THE SCENE: The Crusades represented a battle between worldviews, religions, and civilizations, but that did not mean that matters of honor or mercy were ignored, as is demonstrated by the 12th Century passage below.
THE TEXT: It happened that one of the Christians, a knight of the highest repute, was taken prisoner by the paynims [Muslims]. They led him to the stake. Their nobles flocked to the spot to shoot him: many of them indeed had purchased from their king the privilege of shooting an arrow at him for a talent apiece, in order to avenge the blood of their kindred, which he had shed.
The king was present, and, desiring to make terms with the knight if he would deny his faith, plied him with persuasions at every fresh wound, and strove by all means to entice him: but finding that he held out with the greatest constancy, he did not lose hope, but ordered him loosed, respited, and cared for. The kin propounded to him the name of a paynim youth whom the Christians held captive, and promised to exchange the one for the other. On these conditions the knight went to Jerusalem and told his sovereign how he had fared.
The king, clergy and people offered a solemn thanksgiving to God for the recovery of so powerful a champion. But the [paynim] youth had died, and the knight, learning this, prepared to returns (to the Saracens) on the day appointed. The king and the whole of his subjects unanimously forbade this, and committed him to a secure yet honourable confinement till the day of his return should be over. In despair he had recourse to a lie, and faithfully promised that he would remain. He emerged therefore free, but on the following night he set forth, making all haste he could.
The Saracen king – now derided behind his back, as princes will be when they make mistakes – himself began to throw the blame on the hostage, but at the twilight, alike of the day and of his hopes, he received him whom he looked not for, on foot, like a runaway, and worn out by the haste he had made. Hardly could he speak, but when he did, [craving] pardon for putting off the fulfillment of his promise, all were filled with wonder and sympathy, and the king himself, appeased by the good faith of his prisoner, let him go free.
– De Nugis Curialium, Walter Map, 12th Century AD
