrine of Faith and Works strongly influenced them to go as well. While some may have gone out of greed, the majority it seems went out of genuine concern for their salvation or protection of the Holy Land. 

In the sources, you find that while Urban appeals to the Crusaders goal of salvation, he also appeals to their desire to protect their eastern brethren, to wage "Holy and Just War" instead of fighting each other, to protect the Holy Land, and once is mentioned the chance to keep Saracen possessions.

"We have beard, most beloved brethren, and you have heard what we cannot recount without deep sorrow how, with great hurt and dire sufferings our Christian brothers, members in Christ, are scourged, oppressed, and injured in Jerusalem, in Antioch, and the other cities of the East. Your own blood brothers, your companions, your associates (for you are sons of the same Christ and the same Church) are either subjected in their inherited homes to other masters, or are driven from them, or they come as beggars among us; or, which is far worse, they are flogged and exiled as slaves for sale in their own land. Christian blood, redeemed by the blood of Christ, has been shed, and Christian flesh, akin to the flesh of Christ, has been subjected to unspeakable degradation and servitude. Everywhere in those cities there is sorrow, everywhere misery, everywhere groaning (I say it with a sigh). The churches in which divine mysteries were celebrated in olden times are now, to our sorrow, used as stables for the animals of these people! Holy men do not possess those cities; nay, base and bastard Turks hold sway over our brothers. The blessed Peter first presided as Bishop at Antioch; behold, in his own church the Gentiles have established their superstitions, and the Christian religion, which they ought rather to cherish, they have basely shut out from the ball dedicated to God! The estates given for the support of the saints and the patrimony of nobles set aside for the sustenance of the poor are subject to pagan tyranny, while cruel masters abuse for their own purposes the returns from these lands. The priesthood of God has been ground down into the dust. The sanctuary of God (unspeakable shamel) is everywhere profaned. Whatever Christians still remain in hiding there are sought out with unheard of tortures.

"Of holy Jerusalem, brethren, we dare not speak, for we are exceedingly afraid and ashamed to speak of it. This very city, in which, as you all know, Christ Himself suffered for us, because our sins demanded it, has been reduced to the pollution of paganism and, I say it to our disgrace, withdrawn from the service of God. Such is the heap of reproach upon us who have so much deserved it! Who now serves the church of the Blessed Mary in the valley of Josaphat, in which church she herself was buried in body? But why do we pass over the Temple of Solomon, nay of the Lord, in which the barbarous nations placed their idols contrary to law, human and divine? Of the Lord's Sepulchre we have refrained from speaking, since some of you with your own eyes have seen to what abominations it has been given over. The Turks violently took from it the offerings which you brought there for alms in such vast amounts, and, in addition, they scoffed much and often 'at Your religion. And yet in that place (I say only what you already know) rested the Lord; there He died for us; there He was buried. How precious would be the longed for, incomparable place of the Lord's burial, even if God failed there to perform the yearly miracle! For in the days of His Passion all the lights in the Sepulchre and round about in the church, which have been extinguished, are relighted by divine command. Whose heart is so stony, brethren, that it is not touched by so great a miracle? Believe me, that man is bestial and senseless whose heart such divinely manifest grace does not move to faith! And yet the Gentiles see this in common with the Christians and are not turned from their ways! They are, indeed, afraid, but they are not converted to the faith; nor is it to be wondered at, for a blindness of mind rules over them. With what afflictions they wronged you who have returned and are now present, you yourselves know too well you who there sacrificed your substance and your blood for God.

"What are we saying? Listen and learn! You, girt about with the badge of knighthood, are arrogant with great pride; you rage against your brothers and cut each other in pieces. This is not the (true) soldiery of Christ which rends asunder the sheepfold of the Redeemer. The Holy Church has reserved a soldiery for herself to help her people, but you debase her wickedly to her hurt. Let us confess the truth, whose heralds we ought to be; truly, you are not holding to the way which leads to life. You, the oppressers of children, plunderers of widows; you, guilty of homicide, of sacrilege, robbers of another's rights; you who await the pay of thieves for the shedding of Christian blood -- as vultures smell fetid corpses, so do you sense battles from afar and rush to them eagerly. Verily, this is the worst way, for it is utterly removed from God! if, forsooth, you wish to be mindful of your souls, either lay down the girdle of such knighthood, or advance boldly, as knights of Christ, and rush as quickly as you can to the defence of the Eastern Church. For she it is from whom the joys of your whole salvation have come forth, who poured into your mouths the milk of divine wisdom, who set before you the holy teachings of the Gospels. We say this, brethren, that you may restrain your murderous hands from the destruction of your brothers, and in behalf of your relatives in the faith oppose yourselves to the Gentiles. Under Jesus Christ, our Leader, may you struggle for your Jerusalem, in Christian battleline, most invincible line, even more successfully than did the sons of Jacob of old - struggle, that you may assail and drive out the Turks, more execrable than the Jebusites, who are in this land, and may you deem it a beautiful thing to die for Christ in that city in which He died for us. But if it befall you to die this side of it, be sure that to have died on the way is of equal value, if Christ shall find you in His army. God pays with the same shilling, whether at the first or eleventh hour. You should shudder, brethren, you should shudder at raising a violent hand against Christians; it is less wicked to brandish your sword against Saracens. It is the only warfare that is righteous, for it is charity to risk your life for your brothers. That you may not be troubled about the concerns of tomorrow, know that those who fear God want nothing, nor those who cherish Him in truth. The possessions of the enemy, too, will be yours, since you will make spoil of their treasures and return victorious to your own; or empurpled with your own blood, you will have gained everlasting glory. For such a Commander you ought to fight, for One who lacks neither might nor wealth with which to reward you.

Short is the way, little the labor, which, nevertheless, will repay you with the crown that fadeth not away. Accordingly, we speak with the authority of the prophet: 'Gird thy sword upon thy thigh O mighty one.' Gird yourselves, everyone of you, I say, and be valiant sons; for it is better for you to die in battle than to behold, the sorrows of your race and of your holy places. Let neither property nor the alluring charms of your wives entice you frol going; nor let the trials that are to be borne so deter you that you remain here."

Your brotherhood, we believe, has long since learned from many accounts that a barbaric fury has deplorably afflicted an laid waste the churches of God in the regions of the Orient. More than this, blasphemous to say, it has even grasped in intolerabe servitude its churches and the Holy City of Christ, glorified b His passion and resurrection. Grieving with pious concern at this calamity, we visited the regions of Gaul and devoted ourselves largely to urging the princes of the land and their subjects to free the churches of the East. We solemnly enjoined upon them at the council of Auvergne (the accomplishment of) such an undertaking, as a preparation for the remission of all their sins. And we have constituted our most beloved son, Adhemar, Bishop of Puy, leader of this expedition and undertaking in our stead, so that those who, perchance, may wish to undertake this journey should comply With his commands, as if they were our own, and submit fully to his loosings or bindings, as far as shall seem to belong to such an office. If, moreover, there are any of your people whom God has inspired to this vow, let them know that he (Adhemar) will set out with the aid of God on the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary, and that they can then attach themselves to his following.

When now that time was at hand which the Lord Jesus daily points out to His faithful, especially in the Gospel, saying, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me," a mighty agitation was carried on throughout all the region of Gaul. (Its tenor was) that if anyone desired to follow the Lord zealously, with a pure heart and mind, and wished faithfully to bear the cross after Him, he would no longer hesitate to take up the way to the Holy Sepulchre.

And so Urban, Pope of the Roman see, with his archbishops, bishops, abbots, and priests, set out as quickly as possible beyond the mountains and began to deliver sermons and to preach eloquently, saying: "Whoever wishes to save his soul should not hesitate humbly to take up the way of the Lord, and if he lacks sufficient money, divine mercy will give him enough." Then the apostolic lord continued, "Brethren, we ought to endure much suffering for the name of Christ - misery, poverty, nakedness, persecution, want, illness, hunger, thirst, and other (ills) of this kind, just as the Lord saith to His disciples: 'Ye must suffer much in My name,' and 'Be not ashamed to confess Me before the faces of men; verily I will give you mouth and wisdom,' and finally, 'Great is your reward in Heaven."' And when this speech had already begun to be noised abroad, little by little, through all the regions and countries of Gaul, the Franks, upon hearing such reports, forthwith caused crosses to be sewed on their right shoulders, saying that they followed with one accord the footsteps of Christ, by which they had been redeemed from the hand of hell.

[Lord Dane]

I know the history of the Siege of Jerusalem is well-documented Sir Nathan, and I agree with what you listed as the historical account....

There was a reference made in an unedited version of History Channel's 2005 series of "The Crusades: The Cross & The Crescent" referring to a journal found in Genoa (from 1099) of those who served under Guglielmo Embriaco, the Genoan merchant & commander of the naval forces that supported the original Crusaders at the final days of the siege. Supposedly, in addition to the siege towers he built w/ his ships, there was reference to an attempted night raid with ladders by a smaller force under Raymond that successfully scaled the west wall near Zion Gate because the tower had trouble reaching the wall.

The speculation was over if the Tower was used to take the west wall or the raiders sent previous to the Tower because they had difficulty with the terrain (and a defensive ditch) and needed a strategy to get his forces onto the wall if Godfrey failed. It was irrelevant to the siege account because Godfrey's forces had already entered the city. Genoan merchants kept good accounts for all transactions in their naval journals & some account survived the years apparently. Maybe it was just exaggeration or embellishment so Guglielmo Embriaco could get more credit for his efforts upon his return to Genoa (which he got anyways in recognition from Godfrey).

Genoan merchants traded much with the Holy Land prior to the Crusades so it is possible that he had "associates" in the city (even of Muslim faith) that may have assisted them for coin. But this is speculative. There was also rumor of a rivalry between Raymond & Godfrey that made Raymond push to be first one in the city during the siege. Of course, neither could take the city without the siege equipment provided by the Genoans. Raymond was not as popular with the campaigners as much as Godfrey (and this bitterness led to contestment in the ranks) and a push to conquer Jerusalem first (even if the efforts were driven by Godfrey).       

[SirNathanQ]

Yes, the Crusade leaders were indeed at loggerheads (another possible reason for the two-pronged attack, to separate them).
No accounts I have read support a night attack, as the assault was fought during the day. Though Raymond's assault took the walls by a mad dash with ladders and ropes upon hearing the news that Godfrey had broken through (before that, Raymond's assault had been flagging badly), so there may be something to this merchant and the usefulness of his ladders.

I would doubt any accounts of insider help, as the native Christian (and all others suspected of being Crusader-sympathetic) population was driven from the city before the siege.

[Thorsteinn]

Forgot to add to mine that there is a very small chance I'm descended from Genghis Khan.

So in period I might have been a Mongol Horseman.   

[Sir William]

And with your Asperger's, a stone-cold killer, my man!

[Thorsteinn]

The greatest happiness is to scatter your enemy, to drive him before you, to see his cities reduced to ashes, to see those who love him shrouded in tears, and to gather into your bosom his wives and daughters as your very own.

[Sir William]

Sounds a lot like the words of Conan, that.

[Sir James A]

Sounds a lot like the words of Conan, that.

Yep, that part of the movie by Conan is based off the supposed original quote of Genghis Khan.

[Lord Dane]

The greatest happiness is to scatter your enemy, to drive him before you, to see his cities reduced to ashes, to see those who love him shrouded in tears, and to gather into your bosom his wives and daughters as your very own.

I got a better one....
"Just think of yourself as the scabbard, and me as the sword. *Smiles smugly* And a nice fit you were too." ... "Your wife was much better forced than most women I have had willing." (Archibald - Rob Roy)

[Sir William]

Yes...and he got his just reward at the end, did he not?  Tim Roth is an incredibly gifted actor...to make me dislike the character the way I did.

[Lord Dane]

Yes...and he got his just reward at the end, did he not?  Tim Roth is an incredibly gifted actor...to make me dislike the character the way I did.

Cleaved him nicely with that Scottish cutlass of his.

[Joshua Santana]

I would have been an English Knight surviving the Battles of Crecy and Poitiers.  Yep, under the command of The Black Prince himself.

[B. Patricius]

mm,

this is an excellent question.  It would all have to do with my upbringing.  Statistically, I probably would have been a blacksmith or maybe a musician.  But if there ever were a chance at all, thinking back to my life as a kid up to 12 years old, if my life was harsh at home and my parents thought I could have a better life elsewhere, I'd have joined the Church.  I'd like to think I would have joined one of the Military Holy Orders, early on in the Crusades, part of the "Crusade and join an Order" bandwagon as I was very susceptible to that when I was younger, getting wrapped up in something "cool."  (We all remember the Top Gun leather jackets)  But then I would have found my calling there.  It all would have had to do with whoever I met, and influenced me one way or another as to which order I would have joined.

Right now, thinking about it, Knights Templar, definitely.  I was awkward as a kid, and shied away from women anyway, so the chastity and celibacy would have been actually easy at first.  Also, because of a Fr. Robert I had as my Senior religion teacher in High School.  Not only that, but it was his classroom where we had detention, which I am sheepishly proud to say I made the "dean's most wanted list" in my class yearbook.  Fr. Robert was Benedictine, so right now, I'd lean heavily towards the Poor Fellows of Christ and the Temple of Solomon.  I really have come to respect, admire, and appreciate every Benedictine I've met, even the nun who would throw the eraser at me, because after all it was my bad that she threw it.

On that note, a lot of the conspiracy stuff about the Knights Templar, I just can't believe in whole.  They as a whole, were warrior monks, devoted to their cause and to their Christ, and especially to each other.  That isn't something too far distant than believing they were the SEALs and SOCOM of their day, if anything, at least in spirit and tenacity.  They were feared because they were powerful.  But as another member said something similar and I was taught in school, "power doesn't corrupt, it's just easily sought by the corruptible as those that aren't have better things to strive for."  I saw plenty of people wash out of USCG Basic Training because they were there for all the wrong reasons.  I can't even imagine something like BUD/S or Fort Bragg.  And that's who the Knights Templar were. 

All of these accounts with "DaVinci Code," "Assassin's Creed," and "Kingdom of Heaven" (especially Kingdom of Heaven because the sources I've read said Guy and Reynold weren't even Templars to begin with) have just spread a bad light on a rather otherwise great order that fell apart because of only a few bad apples within the crop.  But isn't that how it always goes?  And then past that?  My theory is that the Knight's Templar always have some level of mystique and clout, probably more back then than they do now, so like a Coastie going to a senior prom with a taller stack than he had actually earned (and yes, witnessed that FUBAR), they called themselves Templars.  They jumped the bandwagon.  I just have to believe that when the Knights Templar disbanded, probably 90% stayed within the Church in some form or fashion... at least that's what I hope.

Beyond that, there is no greater way to go out, than with yer boots on, protecting those behind and around you.  I believe regardless of what era I was to be born in, that would have always stuck with me, as that is something that as far as I can tell, was never taught by my parents.  They were all shocked (most of the family) at my choice to serve, especially after 9/11 and choosing the US Coast Guard for all the RIGHT reasons, not because they "didn't go to war" (which is a SNAFU in and of itself, ask any Marine worth his salt)

ok, off the soapbox

put it plainly, if I could ever devise a way, I'd serve a holy military order.  Either that, or later on, with William Wallace, Robert the Bruce as a 10 pound man, or a gallogaleigh... funny too, my grandmother's maiden name on my mom's side: O'Niell.  So maybe if there was a previous life, maybe that's why I am the way I am now

**edit**
Knights Templar were following the Cistercian Order, not the Benedictine, although they followed the Benedictine Rule.  My mistake and modified.

[Corvus]

I'd probably have sought out the life of a Woodsman or perhaps tried my lot as a mercenary of sorts, assuming that I could find the training, and a blade

[Ian]

Realistically, I would have been a peasant like everybody else.