The Crusading Furnivals: Family Tradition, Political Expediency and Social Pressure in Crusade Motivation

Abstract

By the mid-thirteenth century, many aristocratic families across Europe could lay claim to crusading ancestors, and scholarship has revealed the importance of family tradition in maintaining the momentum of the crusading movement. This study focuses on one family – the Furnivals – who produced five crusaders over three generations. It argues that, even though family tradition likely played a part in motivating some crusading Furnivals, in-depth scrutiny of three generations demonstrates that social and political concerns are at least as convincing in explaining the crusade motivation of each family member.