William of Tyre described Baldwin as “a man who loved work and disdained idleness” (quoted in Malcolm Barber, 63). That was because Baldwin felt the need to unite the kingdom under his authority. Only then, Baldwin realized, would the kingdom of Jerusalem thrive. A thriving kingdom also meant more money in his coffers, a commodity Baldwin was always striving to gain more of.
Just six days after his arrival in Jerusalem, Baldwin assembled a small force and embarked on a raiding campaign that would last for one month. He harassed the Muslim inhabitants at Ascalon into submission, securing the pilgrim routes in the process. Baldwin then marched east and raided the countryside – and possibly attacked caravans – around Hebron and the Dead Sea. Baldwin and his force marched and raided as far south as Wadi Musa, about 50 miles south of the Dead Sea. Not only did Baldwin gain lots of treasure and provisions from these raids, he exacted tribute from the Muslims in the areas he raided.
Baldwin returned to Jerusalem on December 21st, 1100 feeling more secure in his position as king. Daimbert, in an act of submission, crowned and anointed Baldwin as the first official king of Jerusalem on December 25th. The coronation ceremony took place at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, a church built on the very site where Christ had been born.
Given the religious significance of the day and of the occasion, the Church of Nativity was decorated with all the finery the kingdom was able to buy. It should be noted that most, if not all of the relics and tapestries were in Greek Orthodox origin and style. However, the Franks did not seem to care. In fact, Baldwin dressed in Eastern Christian fashion: his clothes were of a fine material and woven with gold. He also carried with him a shield made of gold (Rita Stark, 33). This was what kings were meant to look like, Baldwin thought. To him, a public display of wealth was not meant to be done out of vanity, but to show courage and ability, two characteristics important to proper government.
In the months following Baldwin’s coronation, all resistance to his authority melted away. However, Tancred, Baldwin’s most bitter rival, refused to acknowledge Baldwin as his king. At that time, Tancred governed the Principality of Galilee. Fortunately for both men and for the kingdom, messengers from Antioch arrived in Galilee, requesting audience with Tancred. Antioch had been without a governor since the summer of 1100 and was in desperate need of one. Since Tancred was Bohemond’s nephew and a capable military leader, he was the man for the job. Seeing this as a way out of Baldwin’s realm of authority, Tancred jumped at the opportunity and made his way to Antioch in the spring of 1101.
As for Daimbert, the amount of support bestowed upon Baldwin by the majority of the Christians living in the new kingdom rendered him powerless. So, he retreated to the small Mount Zion monastery where he took to reading and writing books. It’s most likely he also planned his next course of action: how he would re-align the Kingdom of Jerusalem in favor of the Latin Church. However, Baldwin was not a man who could easily be pushed around. He also refused to submit to the Church. In the months following his coronation, Baldwin worked on re-aligning the Catholic Church – including the eastern sects as well – in his favor.
Later in the year 1101, Daimbert was deposed when Baldwin discovered he had kept for himself a large portion of money sent from Apulia to fund the Kingdom of Jerusalem. What happened to Daimbert after that is unknown. What is known is that his reputation was permanently ruined and, because of that, his wealth dwindled.
The True Cross: Was it Real?
When the crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, they discovered a relic of a crucifix. They earnestly believed it was the True Cross that Jesus had been nailed to. Throughout the 12th century, the True Cross was the centerpiece of Latin authority in the Middle East. It was carried into every battle by the patriarch or by one of his leading clergymen (Asbridge, 120). Every victory was owed to the divine intervention of the True Cross.
Was this relic really the cross that Jesus hung from? Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine found a piece of what looked like the True Cross – the one from which Jesus hung -- at the very site where the Holy Sepulchre had been built. Around the same time, three more crosses were discovered in Jerusalem at the Holy Sepulchre.
To find out which one was the True Cross, a group of Christians, acting on the advice of Helena and the Emperor Constantine and no doubt moved by curiosity themselves, placed the body of a dead youth on all three crosses. It was said that when he was placed on the True Cross, he came back to life (Bartlett, 12).
Whether this story is true is unknown. All crosses were made from trees and the cross that held Jesus’ body was not made any differently. Given that it was made from wood and that wood breaks down much faster than stone, it’s highly likely that the True Cross (Jesus’s Cross) decayed long before the start of the First Crusade. That was unless the early Christians preserved it in a tomb, but no evidence for that has yet been found.
Regardless, to the Crusaders, the True Cross was the real deal. It was the holiest of holy relics. It’s presence on the battlefield filled the Franks with hope and it gave them courage, simply because it reminded them that God was on their side. That is why it became known to them as the True Cross and that is also why it became the Kingdom’s cornerstone.
Sources Used
Asbridge, Thomas. The Crusades: The Authoritative History of The War For The Holy Land. New York; Ecco, 2011
Barber, Malcolm. The Crusader States. New Haven and London; Yale University Press, 2012
Bartlett, W.B. Downfall of the Crusader Kingdom: The Battle of Hattin and the Loss of Jerusalem. Gloucestershire; The History Press, 2010
Stark, Rita M. Knights of the Cross: The Epic of the Crusades. Bloomington; iUniverse, 2008