441n, 493) Works derived from the original Latin sources written primarily in the early part of the 12th century are listed below.
Other works that cover the First Crusade include Translatio Sancti Nicolai in Venetiam, Narratio Floriacensis, Solimarius by Gunther of Pairis and Breviarium Passagii in Terram Sanctam by Hugh of Lerchenfeld (see below).
Vol I, p. 345) William of Tyre (1130–1186) was a Jerusalem-born historian of French or Italian descent who is regarded as the greatest of the Crusade chroniclers.
Les Gestes des Chiprois (Deeds of the Cypriots) is an Old French chronicle of the history of the Crusader states and Kingdom of Cyprus between 1132 and 1309.
Gestes des Chiprois and the work and continuations of William of Tyre form the basis of the study of Outremer after the Third Crusade.
These works include annals and poems, primarily Italian, German and English, providing accounts of European actives prior to 1095.
Historiens grecs in RHC, edited by Carl B. Hase, includes translations of many of these documents as does Patrologia Graeco-Latina (MPG) and Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae (CSHB).
The daughter of emperor Alexios I Komnenos, Anna's work covers the history of her father's reign and beyond, the years from 1081 to 1108.
[217] The work comprises 15 books and is categorized as: After her father's death, she may have attempted to usurp her brother John II Komnenos and was exiled, though this is contested by historian Leonora Neville.
Vol II, p. 475)[218] Other references relevant to the Crusades are historical documents relating to Byzantium, before and after the time of Alexios I, the Latin Empire and Frankish Greece.
The major historical works written in Arabic or Persian, by Moslem or Coptic Christian authors, include the foundational chronicles of ibn Qalanisi and ibn al-Athir for the First Crusade and after, as well as other chronicles, biographies, reference material, legal documents, travel accounts and literature.
[261] Modern historians including Aziz Suryal Atiya,[262] Carole Hillenbrand,[263] Francesco Gabrieli,[264] Clifford E. Bosworth,[265] Niall Christie[266] and Farhad Daftary[267] have produced numerous work that also provide extensive bibliographies of Arabic and Persian sources.
9n, 11n)[270] Ali ibn al-Athir (1160–1233) was an Arab or Kurdish historian whose family settled in Mosul in 1181 during the rule of the Zengid emir Izz al-Din Mas'ud.
His work is chronological, and includes the Creation, the pre-Islamic world of Arabs, Persians, Romans and Jews, the caliphate and successor dynasties, and the Crusades from 1096 to 1231.
[13] Relevant Persian and Western sources on the Mongolian empire include Juvayni's Tarīkh-i Jahān-gushā, Pian del Carpine's Ystoria Mongalorum, Benedict of Poland's Hystoria Tartarorum and The Travels of Marco Polo, described elsewhere.
Much of this information is from the seminal work of 19th century scholars including Edward Robinson, Titus Tobler and Reinhold Röhricht.
Related works include the Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad's biography of Saladin (PPTS, Vol XIII), Historia Orientalis of Jacques de Vitry (PPTS, Vol XI.2), De Calamitatibus Cypri of Neophytos, Annales Altahenses, covering the German pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and Chronica Slavorum by Arnold of Lübeck.
Crusader historians have made use of numerous religious, legal and personnel documents as well as scientific disciples such as archaeology in their attempt to accurately depict their chronicles.
Known as Letres dou Sepulcre, Philip of Novara allegedly received the original laws from a jurist named Raoul of Saint Omer (died 1220).
Vol III, p. 484)[437][438][439] Major papal and other religious documents relevant to Crusader history, some of which have been published in Patrologia Latina (MPL), include the following.
[475] Other works relating to the orders and activities in the Holy land after the fall of Acre include Gestes des Chiprois and Thaddeus of Naples' Hystoria de desolacione civitatis Acconensis.
[477] Crusaders and other travelers to the Holy Land have documented their experiences through personal correspondence, and many of these have been recognized by historians, for example the letters of Stephen, Count of Blois and Anselm of Ribemont.
Correspondence from before 1100 can be found in Heinrich Hagenmeyer's Die Kreuzzugsbriefe aus den Jahren, 1088-1100 (DK) and in Trans/Rep, Volume 1.2.IV.
[496][497][147] The genealogy of the ruling classes of Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land during the Crusades period is summarized below (refer to Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Islamic Dynasties).
Additional sources for historical materials include Historiens orientaux from RHC whose Introduction provides detailed genealogies for the caliphates and sultanates active during the Crusades.
Thiou of Morigny's Chronicon Mauriniacense includes the genealogy of the houses of Montlhéry and Le Puiset, families with strong ties to the Crusader armies and the kingdom.
Archaeological exploration has contributed to the understanding of the history of the Crusades by verifying or refuting accounts presented in original sources.
Particular emphasis has been on Crusader castles, history of the art of the period, and document analysis techniques such as palaeography, diplomatics and epigraphy.
[540] Some researchers in this area include: Physical phenomena, such as earthquakes and comets, have relevance in the study of history because of their depiction in written sources and correlation with archaeological finds.
In the Crusader period, both Western and Arabic sources have described the chronology and impact of these natural phenomena, and the comparative analyses done by modern historians and scientists have played a role in deciphering descriptions of events.