Hans Eberhard Mayer – författare

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This will be the first of two volumes of collected studies by the well-known German historian of the Crusades, Professor H. E. Mayer. Each volume will cover different aspects of his research. In the present one he examines the source material upon which any study of the Crusader States must be based. The documents dealt with throw much light on, for instance, their relations with the powers of Western Europe, and include several which concern the Church and the religious institutions of the Holy Land. The subsequent volume will concentrate more specifically on the monarchy and the nobility of the latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Professor Mayer's previous volume of collected studies looked at different aspects of the Crusading movement in the Holy Land and at its religious institutions, the main emphasis being on the documentary material, the proper understanding of which is essential for historical analysis. This concern is equally apparent in the present volume, but the focus now rests on the problems of government in the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. He first deals with the monarchy as an institution and with the particular rulers, examining the theoretical basis of rulership and the actual realities of their position vis-à-vis the feudal nobility. The second section looks more closely at the subjects of the crown and their status. These studies also reveal the influence of the geographical situation of the Crusader states at the crossroads between the Latin, the Byzantine and the Islamic worlds.

In the present volume, the third selection of his articles to be published, Professor Mayer deals with questions of royal authority and power in the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. He first examines the relationship between the monarchy and the Church, questions of royal succession, and aspects of the royal chancery, but is also concerned to trace the king’s efforts to create a new clientele of loyal vassals. The second group of studies reverses the perspective, and looks at the origins and development of the lordships of the kingdom, notably at the important county of Jaffa and at the role of the Ibelin, the most significant family in the land.