The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade

by 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.

Genres: Medieval History, History, Military History, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

A specialist on the history of the Crusades and the crusader regimes in Syria, Cyprus and the Holy Land, author of John of Ibelin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Boydell, 1997) and The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191-1374 (C.U.P., 1991) and joint author of William of Tyre: Historian of the Latin East (C.U.P., 1988).

His edition of Le Livre des Assises by John of Ibelin, count of Jaffa and Ascalon, was published by Brill in September 2003, and his edition of Philip of Novara’s Livre de Forme de Plait is expected at the end of 2009. He is curently engaged on an ARHC-funded project to re-edit the Old French Continuations William of Tyre.

Reviews

[Suzannah]

I have no objectivity rating books on the Crusades anymore. I find it all immensely exciting. Discovering this book filled me with glee, and reading it was a huge thrill. At last, after reading so many histories of the 1180s - 90s, I got to meet the major actors through the words of actual eyewitnesses.

The bulk of this book is an English translation of part of the Old French Continuation of William of Tyre, aka "the Lyon Eracles", based on the account of Ernoul, the squire of Balian of Ibelin. It's followed by a shorter section of extracts from other sources. The segment of the Continuation included in this book begins where WoT himself left off with the 1183 dispute between Baldwin IV and Guy of Lusignan, and runs through Hattin and the Third Crusade to around 1198. Not only is it practically worth its weight in gold, being an actual eyewitness account of events, it's also wonderfully readable and gossipy, with lots of vivid details. In fact, I was thrilled to find the origins of some famous anecdotes of the Crusades, particularly the one about Saracen mothers hushing their children with the name of King Richard, and the one about the Assassins throwing themselves off cliffs at a signal from their leader (PEOPLE, THERE ARE ACTUAL ASSASSINS IN THIS HISTORY).

The shorter excerpts are likewise highly valuable. Here you'll find alternate sources on things like Guy and Sibylla's marriage (was it a shotgun wedding? Did Sibylla jilt Baldwin of Ibelin?), the divorce of Humphrey and Isabella (SHE WALKED AWAY WITH HER HEAD HANGING SO SAD), and of course, Hattin itself.

Yes, I loved this book.

[Emily]

Excellent historical book on the crusader states. Very readable!

[Jonathan]

Essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the crusades. I'm very thankful for these translations.