Franks and Crusades in Medieval Eastern Christian Historiography

Description

This volume is an introduction to twelve of the main medieval Eastern Christian historians used by modern scholars to reconstruct the events and personalities of the crusading period in the Levant. Each of the chapters examines one historian and their work(s), and first contains an introductory examination of their life, background and influences. This is then followed by a study of their work(s) relevant to the Crusades, including the reasons for writing, themes, and methodology. Such an approach will allow modern researchers to better understand the background and contexts to these texts, and thus to reconstruct the past in a more nuanced and detailed way. Written by twelve world-leading scholars, and examining chronicles written in Armenian, Greek, Syriac, and Copto-Arabic, this book will be essential reading for anybody engaged in research on the Crusades, as well as Eastern Christian and Islamic history, and medieval historiography. Front Matter Alex Mallett. Introduction Jonathan Shepard. Anna Komnena as a Source for the Crusades Christopher Hobbs. John Kinnamos Alicia Simpson. Niketas Choniates Ruth Macrides and Jeffrey Brubaker. George Akropolites Tara L. Andrews. Matthew of Edessa (Mattʿēos Ur˙ hayecʿi) Sergio La Porta. The Chronicle Attributed to Smbat the Constable Dorothea Weltecke. Michael the Great Herman G. B. Teule. The Anonymous Syriac Chronicle to the Year 1234 Marianna Mazzola. Gregory Abū l-Faraj Bar ʿEbrōyō (Bar Hebraeus) Alex Mallett and Johannes den Heijer. The History of the Patriarchs of the Egyptian Church Anne-Marie Eddé. Al-Makīn Ibn al-ʿAmīd Index