Sovrani a confronto: il potere nella Chanson de Jérusalem

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the royal figures in the Chanson de Jérusalem, a chanson de geste presumably composed in the second half of the 12th century concerning the conquest of Jerusalem by the Crusader army in 1099. The Chanson de Jérusalem features four royal figures: two sovereigns totally invented by the author and two historically existed but who have never assumed a royal title in their life. The royal figures invented are Soldan, the Sultan of Persia, and the king of the Tafurs while the men of power that really existed are Godfrey of Bouillon, here described as king of Jerusalem, and Corbadas, his predecessor, deformation of Kerbogha, atabeg of Mosul al moment of the first crusade. The different characterization of the rulers of the Christian and Muslim camps aims to outline a pauperistic and apocalyptic ideology to promote the crusade.