The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa is considered by scholars to be a primary source of major importance for the history of the Near East during the period of the early Crusades. This work relates events that occurred between the years 952 and 1136, although a Gregory the Priest continued …
The following are two accounts of the invasion of Cyprus by Richard I in 1191. The Seljuk Turk under Saladin had recaptured Jerusalem in 1187 and Cyprus’ geographical position placed her on the route of the Crusaders from Western Europe to the Holy Land. The Cypriot ruler, Isaac Comnenos, in …
A multi-book essay review by Sean McGlynn has appeared in the European Review of History/Revue europeenne d’histoire 20.1 (2013): 153-159. For those who have institutional access, you should be able to link to it here. The books reviewed en masse are Medieval Warfare 1000–1300, ed. John France (Ashgate 2010) Medieval Warfare 1300–1450, ed. Kelly DeVries …
In the following letter, the Patriarch of Antioch describes events in the Crusader States that took place in 1164. To describe briefly, the King of Jersualem, Amalric I, joined forces with a Kurdish emir, Shirkuh, to besiege the Egyptian city of Bilbais. While Amalric was gone, the ruler of Damascus, …
Translated by William Watson. From: Canadian/American Slavic Studies 35 (2001). 1. al-Kāmil fi ‘t-Ta’rīkh, viii, 412-415 “The Rūs Seizure of the Town of Barda’a” (332 A.H./943-944 A.D.) In this year (332) armed bands of Rūs went by sea (the Caspian) to the region of Adharbayjān, going from the sea up the Kūr …
Translated by Helen Nicholson from the editions in the Monumenta Germaniae Historica Scriptores, ed.Bill Zajac. In 1153, Baldwin launched a major attack on Ascalon, with an army large enough to invest the great city completely. The siege dragged on for months, with the Egyptians unable to challenge the Franks on land, but …
Boncompagno da Signa (1168?-1240?) was an important Italian scholar who wrote several treatises and other works as he moved around between cities such as Ancona, Bologna and Venice. His account of the siege of Ancona, which he wrote around 1201, is his only work of history. Although he was not …
The Amloravid empire collapsed in 1145, leading to al-Andalus fragmenting into a new collection of taifa states. Alfonso VII was able to exploit this situation by capturing Cordova in 1146. He then organized another expedition with Genoa and Pisa to attack Almeria. While Catalan and Aragonese accounts give most of …
In the 1190s, Alfonso VIII of Castile (1158-1214) undertook a raid into the region around Seville, the Almohad capital of Spain. In retaliation, the Almohad ruler, Ya’qub (1184-99) went on his own campaign against Alfonso, leading to his victory at Alarcos on July 19, 1195. The writer of the following …
The Battle of Bremule was fought in 1119 between Henry I of England against Louis VI (the Fat) of France. Orderic Vitalis provides the most extensive account of this battle, noting how few people were killed during the fight. Meanwhile King Louis paid a quick visit to France and suddenly …