Gone Medieval Women of the Crusades
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Aug 26, 2025 
Natasha Hodgson, an expert on women in the Crusades and author of "Women, Crusading, and the Holy Land in Historical Narrative," sheds light on the crucial yet often ignored roles of women like Eleanor of Aquitaine and Margaret of Beverly. They discuss how these women influenced campaigns and social structures, from noble leaders to essential support workers. Hodgson challenges common perceptions, emphasizing their complex identities, motivations, and the profound impact they had on medieval history.
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Women Were Integral To Crusade Camps
- Crusading was not just mounted knights; many women followed armies doing essential camp work.
- Women served as cooks, laundresses, medics, and sometimes provided sexual services within crusading networks.
Pilgrimage Versus Crusade Is Blurry
- The line between pilgrim and crusader blurs because contemporaries often called crusades pilgrimages.
- Crusaders could carry arms while pilgrims normally couldn't, complicating whether armed women counted as crusaders.
Combine Sources To Find Women Crusaders
- Use diverse sources beyond chronicles to recover women's roles on crusades.
- Combine charters, legal records, and memorial evidence to identify individual women and their journeys.
