Ahmed M . A . Sheir

This book considers the history of the Prester John legend and its impact on the Crusades, investigating its entangled mythical history between East and West during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The present study thus responds to the still pressing need for a comprehensive historical investigation of the twelfth and thirteenth crusading history of the legend and its impact on the Muslim-Crusader encounters, examining various Latin, Arabic, Syriac, and Coptic accounts. It further reflects on new eastern aspects of the legend, presenting a new Arab scholarly view. This book first charts a pre-history of the legend in the late ancient Christian prophecy of the Last Emperor down to the emergence of the legend in the mid-twelfth century. Second, the work presents a historical discussion of the legend and its association with actual occurrences in the Far East and the Levant, analysing the legend history under the crusading crisis and the imperial papal schism in Europe. Meanwhile, the work considers the vague Prester John Letter addressed to Manuel I Komnenus, Byzantine Emperor, and its elaborate conception of a mythical eastern kingdom, revealing imaginative parallels on the wondrous East and legendary Eastern Christian kings in Arabic Muslim and Christian accounts of the Muslim geographer and cartographer al-Idrīsī, the Coptic Ābū al-Makārim and the Syriac Ibn al-ʿIbrī (Bar Hebraeus), among others. Moreover, the book examines how the legend impacted war and peace processes between the Ayyubids and the Crusaders during the Fifth Crusade against Egypt (1217-1221), revealing how it was mingled with Arabic and Eastern Christian prophecies at the time. The study concludes by investigating the perception of Prester John by the papal and European envoys to the Mongols in the thirteenth century, revealing how the legend was instrumentalised (and even weaponised) to establish a Latin-Mongol crusade through a parallel exploration of relevant Latin, Arabic and Syriac sources. 
The book introduction is available for download from here: https://trivent-publishing.eu/home/142-180-the-prester-john-legend-between-east-and-west-during-the-crusades-entangled-eastern-latin-mythical-legacies.html#/27-cover-paperback

It is important to study not only the political-military history of the crusades but also the history of thought and culture behind the conflict, as well as the anthropology and mythology of the times. This article thus measures the impact of the legend on the hostility, and the détente that marked the relationships between the Muslims and the crusaders, from the downfall of Edessa to ´Imād al-Dín Zengi, Atabeg of Mosul, in 1144 up to the Fifth Crusade and the Capture of the Egyptian city Damietta 1217-1221. It also strives to discover the extent to which the legend shaped real events - in both the Latin West and East − and played a crucial role in forging the conflict between the Muslims and the crusaders. The article seeks to examine Latin-Crusader perception for the future king from the Far East in the figure of Prester John and how the Muslims perceived the advance of such king through the Oriental Muslim lands. Furthermore, the impact of the legend on the peace negotiations between the Ayyubids and the Crusaders during the Fifth Crusade will be examined.
https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/10.1484/M.OUTREMER-EB.5.122518

This study aims to provide a general-examined understanding of a specific “source text," or “sources excerpt," explaining the context and content of that text and its sources. It also provides a piece of brief information about the writer or historian, his method, his works, and his life, analyzing the text and its contextualization in connection with other works or events. This article endeavours to study and analyze the letter of 656/1258 addressed form Hulagu Khan (r. 654/1256- 663/1265) to al-Malik al-Nāṣir of Aleppo (r. 633-34/ 1235- 658/1260).  The Syrian cleric and scholar Ibn al-ʿIbrī (d.c.685/1286) was present at Aleppo during this time and had the precedence, among his Arab, Latin, Syrian and Persian contemporaries, to record such a letter in his unique Arabic chronicle Tārīḫ Muḫtaṣar al-duwal.  Therefore, this article studies the discourse of the writings and life of Ibn al-ʿIbrī, provides an examination for the context and content of the said letter and in which historical context it was written.  I propose to determine the Latin perception of Prester John in the figure of a Mongol ruler, especially Genghis Khan during the Fifth Crusade, and the late imagined perception in Hulagu Khan. Eventually, I analyze, contextualize, and interpret the letter and its historical context, comparing it with some (selective) contemporaneous and subsequent sources.

The crusading movement influenced Muslim-Crusader thoughts and imaginations. It, in turn, changed the way in which West and East perceived each other. Thereby the legends played a role in transferring some imaginative and legendary conceptions shaped the Crusades’ events. This paper studies the legend of Prester John and its development over space and time, examining how Prester John was perceived in the fact of a Christian saviour and a Mongol ruler during the 12th and 13th century. Additionally, I strive to measure the extent to which such connections and imaginations shaped the historical events of the conflict between the Muslims and the Crusaders at the time.

The Crusade movement is one of the most important occurrences of medieval history, which took place throughout two centuries in the Levant and affected both Muslims and crusaders and in turn changed the way in which West and East related to one another.  When the crusaders invaded the Levant in 1096/ 490 Ah, they took control of the Holy Land and many other Muslim cities and established four main lordships, Jerusalem, Edessa, Antioch and Tripoli. In addition, there were another twelve secondary fiefs,  of which Tibnīn was one.  This paper deals with the issues of the crusader governance in Tibnīn and its evolution until one of its ruler, Humphrey II, became the Constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and his grandson, Humphrey IV, became a key figure in the game of the conflict around the Jerusalem's throne after the death of Baldwin V in 1186. It examines the adopted crusading settlement policy in the rural area of the Levant via establishing such small fortified castles, by which they aimed to control the commercial roads and to monitor the Muslim garrisons in the near around areas. In addition, the possessions of Humphrey I's dynasty, rulers of Tibnīn, in the Levant and their relations with the kings of Jerusalem, the crusader nobles, and the Muslims will be discussed. The study also illustrate how Tibnīn returned to the hands of the Muslims in 1187/583. This will be done by a critical analysis of the historical narratives in oriental and Western resources and references.
تٌعد الحركة الصليبية واحدة من أهم الأحداث التاريخية في العصور الوسطي، والتي حدثت علي مدار قرنيَّن من الزمن، وقد أثرت علي الجانبين الإسلامي والصليبي. ومن ثم؛ فقد أدت إلي تغيير الطريقة التي يرتبط بها الغرب والشرق مع بعضهما البعض.  فبعد أن اجتاحت الجيوش الصليبيية بلاد الشام في عام 1096م/ 490 هـ، قامت بالاستيلاء علي الأراضي المقدسة والعديد من المدن الشامية الأخري، وأسسوا أربع إمارات صليبية وهي الرها وبيت المقدس وأنطاكية وطرابلس، بالإضافة اثنتا عشرة إقطاعية ثانوية صغري، والتي كانت من بينهم تبنين أو "تورون" موضوع الدراسة.  ومن ثم فهذه الورقة تتناول قضية الحكم الصليبي في تبنين وتطوره  إلي أن أحد حكامها- همفري الثاني- كونستبل "قائد الجيش" في مملكة بيت المقدس، وحفيده همفري الرابع، شخصية رئيسية في مسألة الصراع حول عرش مملكة بيت المقدس بعد وفاة بلدوين  الخامس في 1186م. ويهدف البحث كذلك إلي توضيح  السياسية الاستيطانية التي تبناها الكيان الصليبي في المناطق الريفية في بلاد الشام، وذلك من خلال تأسيس مثل تلك القلاع الصليبيية الصغيرة، والتي من خلالها أراد الصليبييون السيطرة علي الطرق التجارية ومراقبة الحاميات الإسلامية في المناطق المجاورة. كما أن الدراسة تتناول  أملاك أسرة همفري الحاكمة لتبنين وعلاقاتهم مع مملكة بيت المقدس والنبلاء الصليبيين بها، علاوة علي علاقاتهم مع المسلمين. وأخيراً، توجز الدراسة كيفية عودة الحكم الإسلامي في تبنين في عام 1187م/ 583هــ. وهو الأمر الذي سيتم شرحه من خلال دراسي تحليلية للمصادر والكتابات التاريخية، الشرقية منها والغربيةُ.

أسطورة الكاهن يوحنا في مواجهة المفاوضات السلمية بين المسلمين والصليبيين في دمياط إبان الحملة الصليبية الخامسة (1218-1221م/615-618هــ، في العلاقات بين الشرق والغرب.دراسات متنوعة: عصور وسيطة ومعاصرة

There is a relationship between legends on one side, and human heritage, as well as the intellectual development of the societies’ theology, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, and history on another side. Therefore, it is significant to discuss and analyze the myths and legends, measuring their impact on the hostility and the détente that marked the relations between Muslims and Crusaders during the age of the Crusades. What we discover is the extent to which the Prester John legend shaped real events – in both the Latin West and the East − and played a role in forging the history of the Crusader-Muslim conflict during the Fifth Crusade over the Egyptian city Damietta.
It is important to study not only the political-military history of the Crusades but also the history of thought and culture behind the conflict, as well as the anthropology and mythology of the times. This work thus examines the legend of Prester John, one of the most influential legends at the time of the Crusades and afterward, by focusing on the extent to which it captured the Crusader-Western imagination and how in turn it affected the peace and reconciliation negotiations between the Latin Christians of the Fifth Crusade and the Muslims. It also investigates if the legend influenced and shaped Muslim thinking. In so doing, the present paper aims to clarify the degree to which this legend was actually reflected in the collective imaginings of Latin Christians in the West and in the Levant during the Fifth Crusade, and how it contributed to shaping the real events of peace negotiations
in Damietta at that time.

Tibnīn was an important small Crusader fief and a fortified castle. It was vital for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, because it included fertile agricultural lands, was a tax collection centre, and because it controlled the Damascus-to-Tyre commercial route. Additionally, its castle played defensive and offensive role in the north of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and upper Galilee, and its rulers of Tibnīn played a major role in forming the history of the Latin East. When the Crusaders invaded the Levant at the end of the eleventh century, it was given rise to new demographic, cultural, socioeconomic , and architectural features. The present Paper aims at removing some of the mystery concerning the fief of Tibnīn and its castle in the Latin East. This paper thus is a study of the demographic structure of Tibnīn and discusses the socioeconomic role of Tibnīn in the Latin east. Moreover, the role of Tibnīn in influencing the relations between Muslims and the Crusaders in the Levant and the architecture of the castle of Tibnīn and its importance in the age of the Crusade will be examined.

This paper traces the military role of Tibnīn and its rulers in the Latin East against the
Muslims until 1187/ 583. Tibnīn played a key role in overcoming the Muslims in Tyre and
controlled it in 1124. It also played a vital role in the conflict between Damascus and the
Kingdom of Jerusalem. Tibnīn participated in defending Antioch, Banyas, Hebron and
Transjordan several times. Furthermore, its soldiers and Knights joined the army of the Kingdom
of Jerusalem to capture Ascalon in 1153, and joined the campaigns of Amaury I, King of
Jerusalem, against Egypt from 1164 to1169. The military situation of Tibnīn under the rule of the
royal house until its fall to the Muslims in 1187/ 583 will be studied as well.

Among the thousands of poetic fragments preserved in the Cairo Genizah is a small but significant body of Arabic poetry in both Hebrew and Arabic scripts, dating from the 11th century to the early modern period. The poems encompass copies of major poets of the Arabic-Islamic canon, poetic responses to these works and variations on their themes, as well as entirely novel compositions, from philosophical musings to folk poetry in Arabic dialects. Within this corpus are a number of previously unknown poems that condemn Christianity – both explicitly or through its symbolism– and lament its transitory rule over Jerusalem. This talk will
introduce the poems and place them within their liturgical and cultural context as well as within the wider body of both Jewish and Muslim polemical literature against Christianity – especially during the Crusader period.
Ahmed Sheir & Ben Outhwaite

The ERC-funded research project, "Arabic Poetry in the Cairo Genizah (APCG)," undertakes a comprehensive exploration of Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic poetry within the Cairo Genizah, aiming to uncover hidden facets of the socio-cultural, literary, and anthropological history of Middle Eastern Jews during medieval and early modern periods. The project sheds light on interconnected relationships between Jews, Christians, and Muslims, using Genizah Arabic poetry as a lens to examine and shape this history. The first paper for A. Sheir, "Jewish Voices in Medieval and Pre-modern Middle East through Genizah Poetry," explores the socio-cultural history of Middle Eastern Jews during Ayyubid and Mamluk Egypt, revealing the dynamics of coexistence and interreligious dialogue. The second paper for M. Imran Khan, "Judaeo-Islamic Virtue Ethics in the Cairo Genizah," explores the confluence of Arabic and Hebrew in Genizah poetry, emphasizing shared themes within Islam and Judaism that promote virtue ethics. The third paper for Mohamed Ahmed and Ben Outhwaite, "Bilingualism in Genizah Arabic Poetry," investigates the intertwining of Arabic and Hebrew, showcasing evidence of a multicultural and multilingual society through linguistic and graphic forms in medieval and pre-modern poetic manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah.

This project proposes the analysis of the nature, quantity and quality of peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims between XI. and XV. century, in an area between the Iberian Peninsula and the Levant.
The aim is to reconstruct the mode of peaceful co-existence at different levels: from that of the Catalan, Genoese, Pizza and Venetian merchants present in their fundus across the Mediterranean to that of the rulers
of the Western European "States" and their counterparts: the Byzantine Empire and the different Islamic Entities. It also aims to examine the nature, quantity and quality of peaceful relations between Frederick II.
and Muslims (Ayyubids) in the Holy Land at the time of the crusades; analysis to what extent they deliberately attempted to live in peace; and explore how and why peace was made and kept. It is important to study not only the military aspects but also the diplomatic and political interrelations. Positive results were achieved thanks to the personal relationships of mutual respect existing between the leaders of the long diplomatic negotiations that led to a share of the common Christian-Muslim holy city of Jerusalem. With great pragmatism Frederick II. attempted to achieve a realpolitik more imprinted on a possible peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, as he had previously made in Lucera (Apulia). The purpose of this study is to discover, understand and analyze the diplomatic relations between east and west, moreover its impact on the Eastern and Western society. This will be done by studying the exchanged missions, letters, and negotiations between the two sides, in addition to examine the various historical narratives in the oriental and western, Muslim and Christian, Arabic and foreign-language sources, chronicles and literature.

A New Face of War and Peace: How Prester John legend influenced the Muslim-Crusader Conflict of the Fifth Crusade (1218-1221/ 615-618 AH)

Abstract:
It is significant to discuss and analyze the myths and legends, measuring their impact on the hostility and the détente that marked the historical events and the relations between the Muslims and the Crusaders during the age of the Crusades.  It is important to study not only the political-military history of the Crusades, but also the history of thought and culture behind the conflict, as well as the anthropology and mythology of the times. This work thus examines the legend of Prester John, one of the most influential legends at the time of the Crusades and afterward, by focusing on the extent to which it captured the Crusader-Western imagination and how in turn it affected the war and peace negotiations between the Latin Christians of the Fifth Crusade and the Muslims.
What we discover is the extent to which Prester John legend shaped real events – in both the Latin West and the East − and played a role in forging the Crusader-Muslim conflict during the Fifth Crusade over the Egyptian city Damietta. In so doing, the present paper aims to clarify the degree to which this legend played an actual role in changing the course of the warfare between Crusaders and Muslims, and how it contributed to shaping the real events of war and peace between the Crusaders and the Muslims in Egypt at that time.

The historical memory of the crusades conveyed the war and hostility aspects more than the peace-diplomatic appearances. Such paper considers whether the crusades' memory transmitted some diplomatic-peaceful aspects to the modern period, or only transferred images of war and conflict. It examines the memory of the crusades reflected in some writing-models of modern Arab-Egyptian works and to discover the developments in crusade historiography between the past and present. This study will first attempt to restore intellectually, conceptually and historically, some of the peaceful-diplomatic aspects that took place during the crusades. Then, it seeks to study the concept of the crusades in the account of al-Jabartī (d.1825), “'Ajāʼib al-āthār,” an eyewitness of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt (1798-1801).
It also discusses the crusades’ representation in the writings of Rifa’a al-Ṭahṭāwī (d.1873), the pioneer of the intellectual renaissance in modern Egypt. At the start of the twentieth century, extraordinary studies on the crusades were published, as a natural reaction to the extension of the imperial powers in much of the non-western world, especially the Arab World.  Then the idea of the crusade was employed as an instrument of nationalism against the colonial powers in the Arab world, to demand democracy, liberty, and independence. Consequently, the image of the crusades between myth and reality in the first Arabic literature written about the Crusades in 1899 would be discussed. I will examine the Crusades’ memory at Muṣṭafā Kāmil (d. 1908), an Egyptian lawyer, journalist, nationalist activist, and Saad Zaghloul (d.1927), who led the resistance movement against the British imperialism in Egypt. 
This study discusses the gradual increase of writing about the Crusades at the 20th C., and how emotionally charged interpretations of the Crusades came into the literature. Moreover, it analyzes the Crusades’ perception in the era of the Egyptian president Abd el-Nasser.

This conference aims to discuss the mutual relations between the Mamluks and the West from a German-Egyptian academic perspective. Therefore, Egyptian scholars will discuss the different aspects of contemporary Mamluk studies with their German counterparts. For a long time Egyptian and Arab scholars worked in close national circles without much contact to international academia, as against also the German and western scholars have for their part not taken into consideration Arab partners and their findings. We aim to fill this gap between the western and eastern research agenda of Mamluk studies in order to create a common research platform for the near future.