Songs of Jerusalem: How Crusade Songs Reflected and Shaped Medieval Culture

From the start of the First Crusade in 1095 to the Eighth Crusade in 1270, crusade songs were influential in shaping and reflecting medieval culture and ideology. Crusade songs were not considered a separate genre at the time they were written, but they were included with love songs, sacred songs, political songs, and others. Some songs mentioned crusading in passing and others urged listeners to go and fight. Crusade songs were written in different languages, such as Occitan, Old French and Middle High German. Notation of some of these crusade songs shows how the tunes followed conventions common of medieval music at the time. Crusade songs influenced listeners in their beliefs, ideology and view of Eastern peoples. These songs continue to influence music today, with a growth in popularity of these old tunes for a modern audience.