Nicholas L. Paul, Assosciate Professor of History; Director, Center for Medieval Studies, Fordham University.

What function did the sacred ground around Jerusalem, conquered by European crusaders in the eastern Mediterranean, play for the elites who expended their blood and treasure to sustain them? Answers to this question have traditionally sought recourse either to materialist, proto-colonial expansion or to Catholic religious zeal. Adopting a new perspective based on the specific prerogatives and requirements of the European aristocracy, Professor Paul will suggest that the eastern Mediterranean "theater of war" was precisely that: a stage for the performance of status. It will be argued that some of the most famous cultural monuments of the French-speaking crusader aristocracy of Syria, Palestine, and Cyprus reveal how this stage was set, and how visiting players from the European courts were invited to perform their parts. 

To attend, please register:

https://usc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcqcuGvrDwjHNYu_XztX8I_G6FyK0EzOsdn