There were quite a few people who married into established christian families where there are menian or greek orthodox they brought with them impressive dowries. Morphia's dowry was 50 thousand gold peasants, which then helped the crusaders to establish themselves as they were going through this on growing process of warfare. So the money that they was important, but the links to the established nobility and potential christian allies were also really important. What united the christians, r at the crusader christians, and what divided them? There is a lot of rivalry between the franks inhi during this process of settlement here. People are seeking to establish their own territories and develop themselves and
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most powerful woman in the Crusader states in the century after the First Crusade. Melisende (1105-61) was born and raised after the mainly Frankish crusaders had taken Jerusalem from the Fatimids, and her father was King of Jerusalem. She was married to Fulk from Anjou, on the understanding they would rule together, and for 30 years she vied with him and then their son as they struggled to consolidate their Frankish state in the Holy Land.
The image above is of the coronation of Fulk with Melisende, from Livre d'Eracles, Guillaume de Tyr (1130?-1186)
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France
With
Natasha Hodgson
Senior Lecturer in Medieval History and Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Conflict at Nottingham Trent University
Katherine Lewis
Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Huddersfield
and
Danielle Park
Visiting Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London
Producer: Simon Tillotson