The Crusades - more Frankish or more Latin?

[Creoda]

Discuss.

Crusaders were called both Franks and Latins.

Edit: referring to the Crusades in the Levant/Near East, obviously.

[NSXD60]

Had it been Italian, Muzzies might have fallen in love with the language and converted.

[Token]

The first crusade was mostly French, 'Frank' was more or less synonymous to Latin Christian at this time. Most of them spoke medieval French dialects, and a minority spoke Germanic languages. Latter crusades were more of a German affair.

[Ouistreham]

Crusaders were called both Franks and Latins.

• Since most Crusaders were from France, and secondarily from Germany, "Franks" was an expedient way to refer to them all.

• From the Middle-Age to modern times, all Europeans were called "Franks" in the Mediterranean world.
Just remember that back then the pidgin used as a trade language in the area was called "Lingua Franca", though it had nothing to do with the Franks (it was actually a simplified mix of Italian and Spanish under predominant Venetian influence).

• "Latin" in the Middle-East didn't refer to any language but to the fact Western European Christians followed the Latin (=Roman) Church, as opposed to the Byzantine Orthodox Church.

[Marmara]

In Turkey, Frank (Frenk) was a generalizing term for western catholic Europe. Like they would say "Frankish ambassadords" meaning European ambassadors.

[Jana]

Latins of Frankish origin. Northern French, west Germans etc. Who spoke Latin.

[Marmara]

Latins of Frankish origin. Northern French, west Germans etc. Who spoke Latin.

I thought Latin was already a dead language by then.

[Jana]

I thought Latin was already a dead language by then.

European nobility spoke Latin until 19th century.

[Bosniensis]

I thought Latin was already a dead language by then.

They mean Romance, and that's Germanic that absorbed native latin words i.e. Romance Frankish, Romance Vandalic (Spanish), Romance Italic (Langobard+Latin)

[Creoda]

My question is not just about personnel, but how would you better describe the Crusades as a whole, in terms of personnel, culture, spirit, organisation, politics etc; sprung from the Frankish Barbarian world or from the (post)Roman/Latin world? I guess this could also be a question relevant to France and much of Medieval Western Europe.