Can the entire area of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem be considered a ‘frontier’? Can we accept at face value the claim that security in the Crusader states was at its very worst throughout their entire existence and everywhere that was under Frankish rule? The common answer to these questions is that life in the Frankish Kingdom was, indeed, insecure, and that the very existence of the Frankish settlers was constantly threatened. Such a perception stems, perhaps, from the final tragic results of the Crusades, but it serves as an all-inclusive explanation for the behaviour and settlement patterns of the Franks even during periods of tranquillity. Contending with such questions is a difficult task, particularly so because it is hard to set objective criteria by which the severity of ‘a state of insecurity’ can be measured, or to try and verify the subjective influences of such a state.

As one who has resided for many years in a city whose citizens do not enjoy a sense of peace and security, I am aware of the subjectivity and transience of ‘a feeling of security’ and of the importance which people assign to such feelings when making short-term, day-to-day decisions (where to buy, where to spend their recreation time, where to travel) or long-term decisions, such as where to take up residence.