In Canto Two, the old, wicked king of Jerusalem, Aladdin* wants to find a way to destroy the Christian population of the city, so that they don’t cooperate with the invaders and bring him down. An evil sorcerer and necromancer by the name of Ismen advises him to steal a sacred statue of the Virgin Mary from a Christian church and place it in his mosque, then accuse Christians for the sacrilege. The evil plan is duly carried out, and the following morning all the Christians in Jerusalem are trembling with fear, expecting certain death.
But a fair and saintly virgin, Sophronia, comes forth and confesses to the crime, seeking to become a martyr for the Christian faith. Sophronia wants to give up her life to God, although there is a man, Olindo, who is madly in love with her and has asked her to marry him several times, but in vain.
King Aladdin is filled with desire for the beautiful maiden and is amazed by her courage; he is also furious because her act has thwarted his plans, and so he condemns Sophronia to death at the stake. But as she is about to be led to the public execution place, something unexpected happens … (to be continued)
* Aladdin is an invented name, obviously much more attractive for a western audience – and more easily pronounceable – than Iftikhar ad-Daula, who was the historical ruler of Jerusalem at the time of the First Crusade.
‘A Turkish Mosque lighted after the Mahometan manner where Aladine the Emperor is seated on a Throne surrounded by his Divan 1759.’ Jane Elizabeth Collins. This information is © The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow, 2014
First Crusade Fictions 