What does this tell us about the Crusades?
The believed patron of the Morgan Picture Bible, King Louis IX, “took greatest personal interest in religious commissions that reflected both his extreme personal piety and his desire to elevate the status of the monarchy through close association with the divine.” In other words, King Louis IX was dedicated to religious commissions that could outline his militant Christian kingship, while the crusades itself would achieve this reality. The connection between religion and battle; church and state, establishes the intended goal of dominate kingship in the time of the crusades.
In the decade following Louis’s decision to embark on crusade, the Sainte-Chapelle and the Morgan Picture Bible were produced. With the patronage of biblical art and his devotion to the crusades, it is not surprising that works such as the Sainte-Chapelle and the Morgan Picture Bible became “an affirmation of the king’s crusading ideals.”
The use of the old testament in the Morgan Picture Bible alludes to the historical importance of kingship and holy war. The Morgan Bible presents themes such as the “historical inevitabilty of war, the nature of sacrafice and unpredictability of God’s will, and the responsibilities of sacred kingship.” Although the greatest emphasis is on the representation of holy war. As seen on this specific page (MS M.638 13r), the depiction of destruction and triumph in the time of war is established by the destruction of a pagan statue, the assemby of an army, and the flight of the Midianites during war.
This page displays “the unique sensibility of crusader-inspired art” through the inclusion of an epic battle, soldiers, horses, and a moment of religious resolution; but most importantly, the violent nature of the military. As a result of these crusader ideals and its unique sensibility of crusader-inspired art, this page establishes the religous significance of the crusades through the narrative of destruction and triumph. This page illustrates the religious grip that controlled the Crusades; establishing that the violence had a purpose.