Peter W. Edbury

This is a complete collection in modern English of the key texts describing Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in October 1187 and the Third Crusade, which was Christendom’s response to the catastrophe. The largest and most important text in the book is a translation of the fullest version of the Old French Continuation of William Tyre for the years 1184-97. This key medieval narrative poses problems for the historian in that it achieved its present form in the 1240s, though it clearly incorporates much earlier material. Professor Edbury's authoritative introduction, notes and maps help interpretation of this and other contemporary texts which are included in this volume, making it an invaluable resource for teachers and students of the crusades.

Sources in Translation

The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade

Denys Pringle

Balázs Major

This volume brings together 23 of the papers presented at a conference held in Esztergom, Hungary, in May 2018 to coincide with the 800th anniversary of the crusade of King Andrew II of Hungary to the Holy Land in 1217-18. The theme, Bridge of Civilizations, was chosen to highlight aspects of the links and contrasts between Europe and the areas around the eastern Mediterranean that were visited and occupied by western crusaders and settlers in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, giving special attention to the evidence provided by archaeology and material culture, as well as historical sources. The results of the joint Syrian-Hungarian Archaeological Mission (SHAM) to the Hospitaller castle of Margat (al-Marqab) highlighted in this volume include an up-to-date overview of the structural development of the site from 1187 to 1285, as well as particular studies of the wall paintings, cooking installations and pottery. SHAM's recent rescue work at Crac des Chevaliers also provides the basis for studies of the water-management system and medieval burials revealed in its courtyard, while other papers examine the masonry marks and surviving evidence of medieval trebuchet damage at both castles. Other papers focus on the medieval castles of Karak (Jordan) and Jubayl (Lebanon), the medieval buildings of Latakia (Syria), the impact of the Crusades on buildings in Cairo, historic bridges in Lebanon, the medieval chapels of Yanouh-Mghayreh and Edde-Jbeil (Lebanon), piscinas in Crusader churches in the East, the images of donors found in medieval Lebanese churches, and the activity of late thirteenth-century Western metalworkers in Cyprus. Papers focusing more particularly on historical sources include a new edition of a late eleventh- to twelfth century pilgrimage itinerary from Hungary to the Holy Land, a discussion of two minor military orders in Hungary, a reassessment of the conceptualization of Holy War in the run-up to the First Crusade, and the portrayal of Sultan al-Kāmil in a contemporary western account of the Fifth Crusade.

The Near East and Europe C. 1100-1300

Bridge of Civilizations

Sophia Kalopissi-Verti

This book is made up of seven papers that were delivered at a Round Table in Nicosia in February 2005. All the papers describe recent archaeological work relating to the crusades in the eastern Mediterranean during the 12th-15th centuries and discuss the contribution that archaeology can make to the study of the crusades. The symposium and lecture coincided with the exhibition Crusades: Myth and Realities which was then on display at the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre. Both the Round Table and the exhibition were organised within the framework of the programme Crossings: Movements of People and Movement of Cultures - Changes in the Mediterranean from Ancient to Modern Times, a project that had been initiated by the Pierides Foundation and supported by the European Union's Culture 2000 programme.

Proceedings of the Round Table, Nicosia, 1 February 2005

Archaeology and the Crusades

Janet Shirley

Guillaume de Machaut, a man famous for both his poetry and his musical compositions, wrote his Prise d’Alexandrie (or Capture of Alexandria) just a few years after the death of his hero, King Peter I of Cyprus (1359-69). It is a verse history of Peter’s reign, and was Machaut’s last major literary work. Peter’s ancestors had ruled the island of Cyprus since the 1190s, and in 1365 Peter gained notoriety throughout western Europe as leader of a crusading expedition which captured the Egyptian port of Alexandria. His forces, however, were unable to retain control, and Peter was left with a war against the Egyptian sultan. It was his increasingly desperate measures to continue the struggle and carry opinion with him that resulted in his murder in 1369. Machaut relied on information relayed by French participants in Peter’s wars, but although he was not an eyewitness of these events, his account is independent of other narratives of the reign which were written in Cyprus apparently under the auspices of the king’s heirs.

The Capture of Alexandria

Guillaume de Machaut

A study of the career of John of Ibelin, followed by his record of the institutions, government and resources of the kingdom of Jerusalem in the 13c.

John of Ibelin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem

A contribution to the history of the Crusades in the Levant, this text is a scholarly study of medieval Cyprus.

The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191-1374

Nicholas Coureas

Michael J. K. Walsh

There was a time seven centuries ago when Famagusta's wealth and renown could be compared to that of Venice or Constantinople. The Cathedral of St Nicholas in the main square of Famagusta, serving as the coronation place for the Crusader Kings of Jerusalem after the fall of Acre in 1291, symbolised both the sophistication and permanence of the French society that built it. From the port radiated impressive commercial activity with the major Mediterranean trade centres, generating legendary wealth, cosmopolitanism, and hedonism, unsurpassed in the Levant. These halcyon days were not to last, however, and a 15th century observer noted that, following the Genoese occupation of the city, 'a malignant devil has become jealous of Famagusta'. When Venice inherited the city, it reconstructed the defences and had some success in revitalising the city's economy. But the end for Venetian Famagusta came in dramatic fashion in 1571, following a year long siege by the Ottomans. Three centuries of neglect followed which, combined with earthquakes, plague and flooding, left the city in ruins. The essays collected in this book represent a major contribution to the study of Medieval and Renaissance Famagusta and its surviving art and architecture and also propose a series of strategies for preserving the city's heritage in the future. They will be of particular interest to students and scholars of Gothic, Byzantine and Renaissance art and architecture, and to those of the Crusades and the Latin East, as well as the Military Orders. After an introductory chapter surveying the history of Famagusta and its position in the cultural mosaic that is the Eastern Mediterranean, the opening section provides a series of insights into the history and historiography of the city. There follow chapters on the churches and their decoration, as well as the military architecture, while the final section looks at the history of conservation efforts and assesses the work that now needs to be done.

Peter W. Edbury

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