Rewriting the First Crusade with Thomas Smith

Medieval historians are faced with the daunting task of having to piece together around a thousand years of history without all that many written sources to speak of. But what happens if it turns out that some of the most important sources we’ve been using have been - let’s say - touched up a little? This week, Danièle speaks with Thomas Smith about letters from the First Crusade, which ones are either partially or completely invented, and what this discovery means to our understanding of the Crusades.
Thomas W. Smith is Keeper of the Scholars and Head of Oxbridge (Arts and Humanities) at Rugby School. A historian of the Crusades and the Papacy, Thomas’ latest book is Rewriting the First Crusade: Epistolary Culture in the Middle Ages.
The creator and host of The Medieval Podcast is Danièle Cybulskie.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to / medievalists

[@Medieval_History]

Thanks so much for having me on the podcast, Danièle - it was such a pleasure!

[@troydodson9641]

A small mercy to me, please. I keep trying to say that I think I get it, then hear stuff like such. Mercy
Great work, does put yet another thing on my list of trying to understand how people thought in the past. Knowing what happened is cool, but I keep getting slapped with the why