ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to clarify what is to be understood as collateral damage in pre-Crusade Europe. It works with a view of collateral damage that encompasses the killing or wounding of people not engaged in military operations and the destruction of material assets that are not relevant to the prosecution of such efforts. It argues that, contrary to many modern views that medieval warfare was particularly barbarous, in pre-Crusade Europe there was relatively little collateral damage. This was because, by and large, the population was thoroughly militarized. Since most warfare was focused on sieges, not only were all able-bodied men called upon to defend the walls, but women, and those children who were physically able to participate, also were required to play a role in the defense. Even clergy, who were prohibited from carrying arms, are seen to have contributed to the war effort, as both sermons and religious ceremonies were understood to have improved the morale of the defenders.
