The Crusader Lordship of Transjordan (1100-1189): settlement forms, dynamics and significance

Sinibaldi, Micaela 2022. The Crusader Lordship of Transjordan (1100-1189): settlement forms, dynamics and significance. Levant 54 (1) , pp. 124-154. 10.1080/00758914.2022.2033016

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Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study of the 12th-century Crusader Lordship of Transjordan and discusses the traditional view that the principal role of this region was that of frontier of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The possibility of applying the concept of frontier to Transjordan is discussed in the context of a debate on the relationship between frontiers and castles, and of the conclusions obtained from the analysis of settlement patterns of this case study. On the basis of the documentary and archaeological data reviewed here, it is argued that the lordship had several roles, including military, political, economic and social, that were of crucial importance for the entire kingdom, to which it was tightly connected. Simply seeing the lordship and its castles as defining a frontier is not only incorrect, but also fails to reflect this region’s complexity and identity. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the common understanding that Transjordan was an isolated and peripheral region needs to be modified; instead, the elements of continuity with the rest of the kingdom were numerous and significant, to the point that several important socio-economic, military and strategic aspects of the kingdom depended largely on the existence of the Lordship of Transjordan.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Additional Information:	This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Publisher:	Routledge
ISSN:	0075-8914
Funders:	AHRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	12 July 2022
Last Modified:	17 May 2023 16:50
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/151145

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