Albert of Aachen's History of the Journey to Jerusalem

Volume 2: Books 7-12. The Early History of the Latin States, 1099-1119

Susan B. Edgington

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781409466536
• eBook ISBN: 9781351870375
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: European Medieval History
• Index: History

Albert of Aachen's History of the Journey to Jerusalem presents the story of the First Crusade (1095-1099) and the first generation of Latin settlers in the Levant (1099-1119). Volume 2, The Early History of the Latin States, provides a surprising level of detail about the reign of King Baldwin I (1100-1118), especially its earlier years and the crusading expeditions of 1101. It offers much more information than the only other substantial Latin account of the same events, by Fulcher of Chartres, and where it can be tested against other narratives, including Arabic and Greek sources, it proves to be worthy of both trust and respect. Susan B. Edgington's English translation has been widely praised, following its first publication in the Oxford Medieval Texts series, and is here presented with a new introduction and updated notes and bibliography.

Book 7

1. The duke besieges for a second time the citizens of Arsuf, who havebroken the truce

After the Jerusalem pilgrims returned home, the citizens of Assur, commonly called Arsuf, listened to the advice of envious men and they utterly refused to grant the city and the revenue which they had agreed to pay each year to Duke Godfrey when they were alarmed at his victory near Ascalon. They were unjustly holding on to his hostages, given in earnest of friendship, and rejoicing at the return of their own men who, keeping bad faith, escaped the duke’s custody. Because of this the duke was angry, and so were the others who had stayed with him, both noble and humble: William of Montpellier, Warner of Grez, Geldemar Carpenel, Wicher the Swabian, and all the Christian cavalry and infantry surrounded the city of Arsuf with three thousand men,¹ spreading out their tents all around it. With their tents pitched on all sides they prepared siege engines and mangonels, spending six weeks constructing them.

2. The sad tale of the knight Gerard

At length the engines were brought close to the wall and they attacked the citizens vigorously. And the citizens were not at all slow in fighting back for their lives from the turreted fortress and walls. But, realizing eventually that they were exerting themselves for the defence in vain, they used ropes and chains to raise on high a ship’s mast of great length, which was lying in the middle of the city, and on it they fastened one of the duke’s hostages, the aforesaid Gerard, who was a hainaut man from the fortress of Avesnes and an exceptional soldier, stretching out his hands and fleet with ropes in the manner of a crucifix. The Christians thought he had long since been tortured to death by those murderers. Thus, upright and fixed to the top of the mast, this same Gerard burst out into this wretched speech with tears, and spoke to the duke: ‘O most distinguished duke, remember now that it was on your instruction that I was sent here as a hostage and exile among barbarous peoples and wicked men. That is why I ask that you may be moved by pity or some kindness towards me, and that you do not allow me to perish in so cruel and painful a martyrdom.’ The duke said to him: ‘There is no way, Gerard, bravest of knights, that I can take pity upon you and turn aside so many men from revenge for this town’s insult. And that is why if you were my brother by birth, like Eustace, you could not be freed on condition that the city remains unharmed. indeed you have to die, and it is better for you alone to die than for the decree and oath of our men to be broken, and for this city always to remain a danger for pilgrims. For if you die in this present life, you will live with Christ in heaven.’ Therefore Gerard, understanding the duke’s response and realizing that no tearful prayer would do him any good, entreated the duke at the very last to present his horse and weapons at the holy Sepulchre, and bestow them on those serving God, for the cure of his soul. At this the duke and the whole multitude of Christians attacked the city strongly and, forgetful of all affection and pity for their comrade Gerard, they assaulted the city’s defenders on all sides with arrows and slings and mangonels. And now, among the very great number of arrows heedlessly released, the body of that same Gerard was shot and wounded by ten of them.

3. Where the duke’s siege engine is brought down and very many of the Christians are likewise burnt up

The gentiles, seeing that this vigorous man was disregarded and had been wounded, all affection having been put from his comrades’ hearts, taunted the duke and all the Christian people with great blasphemies in this way, saying: ‘Wicked and cruel race, who do not care to spare your brother and fellow Christian, but see him and his destruction and attack the city and citizens the more fiercely!’ They said this, and, manfully resisting with mangonels, with crossbows, and with arrows from within the town, they strove to attack the duke’s soldiers who were attacking the city in siege engines. For they were using a machine to hurl sharp iron stakes from the walls in a constant bombardment; they were wrapped with a mixture of oil, tow, and pitch, making kindling for a fire that was completely inextinguishable with water. These were shot into the bulls’ hides which covered the baskets and banded wickerwork in order to shake off thrown flares. But at last, little by little, a flame was kindled, and it was gathering strength everywhere on the dry material, and the whole engine was burnt up and collapsed to the ground, falling forward with its three storeys. In them more than fifty warriors, appointed by the duke and other leaders, were now everywhere overtaken by the invading flames and they suffered destruction along with that same machine. Some had broken backs and necks, others legs half cut off, hips or arms, certain had burst intestines from the unbearable weight of the timbers; having no strength to free themselves, they were reduced to ember and ash along with the timbers. Among these men was Franco of the Mechelen estate, which is next to the river Meuse, an undaunted soldier, who was trapped under a blazing beam, and everyone saw him burnt up in that same inextinguishable fire.

4 The duke’s encouragement to his knights

Immediately and without delay, Rothold, a very fierce knight, seeing that the Saracens’ contrivance and fire grew stronger, and that the engine with those inside it had fallen to the ground, and since there was no way of helping them, jumped down quickly from the walls of the city, onto which he had descended from the engine before the fire, together with Peter the Lombard, a distinguished knight; and they stood together unhurt, bearing arms and armour, on the rampart next to the wall. The Saracens, however, seeing that they had come down next to the walls, endeavoured to crush the men with iron-clad stakes and an enormous pile of stones. But with God’s protection, and with very strong helmets to withstand the frequent blows, they returned alive and well to their Christian comrades. Duke Godfrey, seeing that his boldest knights were thus afflicted by ruin and destruction, some killed and burned, others weakened, and that the entire workmanship of the engine had been consumed by swift slaughter and devouring flame, and seeing that many of the Christian fellowship were losing heart and considering flight, was sorrowful and grieving, and began to recall all the desperate men to the attack on the town and the destruction of the enemy and to strengthen the blockade, saying: ‘Ah, wretched and useless men! For what purpose did you leave your country and kindred,² unless it was so that you might give your lives, even to death, for the name of Jesus and the recovery of the holy Church and the freeing of your fellow Christians? Look, this town and all the towns around the city of Jerusalem are hostile and plot against your safety: this is just one of them you are besieging. see that you do not fail in your purpose and are not so despicably effeminate that you leave this town unconquered. Repent, therefore, of the disgraceful profligacy which you have sinfully practised on this holy journey, and of all the injustices with which you have offended the grace of God; and, cleansed by confession and forgiveness of all your sins, thus appease God in heaven, with whom there is no injustice,³ and hear his voice, because without him you can do nothing.’⁴

5. Penitence is urged upon the people, but once again a siege engine is destroyed by fire in a similar way

After the duke’s speech and his reproof, all those who were then intent on flight and terror-stricken were now fortified by his comfort, and they strengthened the siege around Assur, or Arsuf, further and more firmly than before, until the other siege tower, once more rebuilt, might also be set up against the walls, by means of which the city would be delivered captive. At length, when everything had been found for this purpose, on the following day at first light, Arnulf, chancellor of the Lord’s Sepulchre, a distinguished cleric and devoted to God, began to reproach the duke himself and everyone great and small concerning the treachery and hard-heartedness with which they had sinned against their brothers, Gerard and Lambert, who were fixed to the mast and made hostages with the Arsufians. For that reason he urged everyone in a fatherly manner to confess and make amends for this disloyalty and for the hideousness of all their wrongs. And so, as Arnulf urged them to remorse and pardon for their faults, they wept copiously and they were encouraged and strengthened in one purpose, the siege of the city. Once more putting together the engine and the catapult for stones, they spent a long time around the walls. This second tower, which was made and constructed, indeed, in the likeness and size of the earlier tower, was brought across the rampart and close to the wall of the town by the strength of armoured men and by a great number of men and women, and in its storeys were stationed very brave and bold men to wage war on the citizens. But while this engine was thus being dragged across the rampart, and was towering over the town walls with its great height, and the men were attacking the walls from it with bows and javelins and spears, and the citizens still standing on the walls were attacking them violently, the Saracens shot it with the same bombardment of lighted stakes as they had the earlier engine, until a soft gold flame was kindled, and, growing stronger, it attacked and burned the wickerwork, the doorposts, and beams. Soon men and women ran together from all the army and camp to extinguish the engine, each carrying water in individual containers. But though they poured so much water it did very little good, for fire of this sort was inextinguishable, the flame indeed great and unconquerable, and that is why the engine could not be quenched at all, until it was utterly burnt, making a great ruin, and it destroyed with different wounds as many men and women as stood around it. Some lay there dead, others weakened by injury to their limbs; some, half-dead with damaged insides, were vomiting purple blood; others were suffocated by flames, and as no one could free them they were wretchedly endangered.

6. After the siege of Arsuf has been lifted, Bohemond and Baldwin enter the Holy City

Since these machines were not giving the duke any advantage, he took advice from his men, because the town of Arsuf was thought to be unconquerable on account of the cold and snow, now that the time of severest winter was beginning, and he returned to Jerusalem in mid-December; but he appointed a hundred cavalry with two hundred infantry from Ramnes, or Ramla, to attack the citizens of Arsuf continually and provoke them to war. The citizens, indeed, were taking care lest any attack or ambush from these men should harm them unexpectedly and were not going very far at all from the walls, so the duke’s soldiers were destroying their crops and vineyards every single day. At length these same Christian soldiers, seeing that neither ambushes nor attacks were doing them any good, themselves returned to Jerusalem, and they held back from any attack or assault for a period of two months. Thus the men of Arsuf were made safe and, thinking there would be no further opposition, they gradually came out of the city about their business and cultivated vines and fields. Bohemond, near Antioch, heard about the Christians’ victory and Duke Godfrey’s glory and his elevation in Jerusalem from the words and account of robert of Flanders and robert prince of normandy and the others who were leaving, and he sent messengers advising Baldwin, the duke’s brother, to take the road to Jerusalem to visit the place of the Lord’s Sepulchre. Daibert, the Pisan bishop, now joined them on this road, having stayed in the region of Latakia for the long period of three months with all his company, and after gifts were given, he agreed friendship with both, and from day to day, by every speech and action of pretended piety, he became ingratiated with them all. When the birthday of the Lord was drawing near, the said princes entered Jerusalem with enormous honour and a company of Christians. Duke Godfrey met them in state and kissed them affectionately from joy and very great longing to see them.

7. Concerning the Pisan bishop’s striving for advancement and his patriarchate

Then after some days the Pisan bishop, who had assiduously sought Bohemond and Baldwin as his patrons, began to make himself so pleasing and delightful to the duke that he was rewarded with promotion to the position of patriarch, but rather by means of a contribution of money than by choice of the new Church. Indeed, this same Daibert, when he was still bishop of Pisa, two years before, had been sent by urban, the supreme pontiff of the romans, into spain as a missionary of the Christian cult and religion, and he was received with respect by the king, alfonso by name,⁵ and with obedience and love by all the bishops and archbishops of his kingdom: indeed he was enriched and honoured with precious and splendid gifts, in gold as well as in silver and purple, by the king himself and all the nobles. It even became common knowledge that that same distinguished king had sent a golden ram of marvellous and beautiful workmanship by the hand of this same Daibert to the lord pope, as a gift and token of his love, which Daibert, inflamed with greed, had secretly kept for himself with the rest of the money he had collected from different sources. And, as they say who are in the know, after Pope Urban’s death he carried off this great mass of money and the golden ram to Jerusalem and, bribing Bohemond and Baldwin with these gifts, he bestowed the ram and the other gifts on Duke Godfrey, and so he was elevated to the rank of patriarch.⁶

8 The princes advance to the river Jordan with the duke

When Daibert had been appointed to the patriarchal throne of the see of Jerusalem, and consecrated by Robert, bishop of the town of Ramla, which they commonly call ramnes, and Christian men and princes had celebrated Christmas in all joy and happiness, Bohemond, Baldwin, and the patriarch himself requested of the duke that they might organize their journey in such a way that they meet on the eve of epiphany⁷ at the river Jordan, where Lord Jesus deigned to be baptized by John. Acceding to their wish and desire, the duke went down with them with his infantry and cavalry, fully equipped and in strength, to that same river Jordan, in which for joy they bathed and enjoyed themselves. After this Baldwin and Bohemond rejoiced with the duke in all happiness and in shared friendship, and there in the region of Jordan they kissed with tears and took their leave of each other: Godfrey returned to Jerusalem with the patriarch; Bohemond and Baldwin went back to antioch and rohas, or edessa.

9. Where some citizens of Arsuf are seriously harmed by the cutting off of body parts

Then, in the middle of February, while the citizens of Arsuf were safely carrying on all their affairs from day to day, and peacefully going out to cultivate their vineyards and fields, a certain Saracen who was himself a citizen of Arsuf made everything known to the duke, in order to find favour in his eyes: how the citizens were going out safely and with no regard for fear to get everything necessary to them. Moreover, when the duke had heard the Saracen he graciously consulted him on all matters, and he took care of him, so that he might flatter the man more. And so a day was fixed by that traitor on which the duke could kill some and capture others when they were outside working in the vineyards and fields. At dawn on that day, Duke Godfrey stationed forty armed horsemen in ambush next to Ramla: they attacked with a sudden cavalry charge some thousand Saracens who came out of the city, and, destroying them with savage wounds, they left over five hundre...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Crusade Texts In Translation
• Crusade Texts in Translation
• Maps
• Abbreviations
• Preface
• 0 Introduction
• 1 Book 7
• 2 Book 8
• 3 Book 9
• 4 Book 10
• 5 Book 11
• 6 Book 12
• Appendix 1. People
• Appendix 2. Places
• Bibliography
• Cumulative Index