Walter the ChancellorÆs The Antiochene Wars: A Translation and Commentary

by Edgington,Susan B.

• ISBN13: 9781840142631
• ISBN10: 1840142634
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-07-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Walter the Chancellor's vivid first-hand account of the wars between the Muslims and the principality of Antioch in the early 12th century describes a less well-known period in the history of the Crusades, and provides a useful counterpart to the usual focus on Jerusalem. It is here presented for the first time in English, along with a selection of comparative sources and an important introduction assessing the work's place in the historiography of the Crusader states, and analysing the military campaigns it details. As a highly-placed Antiochene official, Walter was able to write the most authoritative account of the principality's fortunes and internal workings, and his book also sheds light on the relationship between Latin settlement in the Levant and contemporary Western perceptions of Islam and Eastern Christianity.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
Chronology	viii
Map	ix
Introduction
Introduction	1	(4)
Walter's subject matter
Walter as a historian
Our knowledge of Walter	5	(3)
Historiographical background	8	(3)
Walter's purpose in writing The Antiochene Wars	11	(32)
Roger of Salerno	12	(14)
Baldwin of Le Bourcq	26	(8)
Bernard of Valence, patriarch of Antioch	34	(9)
The historical value of Walter's account
Walter and the early history of the principality of Antioch	43	(6)
Walter as a military source	49	(10)
The depiction of Islam and eastern Christendom	59	(10)
Walter's attitude to religion and piety	69	(4)
Summary	73	(4)
Walter the Chancellor's The Antiochene Wars
Book One	77	(32)
Book Two	109	(100)
Other Texts
Fulcher of Chartres	173	(8)
Albert of Aachen	181	(3)
Matthew of Edessa	184	(6)
Orderic Vitalis	190	(3)
William of Tyre	193	(12)
Charter (a)	205	(2)
Charter (b)	207	(2)
Bibliography	209	(4)
Index	213