CRUSADE TEXTS IN TRANSLATION About the volume: Walter the Chancellor’s account of the wars of the Antiochenes against the Muslims in the early twelfth century is a vivid first-hand account of a dramatic period in the history of the northern Crusader states, and an important balance to the more usual focus on Jerusalem. Here it has for the first time been translated into English (from the Latin edition of H. Hagenmeyer). It is prefaced by a substantial introduction, discussing the author and his work in the context of the history and historiography of the Latin settlement, and is followed by a selection of comparative sources. Walter the Chancellor’s history will be of interest both to students of the Crusades and to a wider readership for its perspective on life in a medieval frontier society. About the authors: Thomas Asbridge is Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Reading. His monograph study of the early history of Antioch will appear shortly. Susan Edgington teaches in further and higher education and has written on many aspects of the crusades. Her major work is an edition and translation of Albert of Aachen’s history of the First Crusade. Walter the Chancellor’s The Antiochene Wars Crusade Texts in Translation Editorial Board Malcolm Barber (Reading), Bernard Hamilton (Nottingham), Norman Housley (Leicester) and Peter Edbury (Cardiff) Titles in this series include: The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade Sources in Translation Peter Edbury The Song of the Cathar Wars A History of the Albigensian Crusade Janet Shirley Chronicle of the Third Crusade A Translation of the Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi Helen J. Nicholson Crusader Syria in the Thirteenth Century The Rothelin Continuation of the History of William of Tyre with part of the Eracles or Acre text Janet Shirley Walter the Chancellor’s The Antiochene Wars A Translation and Commentary by THOMAS S. ASBRIDGE and SUSAN B. EDGINGTON First published 1999 by Ashgate Publishing Reissued 2018 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint oft he Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright © 1999 by Thomas S. Asbridge and Susan B. Edgington Thomas S. Asbridge and Susan B. Edgington have asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 to be identified as the authors of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Publisher's Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes correspondence from those they have been unable to contact. A Library of Congress record exists under LC control number: 99072047 ISBN 13: 978-1-138-36218-5 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-0-429-43222-4 (ebk) CRUSADE TEXTS IN TRANSLATION 4 Contents Acknowledgements vii Chronology viii Map ix Introduction Introduction Walter’s subject matter 1 Walter as a historian Our knowledge of Walter 5 Historiographical background 8 Walter’s purpose in writing The Antiochene Wars 11 Roger of Salerno 12 Baldwin of Le Bourcq 26 Bernard of Valence, patriarch of Antioch 34 The historical value of Walter’s account Walter and the early history of the principality of Antioch 43 Walter as a military source 49 The depiction of Islam and eastern Christendom 59 Walter’s attitude to religion and piety 69 Summary 73 Walter the Chancellor’s The Antiochene Wars Book One 77 Book Two 109 Other Texts Fulcher of Chartres 173 Albert of Aachen 181 Matthew of Edessa 184 Orderic Vitalis 190 William of Tyre 193 Charter (a) 205 Charter (b) 207 Bibliography 209 Index 213 Acknowledgements In a collaborative venture of this kind our first debt of gratitude must be to each other. Help on specific points from colleagues, students and friends has been noted at the appropriate points in the text. In addition we should like to thank especially Professor Bernard Hamilton, who read the text and made many valuable suggestions, and Dr Jonathan Phillips who supported and encouraged us from the inception of the project. We are very grateful to William Zajac who produced the index and bibliography as well as reading the text at different stages and doing his best to eliminate our grosser errors. A grant from the Miss Isabel Thornley Bequest to the University of London helped in the publication of this volume.