ABSTRACT
Western settlement in the lands of the eastern Mediterranean required some measure of adaptation to new conditions, at times markedly different from those to which the knights had previously been accustomed. This was especially the case in the Crusader Levant, where the knightly elite, predominantly of rural origin, established itself in conquered cities and became urbanized. The geographical diffusion of knightly values in the Crusader states of the eastern Mediterranean mainly occurred within the social milieu of royal, princely and baronial courts and entourage, the meeting ground of knights from all ranks. Hunting and hawking were widely practised by the knightly class in the West. The courtly literature produced in the Crusader states was closely akin in its genres, themes and forms to western French literature. Courtly literature was not the only literary vehicle for the expression of social attitudes and group identity.
