There can be no doubt that Normans made significant contributions to the crusades. Historians have posited, moreover, whether there was something like a general Norman impact on the crusades that went beyond that of individual Normans. Normans who came to the Kingdom of Jerusalem can be identified as such by their names, lineage and self-identification as Normans. Yet, since they are not usually identified as part of a group, their efforts are usually considered on an individual basis. While questions of Norman identity in other contexts have been the focus of study, the role of Normans as a collective with a distinct identity in the crusading movement has yet to be investigated. We might ask, then, whether this contribution by individual Normans while in the East was linked to the specifically Norman identifiers chroniclers used for them in their European conquests and activities. Chroniclers who often celebrated Norman achievement, seemingly so distinct in a European context, might also be expected to make note of them once joined to the crusading effort. Did ‘Normannitas’ carry over into their participation in the First Crusade abroad? In order to investigate this further, the following essay compares Bohemond of Taranto, a Norman from Southern Italy, and Robert Curthose, William the Conqueror's son and duke of Normandy, in order to decide if they could be considered as examples of a distinctly Norman experience of the crusades. Because the Normans played a significant role in the First Crusade, and were regularly featured as heroes by contemporary chroniclers, it is worth exploring these sources to ascertain whether there is evidence for an exclusively Norman crusade encounter. Alternatively, should they, rather, be considered as two noblemen whose contribution and experience were comparable to more general crusading involvement?

Considering Robert Curthose and Bohemond of Taranto as ‘Normans’ on the First Crusade does seem anachronistic when one looks at crusading narratives. It has long been noted that contemporary crusading chronicles did not identify a specific ‘Norman’ group within the crusaders, even though, within the context of the scope of people who joined the crusade, the participation of Normans from Normandy and Italy was noted in the West.