The ministry of Gerold d’Avranches: warrior-saints and knightly piety on the eve of the First Crusade

Abstract

During the 1070s, a priest named Gerold told the men and boys serving the Earl of Chester edifying stories about the warrior–saints. Gerold’s activities are often seen as indicative of the role played by the clergy in constructing the militant knightly piety that emerged on the eve of the First Crusade. A critical analysis of Gerold’s career, however, demonstrates that he himself was not an advocate of this aggressive new piety. Rather than promote knightly prowess, Gerold used the warrior-saints as models of humility in order to convince contemporary warriors to renounce the world and become monks.

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