Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Turkish Alterity in Chronicles from the Latin East, 1099-1127

Abstract

This article examines the image of the Turks in narratives written in the Latin East following the expedition widely known as the First Crusade (1096-99). The Turks did not feature in biblical or (late) antique ethnographic sources, to which Western authors turned when they wanted to know more about peoples in the Middle East. As “new people” they had to be assigned a place in the greater scheme of things. Narratives written shortly after the crusade and up to Walter the Chancellor (post-1119) tended to characterize the Turks as a barbarian people coming from the northern parts of the world. This image is likely connected to seventh- and eighth-century apocalyptic prophecies asserting that the End of Days would be preceded by an invasion of peoples from the North. These prophecies contributed to a more general idea that the peoples from the Eurasian steppes were cruel barbarians-an image that had its roots in antique ethnography in turn. Despite eschatological overtones in some chronicles, the Turks are nowhere directly associated with the Apocalypse. Fulcher of Chartres (ca. 1059-ca. 1127) recast the Turks as an Eastern people, still operating in the eschatological context of the First Crusade, but in a different way. His reorientation of the Turks must be seen in light of a renewed interest in climate theory-the ancient idea that geographic location shapes character. The article shows how each author’s individual background informed his choice to take a more ethnographic, individual, or climatological approach to Turkish alterity.