The Chronicle of the Third Crusade

The Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi

Helen J. Nicholson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351892780
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

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.

Book 1

Chapter 1: The Lord exterminates the people of Syria because of the people’s sins.

In the year of the Incarnation of the Word 1187, Urban III occupied the Apostolic See, Frederick [Barbarossa] was ruling in Germany, Isaac [Angelus] at Constantinople, Philip [II] was reigning in France, Henry [II] in England, and William [II] in Sicily. Then the Lord’s hand was aroused against His people – if we can properly call them ‘His’, as their immoral behaviour, disgraceful lifestyle, and foul vices had made them strangers to Him. For shameful practices had broken out in the East, so that everywhere everyone threw off the veil of decency and openly turned aside to filthy things. It would take a long time to describe their murders, robberies and adulteries, and it is not part of our scheme, which is to describe events and not to write a moral tract. Suffice it to say that when the Ancient Enemy spread the spirit of corruption far and wide, he particularly seized on Syria. So the region from which other areas had received religion now became an example of all immorality.

The Lord saw that the land of His Nativity, the place of His Passion, had fallen into the filthy abyss. Therefore He spurned His Inheritance, permitting the rod of His fury, Saladin [al-Malik al-Nāṣir Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Abu’l-Muẓaffar Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb], to rage and exterminate the obstinate people. Since they had no sense of honour to restrain them from illicit deeds, He preferred the Holy Land to serve the profane rites of Gentiles for a time than for His people to flourish any longer.

Various disasters foretold the approaching destruction: famine, earthquakes and frequent eclipses of both the moon and the sun. Even that strong wind which the astronomers had predicted from a planetary conjunction became another indication of these events. It certainly was a strong wind, for it shook the four corners of the earth and foretold that the whole globe would be shaken in uproar and battles.¹

Map 1. Sites connected with the campaigns of Saladin in the Holy Land, 1187–89.

Chapter 2: Saladin routs the Master of the Temple and others [Battle of the Springs of Cresson, 1 May 1187].²

So Saladin assembled armed forces and marched violently on Palestine. He sent the emir of Edessa, Manafaradin [Muẓaffer al-Dīn ibn Zain al-Dīn ‘Alī Kuchuk Keukburī, lord of Harrān and Edessa],³ on ahead with 7000 Turks to ravage the Holy Land. Now, when this Manafaradin advanced into the Tiberias region, he happened to encounter the master of the Temple, Gerard de Ridefort, and the master of the Hospital, Roger des Moulins.⁴ In the unexpected battle which followed, he put the former to flight and killed the latter.⁵

In this conflict, in which a handful of our people were surrounded by an immense army, a remarkable and memorable event occurred. A certain Templar – a knight by profession, of Touraine by nation, Jakelin de Mailly by name – brought all the enemy assault on himself through his outstanding courage. While the rest of his fellow knights (estimated to number 500) had either been captured or killed, he bore all the force of the battle alone and shone out as a glorious champion for the law of his God. He was surrounded by enemy troops and almost abandoned by human aid, but when he saw so many thousands running towards him from all directions he strengthened his resolve and courageously under - took the battle, one man against all.

His commendable courage won him his enemies’ approval. Many were sorry for him and affectionately urged him to surrender, but he ignored their urgings, for he was not afraid to die for Christ. At long last, crushed rather than conquered by spears, stones and lances, he sank to the ground and joyfully passed to heaven with the martyr’s crown, triumphant.

It was indeed a gentle death with no place for sorrow, when one man’s sword had constructed such a great crown for himself from the crowd laid all around him. Death is sweet when the victor lies encircled by the impious people he has slain with his victorious right hand. And because it so happened that the warrior had been riding a white horse and had white armour and weapons, the Gentiles, who knew that St George had this appearance in battle, boasted that they had killed the Knight of Shining Armour, the protector of the Christians.

The place where he had fought was covered with the stubble which the reapers had left standing when they had cut the grain shortly before. Such a great number of Turks had rushed in to attack, and this one man had fought for so long against so many battalions, that the field in which they stood was completely reduced to dust and there was not a trace of the crop to be seen.

It is said that there were some who sprinkled the body of the dead man with dust and placed the dust on their heads, believing that they would draw courage from the contact. In fact, rumour has it that one person was moved with more fervour than the rest. He cut off the man’s genitals, and kept them safely for begetting children so that even when dead the man’s members – if such a thing were possible – would produce an heir with courage as great as his.

Saladin was greatly exhilarated by his troops’ victory and his mind was kindled with the desire of seizing the kingdom of Jerusalem. And so he turned his mind to greater things.

Chapter 3: Saladin’s descent and origins.

To inform eager Posterity more fully about this great persecutor of the Christian faith, we shall set down something about his origins, as far as brevity permits.

He was from the nation of Mirmuraenus.⁶ His parents were not descended from the nobility, but neither were they common people of obscure birth. His father’s given name was Job [Ayyūb], and his was Joseph [Yūsuf]. Giving Hebrew names of circumcision when their sons are circumcised is a rite which thrives among many of the Gentiles and follows Muslim tradition.

The princes take their names from the title of the law of Muḥammad, so that their names may remind them to be studious defenders of that law. Now, in the Gentile language the law is called the Hadin. From this he was called Salahadin, which translates as ‘reformer of the law’, or ‘peacemaker’.⁷ And just as our princes are called emperors or kings, so among them those who are preeminent are named Soldans, as if to mean ‘sole dominion’.

His origins. Saladin received the first auspices of his future power under Nuradin [al-Malik al-Ṣāliḥ Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd ibn Zangī], sultan of Damascus [Dimashq]. Saladin collected illgotten gains for himself from a levy on the girls of Damascus: they were not allowed to practise as prostitutes unless they had obtained, at a price, a licence from him for carrying on the profession of lust. However, whatever he gained by pimping like this he paid back generously by funding plays. So through lavish giving to all their desires he won the mercenary favour of the common people.

He was given the hope of winning a kingdom by a Syrian soothsayer, who told him his future and that he would be sovereign over Damascus and Babylon [Cairo]. So he treasured ambitions in his heart, and although his influence was limited to a few possessions he began to hope for more than a kingdom. As time passed, he reached the age when his physical strength required that he take up the office of knighthood. He went as a candidate for knighthood to Enfrid of Turon [Humfrey II of Toron, or Tibnīn],⁸ an illustrious prince of Palestine, and received the belt of knighthood from him in accordance with the rite of the Franks.

Chapter 4: Saladin seizes the kingdoms of Egypt, Damascus, India, and other lands.

At that time [1169] a certain Gentile, Shawar by name [Abu Shujā’ ibn Mujir Shāwar], had obtained the whole of Egypt [as vizier], under the authority of the Molan [the Caliph: Abū Muḥammad ‘Abd Allāh al-‘Adid] which means ‘Lord’ in the language of that country. Amalric the victorious king of Jerusalem had forced him to pay an annual tribute. Now, the Molan used to make a public appearance three times a year to receive the Egyptians’ adoration. Among his subjects he was believed to have such great power that the Nile was said to flood at his command. What is more, he respectfully fulfilled the statutes of the Gentiles’ religion, having as many concubines as there are days in the year. So he lived a decadent life among his girls, having entrusted the affairs of the kingdom to Shawar.

At that time Saladin was fighting for the Egyptians with his uncle Saracun [Asad al-Dīn ibn Shādhī Shīrkūh]. He treacherously killed these unsuspecting men, and so won the lordship of all Egypt. Later, in fact not long afterwards, Nuradin came to the end of his life. Saladin married his widow, put Nuradin’s heirs to flight, and seized the government of the kingdom of Damascus [1174].

It was the caprice of Fortune that wished for these rapid changes. She raises up a rich man from a pauper, the lofty from the humble, a ruler from a slave. If we measured the value of things by rational judgement and not by general opinion, we would reckon the power that comes from worldly success as worthless, since too often it is the most evil and unworthy people who obtain it! That pimp, who had a kingdom of brothels, an army in taverns, who studied dice and rice,⁹ is suddenly raised up on high. He sits among princes, no, he is greater than princes! ‘Holding the throne of glory’ [1 Samuel ch. 2 v. 8] he rules the Egyptians, he subdues Damascus, he seizes the land of Roasia [al-Ruhā, or Edessa; now Urfa] and Gesira [al-Jazīra] and he penetrates and governs the most remote parts of India.

Saladin makes one monarchy out of all these kingdoms. Storming and seizing, now by a trick, now by arms, Saladin brings all these kingdoms under his control. Then he makes a single monarchy out of all these sceptres. He alone claims the governments of so many kings! Still the tyrant’s greed is not content with this. The more he has, the more he wants, and he strives with all his strength to seize the Lord’s Inheritance.

Then the opportunity arises for him to obtain his desire. Now he hopes to gain what he had never even dared to wish for.

Chapter 5: The quarrel which arose between the Christian leaders.

The populace were dangerously divided because of the struggle between Count Raymond [III] of Tripoli [Tarābulus] and Guy, eighth king of the Latins, over the kingdom of Jerusalem.¹⁰ This opportunity violently kindled the sultan’s greed, promising swift and certain success in his plans. Yet the sultan did have some pretext for declaring war. Reginald [de Châtillon], prince...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Abbreviations
• List of Maps
• Introduction
• The Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi
• Prologue
• Book 1
• Book 2
• Book 3
• Book 4
• Book 5
• Book 6
• Bibliography
• Index