The Chanson d’Antioche portrayed the Roman emperors Titus and Vespasian as Christians.

Evidence

Chanson d’Antioche (ll. 218–248, pp.28–29) identifies the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and Vespasian as vengeance for the Crucifixion; this is standard Christian interpretation of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem and the subsequent Jewish diaspora. What is far from standard, however, is that the Chanson presents Titus and Vespasian as Christians. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1707

Categorization

• QUESTION: Why would a crusade epic recast the destroyers of Jerusalem as Christians? What theological purpose did making the conquest of Jerusalem a Christian vengeance serve?
• SEED: An essay angle: how conquerors rewrite their own past to sanctify present violence—Titus as proto-crusader foreshadows modern ‘we were here first’ arguments.