Virtual Pilgrimage
Nota bene, May 2004: this site is currently undergoing a major makeover, mainly to get the code more standards-compliant. As a result, stuff is going to be broken at random places and times. All will be well again by end of summer.
Still, you'll probably have a better experience if you just wait until fall.
Welcome to a virtual pilgrimage to the Holy Land. These pages are intended to give some sense of the places visited by medieval Christian pilgrims from western Europe around the time of the Crusades, as well as to explain some of the historical background of the pilgrimage and the experiences along the way. They are intended primarily for the students in my Crusades course, as supplemental reading, but they are also offered to the general public in the hope of providing insight and understanding.
For the pilgrimage, I have found a few companions to accompany us. Some are real, while others are completely fictional. I do this mainly to make the reading a little less dry. If you would like to investigate the history in more detail, there is a bibliography on my Inquiry page (link below). That's also where you can find credits for the many pictures I've used.
This site has many pages in it, and nearly every page has one or more pictures. Going through the entire pilgrimage, between download time and reading time, will take some hours. This is intentional. These pages really are intended for browsing and are not designed for providing quick answers. If you are working on a paper or report, I recommend that you read a couple of the books cited in my Inquiry page--you will find your answers much more quickly there.
If you are willing to take your time, however, these pages may very well prove interesting and rewarding. Educators of all stripes are welcome to make links into my site; in fact, anyone is welcome to make links into my work. If you intend to make money from these pages, however, or to re-package them in some way, then you need to talk to me first.
I can be reached through my Inquiry page. That page also has a link to a bibliography. Please read the words of advice there before sending me a note.
So, if you are all packed and ready to go, bring your 200 ducats and let's get started!