Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 204 Medieval Court
The County of Tripoli was the last of the Crusader states to be established.

Its theoretical founder was Count Raymond IV of Toulouse, who was nominated as king by those around him after conquering the holy city of Jerusalem.

But Count Raymond IV of Toulouse declined the offer, perhaps because he felt that Jerusalem was an unlucky place.

Then, the nobles turned around and supported Godfrey to become king.

After a series of adventures, Raymond chose to besiege the city of Tripoli and tried to establish a new country for himself.

But before Tripoli was captured, Raymond was gone...

The city of Tripoli was not captured until more than four years after Raymond's death.

Just like the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Tripoli was also a state in which the Franks occupied the ruling class and a large number of Orthodox Christians and Muslim groups were the main body of society.

The arrival of the Franks did not fundamentally change the social structure.

But it also provides a higher level arbiter of social order.

To be honest, compared with the science and technology of Arab civilization, the Arabs' ability to construct a political system is really poor...they are the object of ridicule by the Mongols.

Therefore, it is not without basis for the Leper King to say that he brought order to Palestine.

After a relatively mature ruling structure was established, someone reported Gellis to the local lord for practicing medicine illegally, and the report was actually accepted!

The center of Botlen Territory is the town of Botlen, and the center of the town is a square.

The sun is shining brightly in April. It is spring in Palestine, the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the dry season.

The wheat has already borne fruit, and this is the last leisure time before the harvest.

The court was set up on a makeshift wooden platform, with a flag with the lord's family crest fluttering in the wind behind it.

The square was crowded with townspeople who came to watch, including women, children, vendors, and craftsmen, all stopping here.

The court in the Middle Ages was a very abstract thing, not bound by time, place, or organizational form...

The nobles had their own courts of nobles, the manors their own courts of manors, the cities their own courts of burgesses, the Italians their own courts of Italians, and the Saracens their own courts of Saracens.

In the Syrian-Palestinian territory, you can find a large number of non-overlapping court organizations, whose heads, court opening times, and targeted groups are basically inconsistent.

The court currently in session is presided over by the lord himself and is held roughly once a year or half a year to routinely review and deal with conflicts and disputes across ethnic groups and classes within the territory.

This type of court usually only meets once in a long time and each session lasts for a long time.

Since it is not a permanent court and a verdict may not be made in court, a case may drag on for several years or even until the plaintiff dies.

However, after all, it is the lord or the lord's representative who comes to review the case personally, so it is also the most authoritative court in the territory.

Therefore, people nearby would come to watch.

Of course, not every case takes a long time to get a result.

In some cases, when the defendant cannot speak in defense, the Lord's Court can handle the case very efficiently.

"I pronounce a sentence! This pig, who killed a child and ate his body, is sentenced to death by hanging! And it must be stewed into soup and shared with everyone present!"

In the dock, the domestic pig that was forced to lift its front legs and put them on the railing grunted a few times, as if expressing its protest.

But obviously, the humans present did not understand what it meant. Only after hearing that they could share a pig, they began to cheer and shout the name of Lord Pulwan.

At the same time, because of this verdict, the guards on the side were also in a dilemma, not knowing how to hang a pig on the gallows...

After the pig was dragged away screaming by its front legs, another Frank stepped forward and indicated that he wanted to file a complaint.

The townspeople present all knew that this guy was called Clovis, and he was the town's doctor and barber.

Well, maybe barber is my job.

In the 12th century, because certain Christian doctrines opposed bloodshed, the church began to restrict monks from practicing medicine.

Instead, the barbers in the monasteries who helped the monks to cut their Mediterranean hair styles began to take over the duties of surgeons.

The person Clovis wanted to sue was also a doctor. The doctor had just arrived in the town and was widely praised for his low medical prices.

Because of that young doctor, Clovis' business has been difficult in the past two weeks.

In this case, he directly accused the new doctor in court of practicing medicine illegally!
After hearing Dr. Clovis' accusation, Lord Pulwan of Botelun scratched the back of his head and felt that this matter was a bit troublesome.

Illegal medical practice, this concept itself is quite abstract...

The opposite of illegal medical practice is definitely legal medical practice.

But did the Franks have the concept of legally practicing medicine?
Just when Lord Plivan was about to refuse to accept the accusation, someone else stood up and shouted at Plivan.

"My Lord! That quack doctor Garys has done a lot of harm to people! Someone's hand was inflamed and festering, but he refused to amputate it! The patient was lucky to survive. What if he died because he didn't amputate it?"

Lord Plivan, this is even more difficult to deal with, because this doesn't seem to have anything to do with practicing medicine illegally.

It is quite common these days for patients to die from medical treatment. If the patient can survive without amputation, isn’t that great?

But seeing more and more people standing up to accuse Garys in the audience, it seems inappropriate to not accept the case.

Plivan then sent guards to bring Garys over.

After a while, the people in the town square saw a young man and a strong man, holding the guards sent by Pulwan on the left and right, and walking towards them by the collars.

This scene made everyone in the square silent.

After all, no one had thought that what Garys revealed was not the temperament of a doctor, but a kind of rage that was ready to prey on anyone.

Fortunately, Gellis did not resist appearing in court this time.

So Pulivan started following the process, wanting to wrap up the case as quickly as possible.

"Ahem, Garys."

"exist."

"Barber Clovis, you are accused of practicing medicine illegally and causing harm to others. Do you plead guilty?"

"I plead not guilty."

"Barber Clovis, Garys pleads not guilty. Do you have anything to add?"

"Sir, I am a Jesuit monk. I have inherited medical skills from the monastery. I want to know how a foreigner like him can practice medicine freely in our place!"

Garys couldn't help but roll his eyes as he listened to Clovis' words.

To be honest, he never thought that one day he would actually need that parchment.

"Sir, I need to defend myself. I do have a medical license!"

As he said this, Gailis took out a roll of certificates from the bag he was carrying.

Then he saw Pulwan on the stage raise his eyebrows and become interested. He had heard that Arab doctors had medical licenses.

But, when did Gellis, a Frank, get a medical license?

Could it be that this person had been to Cairo or Damascus to study?
Would those Muslims accept a Christian as a student?

Because he was really curious, Plivan asked a guard to take the parchment scroll from Gellis.

After taking a quick glance, he couldn't help but gasp. It was so formal that he was surprised.

The content of this document, written in Latin, can be said to be very detailed.

After thinking for a moment, Puliwan simply read it out loud in public.

"This is to be granted to: Gairis, male, a loyal citizen of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, who has studied medicine at the Al-Hadi School in his country and has been approved by the Royal Medical Guild and the Church. I am hereby granted a medical license."

“I. Grant of Rights”

"From today on, Gairis has obtained the right to legally practice medicine in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and its vassal territories."

"This includes the following activities: diagnosing disease, performing surgery, administering medicines..."

"Second, medical practice standards..."

"3. Prohibitions and restrictions..."

"Fourth, the penalty for violating the terms..."

“…If improper medical practice results in the death of a patient, the case shall be judged by the Church of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.”

"This license is jointly approved by the Medical Guild of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Church, and is hereby issued and required to be followed in order to maintain health and justice in faith."

"Time: October 23, 1187"

"Authorized by: Isabella de Jerusalem-Anjou, Guerre de Villeroy, Abdullah bin Majid"

This medical license not only includes the name of the license holder, professional qualifications, scope of practice, and code of conduct, but also includes details of the penalties for violating the terms.

It can be said that this is no longer just a certification of medical qualifications, but also a legal document that constrains the behavior of doctors.

And since it was stamped with the seal of "Jerusalem-Anjou", it was obviously authorized by the royal family of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The County of Tripoli, since the first Count of Tripoli established the country, has sworn allegiance to the King of Jerusalem and has been a vassal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

As a vassal of the Count of Tripoli, it was unreasonable for him, Privan, to deny the medical license issued by the suzerain state.

However, Pulwant noticed something wrong, so he asked Garys in the audience:

"Why is there a person named Garys among the authorized persons?"

In response to Privan's questions, Garys told part of the truth frankly.

"Ah, sir, you may not have heard of it. The Alhadi School is a school that was founded not long ago. It teaches medicine, theology, philosophy, and natural sciences. Its principal is Guéris de Villeroy."

"Oh, so it's a duplicate name." Plivan didn't think too much about it. After all, in those days, with the Franks' naming method, it was very normal to have duplicate names.

When Pulwant finished reading the contents of the medical license, he looked at the barber Clovis.

"Dr. Garys has already taken out his medical license, but the question is, do you have a medical license? And, your accusation can probably be considered... a false accusation."

While speaking, Privan yawned.

Now, the pressure is on Clovis, which is different from later generations.

The son of a version these days is not a barber, and the cost of a false accusation is extremely severe.

Clovis originally thought that since no one had anything to prove their identity as a doctor,

As long as he could get enough people to help him and create enough momentum, he should be able to influence Lord Pulwan's judgment, even if he couldn't make a verdict in court.

That could also delay time. As long as Garys couldn't practice medicine normally in the town, this foreign doctor would leave sooner or later.

But now, who would have thought that you actually have a medical license!
Clovis found it incredible, but he didn't dare to question Plivan.

In this situation, if he was declared to have made a false accusation, then according to Plivan's character, Clovis felt that he would probably bleed heavily.

After all, before becoming a lord, Privan was actually a merchant in the Italian city-state of Pisa...

In this situation, Clovis's mind began to work rapidly.

After thinking of something to say, he immediately spoke rapidly like a machine gun!
"Let's put aside the piece of paper that says medical license. It's just a formality. The key is whether the medical skills themselves can save lives."

"A truly good doctor should not rely on a piece of certificate to prove his ability. A medical license is nothing more than an endorsement of Garys by power and the system."

"I stood up and accused him of practicing medicine illegally. This was just me expressing my doubts about his medical skills out of a position of responsibility for the health of my patients."

"Who cares about that license? Patients need doctors who are truly capable, not those who just use certificates as a cover!"

Plivan clicked his tongue. Listening to what Clovis said, he actually knew that this guy was going to make a last-ditch effort.

But life is so boring these days, why not find some fun?
Just like he had previously tried a pig and sentenced it to death by hanging, and wanted to stew it into soup and share it with the whole town.

Plivan didn't have any strong ideas about these things. He simply found them interesting and wanted to have fun with his subjects.

"I order you two doctors to organize a free clinic right now and treat patients in the town for free. Based on the results of your treatment, a jury will declare one of you to be practicing medicine illegally!"

Bang!
Pulwant knocked his fist on the table, indicating that today's trial was over.
But it was also the beginning of the townspeople’s carnival, after all, free medical consultations were here!
Before the free clinic, Garys took a look at Clovis, whose legs were shaking, and knew that it was this guy who was responsible for all this.

Considering the orders Pullivan had given, it wasn't actually that bad for Gairis.

In addition, Plivan actually had a pretty good reputation in the territory, so he felt that he could still give Plivan some face and there was no need to take down Clovis directly.

Pulwant is actually a pretty interesting guy.

As far as Gaillis knew, Privan had a history of grievances with Gerald, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

Gerald, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, came to the Holy Land when he was very young.

Because Gerald was a good guy and a capable fighter among the knights, Count Raymond III of Tripoli promised to arrange a good marriage for him with Lord Botlen's only daughter, Lucia.

But then, this guy Privan intervened and offered Raymond Lucia's weight in gold in exchange for the marriage.

The astonishing betrothal gift amounted to 10000 Baizant gold coins, which was almost gold dinars.

From this we can see that Lucia's weight may be 42 kg, 84 jin.

Privan showed off his wealth, which made Gerald seriously ill, and he then vowed to become a Templar.

Then, Gerald, whose love was stolen by Privan, became the Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

Now, Count Tripoli and Privan will be in trouble.

After all, the identity of the Grand Master of the Knights Templar is an existence that can truly influence the political situation of the kingdom.

This really means: [Don’t bully the young and poor! ]

But what happened has nothing to do with Garys today.

He was more concerned about the way Purivan ruled.

Privan was different from traditional Frankish nobles. Gellis discovered that the reason this guy sought the status of a lord was actually to do business.

Businessmen have money, but they have to pay taxes, and they are very high taxes!

So how do we solve this problem?
It’s simple. Just change from being the party that pays taxes to being the party that collects taxes, and the problem will be solved!

Botlen is a coastal town with its own port where some commercial transactions can be carried out.

Although it cannot compete with the nearby port of Tripoli, this is at least Plivan's own territory. With the help of his Italian fellows, it is very convenient for him to do all kinds of business on a daily basis. This really makes him a fortune.

Due to the development of business, the town of Botlen has developed well in recent years, there are more jobs, and the taxes collected by Puliwan have also increased.

Besides, Puliwan is a real businessman and does not rely on plundering his people to make a living. After all, how much money does a poor guy have?
Is he, Puliwan, someone who is short of that little bit of money?
What if the people in his territory rebelled because of that little bit of money? Wouldn't Puliwan have to spend money to hire people to suppress them?
After calculating the risks and benefits, Pulwant made a decision that went against the traditions of the feudal lords.

Therefore, whether it was the Franks or the local Saracens or Greeks in the town, they all actually supported Privan.

In a sense, Puliwan has a good way of making money.

To be honest, Garys has been to so many places and met so many lords, but Plivan is the most anthropomorphic lord he has ever met.

Even Balian, in a sense, is actually a staunch feudal fighter, but because Garys's character is too buggy, Balian embarked on another path.

Out of respect for talent, Garys did not intend to deal with Pulwant too violently.

The current situation is also quite helpful for Garys.

The two doctors' free medical consultation naturally shocked everyone in the town.

No matter whether you are sick or not, just come and watch the fun, it is nice to take advantage of the free benefits.

Garys's diagnostic plan is actually based on observation, auscultation, questioning and palpation.

As for Clovis, it is very abstract.

From the very beginning, he never thought that things would develop to this point.

But now, there is no place to regret. However, unlike Garys, Clovis thought about it and figured out how to solve this problem.

Whether a person is sick or not is actually an objective reality; but judging whether a person’s illness has been cured or whether a person’s medical skills are superior is actually a subjective judgment.

Clovis naturally did not sort out the dialectical thinking of subjective and objective, and could not really think it through.

But unexpectedly, he had grasped the point: [The jury declares that one of you is practicing medicine illegally]

Do the jury know medicine?
I don’t understand anything!

They are just a bunch of laymen. How do they know whether a person is sick or not, what disease he has, and how do they know whether the disease is cured?

Since in the small town of Botlen, only he and Garys know medical skills, there is no expert to act as a third party to arbitrate.

Then this matter can be operated.

Clovis found a random excuse to take a shit and left the venue for a while, and when he came back, he was full of confidence.

Clovis first pretended to treat many people and killed time with some meaningless words.

During this process, a person who was not very familiar to everyone suddenly appeared in the crowd. Amid the exclamations of the people around him, his whole body trembled and his eyes became unfocused.

Then I saw this guy lying on the ground, twitching and shaking, and foaming at the mouth in a very scary way!

"Clovis! Clovis! Something's happened here! Someone's gone crazy here! Is this person possessed by evil spirits?"

Clovis raised his head and glanced over, then pretended to leave his seat.

Standing in front of a crowd of onlookers, he vowed that he specialized in treating difficult and complicated diseases, especially hysteria, which ordinary doctors had no idea how to treat, and he guaranteed that "the disease could be cured with one touch."

He talked about his miraculous treatment methods to the onlookers, and his confidence was so strong that people almost believed him.

At this moment, Clovis waved his hands and muttered something, as if reciting some kind of exorcism spell, and then suddenly shouted loudly: "The disease is rampant, and it needs a heavy blow to be driven away!"

As he spoke, he slapped the patient on the back several times with lightning speed, and then pinched the patient's shoulders hard, as if to "force" out the disease.

The patient screamed in pain, and everyone around him was terrified.

Clovis then announced that the disease required the traditional medical technique of "bloodletting".

So he took out the sharp knife he carried with him and cut the patient's wrist.

As the blood gushed out, Clovis was still loudly preaching medical theories, fooling the people watching on the sidelines.

Phlebotomy was designed to cure various diseases by draining the patient's blood.

This therapy originated from the theory of humors, which states that there are four humors in the human body: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.

Health was considered a balance of these four humors, while disease was seen as the result of an imbalance of the humors.

In the Middle Ages, bloodletting was not only used to treat diseases, but was even considered a routine health care method.

So many people perform bloodletting regularly in order to stay healthy.

Therefore, Clovis's actions really frightened everyone on the scene. Even Lord Plivan walked down from the stage, watched Clovis' actions, and applauded loudly.

On the other side, Garys frowned. He didn't pay attention to Clovis' performance, but communicated with the patient in front of him, repeatedly confirming some things.

Garys suspected that the boy in front of him was about to die.

Modern Botrun, also known as the city of Batrun in Lebanon

(End of this chapter)