Bücher der Reihe Crusade Texts in Translation

This is the first translation into English of the Old French Chanson d'Antioche, a text which has long intrigued historians and literary scholars. Uniquely among epic poems, it follows closely a well-documented historical event - the First Crusade - and appears to include substantial and genuine historical content. The introduction assesses the his

This is the first translation of the Hystoria de via or 'Monte Cassino Chronicle,' one of the few surviving crusader sources from Southern Italy, where it was probably compiled (partly from known sources) between the 1130s and 1140s.

The Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir (1160-1233 AD), entitled "al-Kamil fi'l-Ta'rikh", is one of the outstanding sources for the history of the mediaeval world. This title covers the years that are dominated by the careers of Nur al-Din and Saladin, the champions of the Jihad, sometimes called the 'counter-crusade'.

In the first quarter of the thirteenth century, an anonymous Flemish writer set in writing, in Old French, a chronicle of Normandy, England, Flanders and northern France. It ranged from the arrival of the Vikings in Normandy to the early years of the reign of King Henry III of England, ending with an account of the translation of the relics of St Thomas Becket to their magnificent new shrine in Canterbury Cathedral in 1220. Along the way, it adopted and formed part of a tradition of writing of the history of the dukes of Normandy and kings of England, a tradition which had developed in Latin in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and then continued in Old French.The work is famous for vibrant and informed description of the reign of King John, in particular the period of baronial reaction, Magna Carta, ensuing civil war and the nearly-successful invasion of England by Louis, heir to the kingdom of France. Flanders supplied troops to both sides, and this Flemish author sees these events in close detail, and from the Flemish, not the French or English, point of view. He may himself have been an eyewitness, directly involved, but if not he would have known many who had fought and died in this conflict.Janet Shirley's translation of this chronicle, the first into English, brings the work of the Anonymous of Béthune to a new audience in this volume, accompanied by an introduction and historical notes by Paul Webster.

This is the first full English translation of Marino Sanudo Torsello's Secreta fidelium Crucis, a piece of crusading propaganda following the fall of Acre in 1291, written between 1300 and 1321 and based on the translation edited by Jacques Bongars in 1611. With references to 13th-century Mediterranean history, especially Louis IX of France and Cha

This is a translation of the Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi, a contemporary chronicle of the Third Crusade, 1187-1192. Told from the viewpoint of the European crusaders, it recounts the fall of the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187 and the subsequent expeditions to recover it, led by the Emperor Frederick I, King Philip II of France and King Richard I of England, the Lionheart". This is the most comprehensive account of the crusade. Much of the account is from eyewitness sources and provides vivid and colourful details of the great campaigns. The translator gives background details of the events described, comparing this account with other accounts from Europe, the Christians of the Holy Land and Muslim writers. She also sets out the evidence for the authorship and sources of the chronicle.

Presents a narrative of the First Crusade and its immediate aftermath, covering the period 1096-1105, but is often neglected, due in no small part to the difficulties of its Latin.

Presents the Islamic history. This title focuses on the time of the arrival of the Crusaders in the Levant, their activities and the Muslim response. It also deals with the internal rivalries of the Ayyubid successors of Saladin, their changing relations with the Crusader states, and the events of the Damietta Crusade.

This is the English translation of an early 13th-century Provencal poem which narrates key events before, during and after the Albigensian Crusade, which was launched in 1209. In Provencal, the poem is known as "La Canso" and in French, as "La Chanson de la Croisade Albigeoise".

This text provides an English translation of the so-called Rothelin continuation, which is perhaps one of the best contemporary narratives of the history of the crusades and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in the mid-13th century.

The Seventh Crusade, led by King Louis IX of France, was the last major expedition for the recovery of the Holy Land actually to reach the Near East. This volume comprises translations of the principal documents and of extracts from narrative sources - both Muslim and Christian - relating to the crusade.

Saladin is perhaps the one and only Muslim ruler who emerges with any clarity in standard tales and histories of the Crusades; this is a translation of Baha' al-Din Ibn Shaddad's (1144-1234) account of his life and career.

This volume presents translations of a selection of the letters sent by crusaders and pilgrims from Asia Minor, Syria and Palestine. There are accounts of all the great events from the triumph of the capture of Jerusalem in 1099 to the disasters of Hattin in 1187 and the loss of Acre in 1291.

A collection in modern English of the key texts describing Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem in 1187 and the Third Crusade. The largest text in the book is a translation of the Old French "Continuation of William Tyre". Introductory notes and maps help interpret each of the texts.