ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to retrace the ways in which the memory of the medieval crusades has been retrieved at the dawn of contemporary times as a cultural device that gave meaning to political and religious struggles in Europe. In doing so, the chapter compares forms of memory and forms of engagement, considering how the memory of the crusades affected religious cultures. The chapter focuses on two main contexts of memorial re-emergence and concrete mobilisation of the idea of crusade: the counter-revolutionary period and the national-romantic one. The essay mainly analyses the Spanish and Italian cases, both of which are characterised by national and patriotic claims, and it focuses on preaching, communication and press items. By reactivating mechanisms of distinction between ‘us’ and ‘others’, cultural memory created new conflicts and divisions within communities, including forms of intolerance.
