What does the Seal of Amalric tell us about the Crusades?
This seal shows how the First Crusade established the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem. At the same time, it also demonstrates how there was a major religious validation factor behind their crusading efforts. These religious aspects are most obvious on the back of the seal where the Holy Sepulchre and the Temple (the Dome of the Rock) are represented.
Most notably, the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine, experienced many alterations following the First Crusade. For instance, the Islamic shrine was transformed into the Templum Domini church. Inside the newly created church, an altar made for St. Nicholas and a painting of Christ were put in place. Furthermore, iron lattices were constructed around the structure. However, it’s difficult to pinpoint any additional alterations to the structure because it could have been made later.
Aside from the structural changes to the Dome of the Rock, the First Crusade altered the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. The efforts drove out the majority of its original settlers and created a divide between individuals of different ethnicities and religions at the time–and perhaps to this day.