Gone Medieval: "Women of the Crusades" (Aug 26, 2025)

Host: Dr. Eleanor Janega
Guest: Dr. Natasha Hodgson, author of Women, Crusading and the Holy Land in Historical Narrative
Podcast: History Hit

Overview

This episode dives deep into the overlooked stories of women involved in the Crusades—from noble leaders like Eleanor of Aquitaine to everyday women laboring in the heat of the Levant. Host Dr. Eleanor Janega and Dr. Natasha Hodgson unpack the roles, motivations, and legacies of women crusaders, going far beyond the oft-repeated tales of “knights on horseback.” Together, they challenge assumptions about medieval gender roles and shed light on the lives of women who were every bit as involved in crusading as their male counterparts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Reframing the Image of the Crusader

• Popular Perception vs Reality (01:29–03:39)
  • The classic image: Dashing Norman knights in armor.
  • Actual Crusader armies included not only fighters but women of many roles: nobles, cooks, washerwomen, market holders, sex workers, and healers.
  • “Those kind of knights were the real minority on Crusade expeditions...And a lot of women as well, who were performing other duties in the camps as they went along.” (Dr. Natasha Hodgson, 03:01)

Who Were the Women on Crusades?

• Ranges of Roles & Status (03:39–04:59)
  • Noble women traveled with family; women in “auxiliary”/servant roles; some performed specialized work like healthcare.
  • The notion of “camp followers” is nuanced and not always pejorative.
  • Notable example: A female physician cared for King Louis IX.
  • Motivation is hard to determine—they may have viewed themselves as pilgrims, not "crusaders."

Crusader or Pilgrim? (04:59–07:12)

• Medieval Terminology and Identity
  • The term “crusader” didn’t exist; people considered themselves “pilgrims.”
  • Distinction: Crusaders were permitted to bear arms; pilgrims, usually not. Women rarely bore arms—so, crusaders or pilgrims?
  • “It’s very difficult to tell from the sources, especially the chronicle sources, about motivation, because they largely said, 'oh, God decided that everyone would go. And so they did.'” (Hodgson, 06:16)

Tracking Women in the Sources (07:12–10:24)

• Evidence & Bias
  • Most named women in records were noble or wealthy—those who left charters or were notable for association with leaders (e.g., Joanna of Sicily).
  • Occasional mentions of lower-status women: washerwomen, sex workers, livestock keepers, cooks.
  • The “washerwomen of good repute” on the Third Crusade—essential but lower-status, sometimes disparaged in sources.
  • “Ambroise says that they were as good as monkeys for picking fleas.” (Hodgson, 10:19)

The Ordinary Women and “Negative Space” (10:24–11:17)

• Lack of Records
  • The daily lives of non-noble women are largely invisible except for rare glimpses—often referenced only to define what was “officially allowed,” like washerwomen.

“Popular Crusades” and Non-elite Participation (11:17–14:03)

• Broader Social Involvement
  • There were “popular” crusades—movements of lower-status men and women, sometimes disparaged or ignored by official chroniclers.
  • Example: The so-called “Children’s Crusade” of 1212 and the suspicion in the sources about its participants.
  • “In the 13th century, because people are traveling more by sea and it’s more expensive, those types of people are struggling to make the journey…” (Hodgson, 12:43)

Elite Women’s Power: Funding and Politics (14:03–15:00)

• Money, Diplomacy & Connections
  • Noblewomen raised funds, orchestrated marriages, and helped connect Crusader states with Western power bases.
  • Their wealth and familial connections made them valuable both at home and abroad.

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Woman and Myth

A Unique but Representative Figure (14:46–16:00)

• Eleanor’s Role

  • Joined the Second Crusade with her husband, King Louis VII.
  • Had her own retinue of knights; performed diplomatic functions, e.g., corresponding with the Byzantine Empress.
  • Chroniclers portrayed her ambiguously, combining myth and reality (“dressed as an Amazon,” “warrior woman”).

• Blame and Gender Bias in Sources (19:22–21:05)

  • Some blamed the defeat at Mount Cadmus on Eleanor’s supposed extravagance or irresponsibility—a clear gendered narrative.
  • “Something went wrong? Probably the woman's fault.” (Janega, 19:56)

• Her Lasting Fame

  • “One of the most frustrating things about her is that she didn’t necessarily leave her own record of events... she’s got no one to advocate [for her], in the same way as some of the kings and monarchs do at the time.” (Hodgson, 20:14)

The Evolution and Endurance of Women’s Involvement

Later Crusades & Changing Conditions (21:48–23:13)

• Participation in 13th Century
  • Evidence (e.g., passenger lists) shows that both noble and non-noble women continued to travel east—sometimes with husbands, sometimes in groups, sometimes alone.
  • The presence of women inheriting property or ruling (e.g., Lucia of Tripoli) persisted even as conditions became harsher.

Women Who Stayed: Brides, Rulers, & Bridge Builders (23:13–25:00)

• Women as Settlers & Political Actors
  • Some women, typically as marriage partners, settled in the East, bringing resources (e.g., Adelaide del Vasto, who arrived with a fleet and grain).
  • Political marriages knit Crusader states to surrounding Christian populations (Armenian, Greek, Syriac).

Soft Power and Queenship

Melisande of Jerusalem (25:00–30:19)

• Queen and “Corporate Monarchy”

  • Daughter of a crusader and an Armenian/Greek Orthodox noble.
  • Effectively ruled Jerusalem: building, patronage, diplomacy, and bridging communities.
  • “What we would call soft power is really, really influential in the medieval period. It’s all about family...a bridge between two different families…a particularly influential role.” (Hodgson, 29:09)
  • “It’s often the Crusader states that we look to because, yeah, he’s out on the battlefield or he contracted leprosy.” (Janega, 30:19)

• Women’s Roles Central to Political Stability

  • Soft power didn't just “bolster” male-led projects; it was vital to societal structures. Women’s project work—churches, alliances, charity—lasted longer than most battle victories.

Learned, Skilled, and Adventurous Women

Education, History, and Agency (31:00–33:00)

• Literacy and Administration
  • Byzantine women like Anna Komnene exemplified high education: historian, physician, political actor.
  • Many women were multilingual, skilled in diplomacy or health.

Margaret of Beverly: The Survivor (32:33–35:45)

• A “Non-Elite” Tale
  • Born to pilgrims in Jerusalem, Margaret led an adventure-filled life: fighting on the walls of Jerusalem (with a cooking pot helmet!), enduring hardship, slavery, and repeated pilgrimages.
  • “She talks about how she's fought on the walls of Jerusalem wearing a cooking pot on her head as a helmet and takes water to the soldiers.” (Hodgson, 34:00)
  • Her brother’s poem immortalized her unique story; while poetic, it signals that such adventures were within the realm of possibility and aspiration—even if rare.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Underestimating Women’s Historic Impact:
  “The things that survive to us and the things that we can say objectively change culture or change society are often these so-called soft projects that women are engaged in...These are all these traditionally feminine things that get ignored because there's no blood involved.”
  —Dr. Eleanor Janega, 28:04

• On Evidence and Memory:
  “She didn't necessarily leave her own record of events...that’s what makes her, as a historical character, so fascinating. And one of the reasons why she's so famous is because people just love re-examining those stories over and over again.”
  —Dr. Natasha Hodgson, 20:14

• On Gendered Narratives:
  “It's a very gendered way of talking about the differences between men and women here. And also it's this great way of just saying, oh yeah, well, you know, something went wrong. Probably the woman's fault.”
  —Dr. Eleanor Janega, 19:56

• On Women’s Courage and Range:
  “I always find it amazing how far they travel, how far they go and how there are these women who are engaging with all sorts of adventures across Europe at this time.”
  —Dr. Natasha Hodgson, 35:24

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:48–03:39: Setting the stage—demystifying the modern image of the crusader, introduction to women’s roles.
• 03:39–07:12: Who were the women? Roles, motivations, and how they saw themselves.
• 07:12–10:24: Sources and evidence—how do we know about women at the Crusades?
• 11:17–14:03: Popular crusades and lower-status women.
• 14:46–21:05: The myth and reality of Eleanor of Aquitaine.
• 23:13–25:00: Women who stayed in the Levant, noble marriages, and their impact.
• 25:00–30:19: Queenship, soft power, and Melisande of Jerusalem.
• 31:00–33:00: Educated women, Anna Komnena’s legacy.
• 32:33–35:45: Margaret of Beverly—adventure, survival, and literary memory.

Conclusion

This episode robustly challenges traditional narratives about the Crusades, giving voice to an essential but often invisible portion of medieval history. Women’s stories—whether noble patrons or determined servants—run through the Crusades as threads of politics, survival, diplomacy, and power. The discussion closes, fittingly, with the epic (if semi-mythic) journey of Margaret of Beverly: a testament to the reach, resilience, and remarkable lives of medieval women so often written out of history.