ABSTRACT
This chapter poses questions about the kind of society estab-lished by the Franks in the East. What were relations with the subject peoples – both Muslim and Christian – like? Were the native peoples allowed freedom of religious worship? What was their legal status, and did the legal framework really work in practice? Recent archaeological evidence is used to assess settlement patterns in the Holy Land, and the importance of the visual culture of the Crusader States is stressed through an examination of art and architecture. Finally, there is a brief explanation of the nature of the economy of the Crusader States: how was Crusader society fed, what were the main sources of income, and what did the crown do to stimulate trade?
