"The Brethren: A Romance of the Crusades"
This is an account of the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin (Salah-ed-din) during the Crusades, and of his relationship with a family of English knights. Some twenty years before the story begins Saladin, son of Ayoub, befriends a Frankish knight, Sir Andrew D'Arcy, who is wounded and has fallen into his power. Sir Andrew falls in love with Saladin's sister, Zobeide, and elopes with him to England. They are married, and she dies some time after giving birth to a daughter, Rosamund ("Rose of the World").
Saladin, now grown to be ruler of the Islamic east, dreams of his neice - of whose existence he had hitherto been unsure. He dreams, thrice, that she would bring peace and save thousands of lives, through her sacrifice. He is determined to bring her to his court in Damascus, so sends his most trusted emir, Hassan, to England to recover her - by force if necessary, but ideally with her consent.
Wulf, Godwin and Rosamund are ambushed by masked men, and only escape by the daring of Rosamund swimming the creek by St Peter-on-the-Wall on her horse, and Godwin and Wulf charging the men. Although they are wounded, they manage to save Rosamund from capture. They are told that the party is acting for Sir Hugh Lozelle, who had fought Godwin the previous year over Rosamund, and they see no reason to doubt this claim.
Godwin and Wulf are knighted for their actions. They then ask Rosamund if she will marry them - though she answers that she will chose one in two years. In the meantime the knights will join the King in Normandy.
A palmer (or religious pilgrim) from the Holy Land, one Nicholas of Salisbury, arrives at the Hall at Steeple, near Stangate Priory, Essex, where the widowed Sir Andrew lives with his daughter Rosamund, and her cousins, the twin squires Godwin and Wulf, orphan sons of Sir Andrew's brother, who fell in the wars in the Holy Land. Nicholas bears a patent creating Rosamund Princess of Baalbec, and a gift of jewels of great value. She is warned that she has a year in which to decide whether she will come freely, or whether she will be taken by force. He disappears before he can be questioned. But Rosamund, Godwin and Wulf are told the full tale of the marriage of Rosamunds parents.
A ship arrives in Southminster, and the Cypriot Georgios had a large quantity of wine and other goods from the east to sell. Such stuff was normally unobtainable in Essex, so Wulf brought a cartload. Georgios delivered this himself to Steeple Hall, on Christmas Day. Because his wagon breaks a wheel Georgios is invited by Sir Andrew to stay for dinner. The inhabitants of the Hall are drugged by Georgios, using some of his choice wine. But Sir Andrew doesn't drink because of illness, and Rosamund never touches wine. The two flee to the solar as soon as they see what has happened. The house is invaded by a party of masked easterns, led by Prince Hassan - Georgios. Sir Andrew holds them off until he is mortally wounded by the 'palmer' Nicholas crashing through the solar window.
Rosamund is forced to accompany them to their ship, and they sail away. Upon recovering the household discover Sir Andrew, who is able to tell them what has occurred, though he is paralised and dying. Godwin is entrusted by Sir Andrew with a signet ring which he had been given by Jebal, the head of the Assassins, and the brethren are couselled to seek him out and gain his aid to recover Rosamund.
Some time later Godwin and Wulf, disquised but ill as the pilgrims Peter and John of Lincoln, arrive in the east. Just as they are about to land they are overheard by the trader Thomas of Ipswich, in talk of the Sheik Al-jebal, the Old Man of the Mountain. He warns them to not speak of such folk. On coming ashore they are met by a young woman, Masouda of Beirut, who takes them to her inn, somewhat against their wishes. She is evidently some sort of spy, or informer, but seems well-disposed to them. When she discovers that they plan to visit the Al-jebal, who she called Sinan, at his castle of Masyaf, she provides matchless Arab horses for them. These are brought by her uncle, whom she calls the Son of the Sans. The four ride the horses, Smoke and Flame, on a wild ride which includes leaping wide crevasses. The Son of the Sand is impressed by the knights horsemanship. But Godwin, who carried Masouda behind him, thought that she kissed him as they leapt the fearful chasm.
They are escorted by Masouda, dressed as a boy ("David"), on the road to Masyaf. Godwin saves Masouda from a lioness, which he fought though he had never seen one before.
The narrative now catches up with Rosamund. We learn that she has been ill with shock, and only recovered his wits as the ship neared the coast of Syria. She has been cared for by Frenchwoman Marie Bouchet, who was hired by Prince Hassan at Marsailles for this purpose. The captain of the ship is none other than Sir Hugh Lozelle, who is in the pay of Saladin. He has betrayed Saladin, and is sailing for Jebela not Dardesahas, to deliver Hassan to the Al-jebal and to get Rosamund for himself. However Rosamund, who cannot sleep, spots the attacking boatloads of Assassins before they come aboard, and resistence of a sort is mounted. The Saracens are all killed - except for Hassan, who is captured - and Rosamund finds herself in the hands of the dreaded Assassins.
The brethren, with Masouda, arrive at Masyaf, where they are surprised to find Rosamund, Lozelle, and the body of the palmer, whom Hassan has killed in escaping.
An embassy of Saladin arrives, asking for Rosamund to be returned to him. Sinan retorts that he will marry her first.
The brethren, disquising their true relationship with Rosamund, claim to be her brothers, and they are suffered to see her. They fear Lozelle will spill the beans. However he is kept away from Sinan when Wulf challenges him to a duel for being a traitor. The kindly Assassin chief offers to allow them the pleasure of a fight to the death on the perilously narrow causeway of the fortress - mounted on horseback.
Wulf fights Lozelle on Smoke, and prevails, though he is wounded by Lozelle's treachery. The brethren rode on to a gateway which Masouda has shown them, where they are later met by her and Rosamund. Masouda has used the signet, which Godwin has entrusted to her, to arrange all. They flee on horseback, but are pursed. Godwin, as the elder brother, orders Wulf and Rosamund to fly for Emesa on Smoke and Flame, and he and Masouda make the best time they can on the horses of two soldiers the knights killed at the gateway. Thinking that they are about to be taken - and knowing well the likely result of that - Masouda tells Godwin that he father was an Arab, and her mother a Frenchwoman. She was raised as a Christian, until she was 12, when her parents were killed by the Assassins, and she was taken into the Harem of Sinan. She has been his slave since. Godwin realises that Masouda loves him, but, although he is full of admiration for her, he does not love her.
Wulf and Rosamund stop, to share the fate of the others. The Assassin cavalry are almost upon them when the see a squadron of Saracens, led by none other than Prince Hassan. He managed to reach safety and has returned with an army to rescue the Princess of Baalbec if he might, and if not, to wreak a terrible vengeance upon the Assassins.
The party travel on in safety to Damascus, via the city of Baalbec, where Rosamund is received as Princess. Saladin meets them kindly, although he is suspicious of Masouda. The brethren become officers of the sultan's bodyguard, which they might do since Cross and Crescent are at peace for the moment. However they are warned that they will die if they try to flee with Rosamund - though they can go alone if they wish. Masouda discovers a plot by the Assassins to kill Saladin, and the knights hold off the attackers.
A new Jihad, or holy war, is proclaimed in Syria and the east, and the power of Islam is on the raise, to capture Jerusalem from the Christians. The knights are forced to leave Damascus to join the army of the King of Jerusalem. Godwin sees a vision of the destruction of the host, and tells the captains of the army. But he is misbelieved, especially when it becomes known that they are friendly with Saladin, bretroathed to his niece, and former members of his bodyguard. Against the warning of Godwin the army sets out across the waterless desert to attack Saladin. The result is a rout at the battle of Hattin, the capture of the True Cross, which accompanied the army in the custody of the Bishop of Acre. Godwin and Wulf are captured after launching a forlorn hope - a single-handed (or rather, four-handed) attack on the person of the Sultan. Wulf manages to reach Hassan, and killed him as he promised he would in payment for the drugged wine in Steeple Hall. The Emir gives Wulf the priceless jewel of his house, the "Star of Hassan" (or "Luck of Hassan") before he dies.
Saladin entertains the captured leaders of the Christian army, including the King, bu beheads Reginald de Chatillon prince Arnat, as a peace-breaker, and the knights of the Temple and of St John, for similar reasons.
Godwin and Wulf are released outside Ascalon, free to rejoin the army (or what is left of it) at Jerusalem.
Masouda arranges another plot to free Rosamund, by briding the Mameluke captain Abdullah with a promise of the Luck of Hassan. However this is discovered by the head eunuch Mesrour, and the captain is killed. The knights are accused of plotting to free Rosamund, but no one knows which is guilty - for Mesrour (and Abdullah confirmed this before he died) only heard the one speaking. Saladin makes Rosamund give two caskets to the knights - one will have the Star in it, and so idenntify the guilty party. Wulf is found guilty, upon which (nature proving too strong for her self-control) Rosamund reveals that she loved Wulf. He is happy to learn this, even at so fearful a price.
Godwin asks Saladin to let him die instead - to allow Rosamund to marry the man of her choice (though she had always said she would marry the other, if her first choice was dead), because he not Wulf was guilty, and because he was the eldest. Saladin accepts this request. However, after bidding farewell to a veiled Rosamund,who started when she saw it was Godwin and not Wulf about to be beheaded, but spoke not a word, Saladin gave both of them their freedom.
They are surprised to be met outside Ascalon by the Son of the Sands, and a veiled woman he says is his relative - who they are to escort to Jerusalem, but not talk to. On the journey Godwin is overwhelmed by a sense of doom, and this passes suddenly, convincing him that Rosamund has died. They arrive in Jerusalem, and Rosamund reveals herself. She tells them Masouda has arranged this. Godwin, realising the terrible danger she is in, decides he must return to Damascus to rescue her. Wulf and Rosamund wish to do so also, as they realise the risk Masouda has taken for them, but Godwin forbade it. Rosamund is placed in the nunnery of the Holy Cross, and Wulf joins the defenders of the city.
Godwin enters the Saracen camp. Saladin asks him why he has returned, given that he has taken away Rosamund, for which he is doomed. Godwin explains that he is innocent of the plot, and that he has come to plead on Masouda's behalf, if she is still in the city. She is still there - he is shown her corpse. She has been beheaded still dressed in the robes which enabled her to masquarade as Rosamund well enough to fool both Saladin and Godwin. Godwin is distraught, and realises (too late, as Masouda knew) that he loved her. With the two women whom he loved beyond his reach is reconsiders his future, and returns to a youthful ambition to seek the cloister. He seeks counsel from Bishop Egbert, who has remained in Ascalon, and joins the Church, being ordained the next day.
Saladin offers to spare the city of Jerusalem if Rosamund surrenders herself freely, knowing the fate to which she is doomed. She agrees to do so, and Sir Wulf accompanies her. Before they leave the Holy Cross monastery they are shriven by Bishop Egbert and receive the sacrement of the dying. Saladin occupies the city in a manner which passed at the time for gentleness and mercy - only those who couldn't pay ten pieces of gold were to be enslaved, and there was no general massacre or sack. On the day appointed for their joint doom Rosamund and Wulf are surprised to find that they are to be married first. The service is conducted by Egbert, and Godwin, whom they have not seen, but from whom they received a letter, blesses them. To the surprise and joy of all Saladin then says they are free to go, having fulfilled him dream (for if the city had been taken by storm the 80,000 inhabitants, and thousands of Saracens, would have perished), and taught him mercy and self-sacrifice.
This was one of Haggard's favourite novels. It is strong in historical detail, and covers a period of great interest to him. The Crusades have suffered in recent decades from revisionist historians and apologists, but was really seen by many as the defence and recovery of the Holy Land from the advancing Muslims. Saladin, in common with most Western literature (not least "The Talisman" by Sir Walter Scott, Bt) is a chivalric gentleman, eastern yet appreciative of the virtues of Christian chivalry. He was cruel, but not wantonly, ruthless but principled. The villains were the Assassins, who had no principles but the maintenance of their power through terrorism, and (to a lesser extent) the perfidious Christians, such as Sir Hugh Lozelle and Prince Reginald de Chatillon. Prince Hassan is a gentleman, as is the saintly Bishop Egbert.
While this story is dominated to a large extent by the events around which it is woven, particularly the battle of Hattin, and the fall of Jerusalem, the story is very much a personal one. The Brethren, Wulf and Godwin, are on a personal quest to rescue their love Rosamund. Haggard portrays these shameful events with sensitivity, and the capture and mockery of the True Cross is especially moving. But the highlight of the story must be theme of sacrifice. Masouda sacrifices herself for Godwin - and he repays her by vowing himself to a life of chastity as a monk. Rosamund promises to sacrifice herself for the people of Jerusalem, and Wulf asks to join her. Even Prince Hassan sacrifices himself, knowing that his death lay at the hands of the brethren, though he might have escaped and lived. Though there are many terrible events shown in these pages, the spirit man prevails, and we know that there is hope for the future.
Highlights are many, from the attack on Steeple Hall and the vain defence by Sir Andrew D'Arcy, the wide ride of the Brethren on Smoke and Flame, meeting the chief of the Assassins and the subsequent fight of the bridge, to the Battle of Hattin. The seige of the city, and the resolution of the nuns of the Holy Cross monastery to mutilate themselves to save themselves from being ravished by the invading Muslims, and the appeal to Rosamund Princess of Baalbec to submit herself to her uncle Saladin - and probable death - were especially moving.