Muslim pirates based in the Balearic islands were a major problem for Christian traders in the eleventh and twelfth century. In 113, Pope Pascal II issued a papal bull in favour of a crusade against the islands, and the Pisans, … Continue reading
The Crusade of the Teutonic Knights against Lithuania Reconsidered By Axel Ehlers Crusade and Conversion on the Baltic Frontier 1150–1500, edited by Alan V. Murray (Ashgate, 2001) Between the late thirteenth and early fifteenth centuries ‘another Hundred Years’ War’ raged between … Continue reading
Robert Guiscard was one of several brothers who came to Italy from Normandy to work as mercenaries and gain their fortune. After arriving in Italy in 1046, he served in several campaigns before taking the place of his brother Humphrey … Continue reading
On July 11, 1302, the townsmen of Courtrai and other Flemish rebels defeated a French army outside the walls of their city, in what is considered one of the most important battles in the Middle Ages. The victory of infantryman … Continue reading
The following account is a short journal that describes the expedition of Edward I into Scotland. Starting on March 25, 1296, it runs to September 16th, and describes the various movements and events very tersely. This was Edward’s first expedition … Continue reading
William the Bastard at War By John Gillingham Studies in Medieval History Presented to R. Allen Brown, edited by Christopher Harper-Bill, Christopher Houldsworth and Janet L. Nelson (Boydell, 1989) As Allen Brown observed at the end of his paper on his battle … Continue reading
War and Chivalry in the History of William the Marshal By John Gillingham Thirteenth Century England v.2 (1988) Ever since the History of William the Marshal was discovered in the late nineteenth century it has been universally recognized as a document … Continue reading
A Plea Roll of Edward I’s Army in Scotland, 1296 Edited by Cynthia J. Neville From: Miscellany of the Scottish History Society, vol. XI (1990) The following record, classified in the Public Record Office, London, as E39/93/15 is an army … Continue reading
This Norwegian work, written in the mid-13th century, is in the style of a son asking his father various questions, ranging from the reasons for the shorter days in Scandinavian lands to the power and authority of kings. Halfway through chapter 36, … Continue reading
Translated by David Crouch Philip de Remy (d.c.1264) was a poet, novelist and knight from the region of the northern Ile-de France. He was in royal service by the 1230s, being bailiff of the Gatinais from Count Robert of Artois, … Continue reading
Translated by Helen J. Nicholson Sermons 37 and 38 from his sermon collection, Sermones Vulgares, ‘Sermons to the People’, published by J. B. Pitra, ed., Analecta novissima spicilegii Solesmensis: altera continuatio 2, Tusculana (Paris, 1888). This translation is copyright H. … Continue reading
Peter of les Vaux-de-Cernay is one of the most important sources for the Albigensian Crusades. It is likely that he traveled with the Crusader armies of Simon de Montfort, and was an eyewitness to many of the events he describes. … Continue reading
The flourishing of a dualist heresy in Languedoc at the end of the twelfth century, known as Catharism, led to conflict with the Catholic Church. After the murder of a Papal legate in 1208, Pope Innocent III ordered a crusade … Continue reading
William of Puylaurens covered events relating to the history of Languedoc from the twelfth century to the mid-1270s. The main subject of his history is the Albigensian Crusade, which lasted from 1209 to 1229. Along with the Historia Albigensis of … Continue reading
Roger of Wendover (d.1236) was a monk at St.Alban’s monastery in England. His work, Flores historiarum (Flowers of History) is a chronicle that starts at creation and goes to 1235. From 1201 to 1235 his work is original. In the … Continue reading
On July 12, 1214, Philip II Augustus, the King of France, defeated the combined forces of emperor Otto IV, the count of Flanders, and King John of England, near Bouvines in northern France. The Marchiennes account of the Battle of … Continue reading
The portion given below gives his account of Phillip’s conquest of Normandy from King John of England from 1201 to 1204. Continue reading
Bertran de Born (c.1140-1202), lord of Autofort, was one of the most famous French troubadours of the Twelfth century. His poetry covers a wide variety of topics, including warfare. Be’m plai lo gais temps de pascor[1] Well do I love … Continue reading
The Annals of Roger of Hoveden provide an account of the Battle of Gisors between Richard I of England and Philip Augustus of France, which took place in 1198. Hoveden writes down two versions of this battle, and includes a … Continue reading
William of Newburgh (d.1198) was one of England’s most important historians in the twelfth century. In the following section, he details the war that broke out in 1173 between Henry II against his son, Henry, called ‘The Younger’. Henry II … Continue reading
Following the death of William Rufus in 1100, his younger brother Henry took the English crown, spurning the claim of his elder brother, Robert Curthose, duke of Normandy. Continue reading
From the article, “Henry II’s Campaign against the Welsh in 1165” by Paul Latimer The Pipe Rolls, which are limited as a source in being primarily concerned with the financial interests of the exchequer, reveal four origins of resources for the … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
This account, from The Book of the Foundation of Walden Monastery, of the military actions of Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex, during the reign of King Stephen. In 1143, Stephen imprisoned Geoffrey, forcing the earl to surrender various castles. … Continue reading
One of the most important events in this war was the battle of Lincoln, fought on February 2, 1141, where Stephen was defeated and captured by Robert, Earl of Gloucester. Continue reading
The Chronicle of John of Worcester is the only source that records the attack on Worcester in 1139, by Miles of Gloucester, who rebelled against King Stephen earlier that year. In retaliation, Waleran, count of Meulan, sacked Sudelely. One morning … Continue reading
This section of the Gesta Stephani deals with events in Bristol in 1138. Geoffrey Talbot had just lost his bases of Hereford and Weobley to Stephan, while Gilbert de Lacy was an enemy of Miles of Gloucester, who at that … Continue reading
Walter, archdeacon of the diocese of Thérouanne, spent his youth among the regular canons of Saint Martin of Ypres whence he was called by John of Warneton, bishop of Thérouanne in 1115. John made him archdeacon of Flanders in 1116 … Continue reading
Walter, archdeacon of the diocese of Thérouanne, spent his youth among the regular canons of Saint Martin of Ypres whence he was called by John of Warneton, bishop of Thérouanne in 1115. John made him archdeacon of Flanders in 1116 … Continue reading
Herman of Tournai provides an invaluable account of the history his monastery and the events of Flanders and Hainaut during the late eleventh and first half of the twelfth centuries. Continue reading
Galbert of Bruges was a cleric who worked principally in the fiscal administration of the castellany of Bruges. He was thus a marginal member of the count’s curia, at least when the count was in Bruges, and it is reasonable … Continue reading
In Little Need of Divine Intervention: Takesaki Suenaga’s Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan Translated by Thomas D. Conlan This volume, published the East Asian Program at Cornell University, presents a fundamental revision of the thirteenth-century Mongol invasions of … Continue reading
During the period of the Crusades a large number of Muslim writers wrote accounts of the events that took place at the time, and also kept records of their experiences. Continue reading
Black Camels and Blazing Bolts: The Bolt-Projecting Trebuchet in the Mamluk Army By Paul E. Chevedden Mamluk Studies Review, Vol. 8:1 (2004) The Mamluks pioneered the use of gunpowder ordnance, but their principal piece of heavy artillery was “the crushing, … Continue reading
Richard, prior of the church of Hexham, wrote an account of Scotland’s invasion of England in 1138, along with their defeat at the Battle of the Standard. Continue reading
Suger, 1081–1151, French cleric and statesman, abbot of Saint-Denis from 1122, minister of kings Louis VI and Louis VII, wrote this account of Louis VI. Continue reading
The account of this battle comes from The Greater Annals of Cologne, which was first written around 1175. Continue reading
Following the expulsion of the Crusaders from their last outpost of Acre in 1291, several attempts and plans were made to bring back Christian rule to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. In the following memorandum, Fulk of Villaret, master of the Hospitallers, proposes this invasion plan. Continue reading
Adh-Dhababi’s Record of the Destruction of Damascus by the Mongols in 1299-1301 Continue reading
The Crusader kingdom in the Holy Land began to collapse in the later part of the thirteenth-century. The fall (1268) of Jaffa and Antioch to the Muslims caused Louis IX to undertake the Eighth Crusade, Eighth Crusade, 1270, which was cut short by … Continue reading
Bar Hebraeus (1226-1286) is one the best known Syriac writers of the Middle Ages. His Chronography contains a history of the world from creation until his own time. Most of his information relates to events in the Middle East, including … Continue reading
Robert of Clari was a knight from Picardy who took part in the Fourth Crusade, which ended with the capture of Constantinople in 1204. Robert seems to have returned to France in 1205, since although his work contains references up … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
After the Crusader’s disastrous defeat at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, the Christian forces regrouped under Guy de Lusignan, king of Jerusalem, and Conrad, marquis de Montferrat, and went back on the offensive. In 1189, the crusaders laid siege … Continue reading
On July 4, 1187, the Crusader army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem suffered a crushing defeat in the hills a few miles to the west of the Sea of Galilee. The victor was that most famous of all medieval Muslim … Continue reading
Translated by Helen J. Nicholson Continue reading
Here are several versions of the founding of the Knights Templar, from sources translated by Helen Nicholson Continue reading
After the death of King John in 1216, Louis VIII, heir to the French kingdom, sailed across the English channel to lay claim to the English throne. William, who acted as the regent for the young Henry III, led the … Continue reading
The following section details the French capture of Le Mans in 1189. War had broken out between Henry II against his son Richard and Philip Augustus, King of France. Henry had gathered his forces, including William, at Le Mans, while … Continue reading
William the Marshal was renowned as a tournament competitor and was able to make a good career from the money made from ransoms of those he captured in these mock battles, as well as from prize winnings. The following text … Continue reading
William the Marshal, earl of Pembroke, was one of the most noteworthy knights of the Middle Ages. After almost being killed by King Stephen when he was a child, William grew up to be a prominent tournament competitor, and then … Continue reading
German bishops and archbishops were important military commanders in the Holy Roman Empire, often leading troops to battle. In the following account by Otto of Saint Blasien, the chronicler describes how a Roman army besieged Reinald, the archbishop of Cologne … Continue reading
The Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I, nicknamed Barbarossa, often was engaged in campaigns in Italy against rebellious cities such as Milan. As he began one campaign in 1158, Frederick issued a set of rules for his army to follow. Frederick’s … Continue reading
Raoul de Cambrai is one of the most violent and illuminating of the twelfth-century epic poems of chivalry known as the chansons de geste. Continue reading
Announcing a $35 discount off the hardcover price for individual members ordering the new book by Dana Cushing Continue reading
The main focus of the Second Crusade (1145-49) was an attempt by Christian forces to expand the territory held by Christian forces in the Holy Land. One of the key players was Conrad III, the Holy Roman Emperor, who led … Continue reading
One of the most interesting contemporary accounts of the crusades comes from a twelfth-century resident of Damascus. Ibn Al-Qalanisi was a distinguished scholar in Damascus, and was twice elected the mayor of that city. His Chronicle begins in 1097 with … Continue reading
Peter Tudebode was a Poitevin priest who was part of the First Crusade, perhaps with forces of the count of Toulouse. He wrote his account, the Historia de Hieroslymitano Itinere, by at least 1111, which was after many of the … Continue reading
This victory not only brought a temporary halt to the Christian advances on Muslim lands, but also led to the establishment of the Almoravid empire in Spain between 1091 and 1094. Continue reading
The Tibyan: Memoirs of ‘Abd Allah b. Buluggin, Last Zirid Amir of Granada Continue reading
Her biographer, Turgot, bishop of St. Andrews (d.1115) mentions many of her pious deeds, including her ransoming of English captives in the later part of the eleventh century. Continue reading
Theodricus Monachus’s De antiquitate regum Norwagiensium is one of the oldest historical works of Norwegian history. It is a Latin account of the kings of Norway from Hardaldr harfaagri (around the ninth century), to Sigurð Magnusson, who died in 1130. Continue reading
Northern Lights on the Battle of Hastings By Kari Ellen Gade Viator: Medieval and Renaissance Studies Vol.28 (1997) The earliest sagas of the Norwegian kings are in general sparse in their comments on episodes and events taking place abroad and … Continue reading
According to Jean Blacker, the Norman Conquest was ‘the most visible cause of the upsurge in historical writing in twelfth-century England’ and in the continental territories controlled by successive Anglo-Norman and Norman-Angevin rulers. Continue reading
William of Jumieges provides accounts of two battles fought between the Normans and the French. Continue reading
What motivated the Muslims to move north of the Pyrenees? What do the Latin and Arabic sources reveal about what transpired in the course of the battle? Precisely when and where did the encounter occur? Can we attach a macrohistorical significance to the battle? Continue reading
In 1044, Geoffrey Martel, count of Anjou, besieged the city of Tours. Theobald and Stephen, sons of Odo II of Blois, attempted to relieve the city, but were defeated by Geoffrey at the Battle of Nouy on August 21, 1044 Continue reading
Written around 1200 AD, the Orkneyinga Saga is the only major source of information for Orkney Islands in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. I Continue reading
This account of the conflict comes from Knytlinga Saga: The History of the Kings of Denmark, an anonymous chronicle that may have been written in Iceland in the mid-thirteenth century. Continue reading
Æthelweard, an ealdorman during the late tenth century, was the author of a Latin Chronicle extending to the year 975. Continue reading
The history, divided into ten books, covers the years from 959 to 976, that is, the reigns of Romanus II (959-963), Nicephorus Phokas (963-969) and John Zimisces (969-976). It describes the wars against the Arabs including the recovery of Crete from the Arabs in 961, the conquest of Antioch and Northern Syria (968-969), the Bulgarian War (969) and the defeat of the Southern Russians (971), one of the most brilliant periods of the later Empire. Continue reading
There are three great clichés in our view of the Albigensian Crusades which most historians find hard to resist. Continue reading
