Crusader massacre of Jerusalem was written as divine vengeance for alleged blasphemies

Evidence

We came to the temple of Solomon [i.e., the Dome of the Rock], where they [the Saracens] used to sing their rites and festivals. But what happened there? If we speak the truth, we will be beyond belief. Suffice it to say that in the temple and porch of Solomon one rode in blood up to one’s knees, and up to the horses’ reins. This was truly a judgment [of God], that that place should receive their blood, since it endured for such a long time their blasphemies against God… . I say that this day saw the weakening of all paganism, the confirmation of Christianity, and the renovation of our faith. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 647

Categorization

• QUESTION: The image of blood up to the horses’ reins — later repeated in multiple chronicles — is worth chasing: how far did crusade historians borrow and embellish this stock trope?
• SHARE: For anyone who works on crusade violence or on how mass murder is narrated as liturgy of vengeance.