Robert the Monk's History of the First Crusade
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This is the first English translation of Robert the Monk's Historia Iherosolimitana, a Latin prose chronicle describing the First Crusade. In addition to providing new and unique information on the Crusade (Robert claims to have been an eyewitness of the Council of Clermont in 1095), its particular interest lies in the great popularity it enjoyed in the Middle Ages. The text has close links with the vernacular literary tradition and is written in a racy style which would not disgrace a modern tabloid journalist. Its reflection of contemporary legends and anecdotes gives us insights into perceptions of the Crusade at that time and opens up interesting perspectives onto the relationship of history and fiction in the twelfth century. The introduction discusses what we know about Robert, his importance as a historical source and his place in the literary tradition of the First Crusade.
Dr Carol Sweetenham is an associate fellow in the Department of French Studies, University of Warwick, UK. Her previous book, written with Linda Patterson, was The Canso d'Antioca: An Occitan Epic Chronicle of the First Crusade (Ashgate 2003), and together with Susan Edgington she is working on a translation of the Chanson d'Antioche for the Ashgate Crusade Texts in Translation series.