De itinere navali
De itinere navali ('Of the Seaborne Journey') is an anonymous Latin account of the siege and capture of Silves in 1189, one of the expeditions of the Third Crusade.
João Baptista da Silva Lopes [pt] published Gazzera's edition with a Portuguese translation in 1844.
Anton Chroust [de] published a new edition for the Monumenta Germaniae Historica (MGH) in 1928, although it contains many errors.
In light of its victorious tone, it is probable that he composed it before the city of Silves was recaptured by the Almohads in July 1191.
[3] He refers to the siege of Lisbon (1147) as having taken place 44 years earlier, which is either an error for 42 if counting from the time of the expedition or else indicates that he was writing in 1191.
[20] Chroust and David considered him in all likelihood a priest, although De itinere navali is not an especially pious or learned work.
Antiquorum provide consuetud[in]i morem gerens qui gesta sua scripture laqueis innodare satagerunt ut posteritatis noticiam non evaderent, itineris navalis multiformes eventus qui peregrinis Jerosolimam tendentibus acciderunt simpliciter explicare decrevi.
[22] Following the example of the wise custom of the Ancients, who were at pains to record their deeds through the adornment of writing, so that they did not escape the notice of posterity, I have decided to give a simple account of the many different events that took place on the seaborne journey of the pilgrims who were heading to Jerusalem.
[15] This is followed by a brief statement on background, referencing the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187 and the preaching of the Third Crusade, which "moved a huge number of people ... to avenge this offence."
They then followed the coast of France, stopping at La Rochelle, before putting in at Gozón in the kingdom of León on 18 June.
During the sea voyage, "many of [the] company saw two candles burning for a long time", which may have been Saint Elmo's fire.
They also saw pods of dolpins or porpoises: "a huge multitude of fish, six or seven feet long and resembling sturgeon, very often passed our ships at high speed, with all their bodies out of the water."
From Gozón, they made a brief pilgrimage overland to Oviedo Cathedral before sailing to Lisbon, where they arrived in July.
[24] At this juncture, the author repeats the legend of the mares of Sintra, which "conceive from the wind ... horses that are ... extraordinarily speedy, but live for no more than eight years."
The author notes when the crusaders acted "in defiance of the treaty" and how this created bad blood between them and King Sancho.
[28] After a description of the division of—and disputes over—the booty, the author notes that nine other castles came into Portuguese hands as a consequence of the fall of Silves.
He even includes references to political and ethnic geography, as when he notes that three of the nine bishoprics of Brittany are Breton-speaking and the rest French-speaking.
The most praised individual, however, was a Galician knight who single-handedly removed a stone from the wall while under fire and returned to camp.
