In this podcast Dr Natasha Hodgson of Nottingham Trent University discusses the development of the Crusader States, the role and influence of the Genoa, Venice and Pisa on this development and examines the origins and significance of the Holy Military Orders. Hodgson discusses what daily life was like and the role of the Crusaders, in often mixed populations. Additionally, she goes into details about the complicated relationships between the maritime and Crusader powers, and how trade continued uninterrupted despite times of tension and war. Italian maritime states and other regions of the peninsula all had roles in perpetuation of Crusader expeditions and settlers in the East, and economically benefited from their own participation. At the same time, the independence of the Italian states led to instability, as Latin powers struggled to present a unified front to rising threats. 

1. What was life like for those living in the Crusader States?
2. How were they administered/ruled?
3. What were relations like between the Crusader States, the Byzantine Empire, the Latin West, and the Muslim Near East?
4. What was the origin of the Holy (military) Orders? How were they perceived in Europe and the Near East?
5. Who were the Italian Maritime States? What was their power and significance on the eve of the First Crusade?
6. What role did the Italian Maritime states play in the development of the Crusades and the Levant?
7. How important were the Italian Maritime states to survival of Outremer?

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