Chronicles of the First Crusade

by Christopher Tyerman

The gripping story of the First Crusade, as witnessed by contemporary writers

The fall of Jerusalem in 1099 to an army of exhausted and starving western European soldiers was one of the most extraordinary events in history—with a legacy that remains controversial more than nine centuries later. This remarkable collection contains firsthand accounts from the knights, religious leaders, and peasants who experienced the First Crusade in all its cruelty and strangeness. Edited with an introduction and notes by one of the foremost experts on the Crusades, Chronicles of the First Crusade is a comprehensive look at the climax of Christian fervor and the record of an ultimately futile attempt to implant a European kingdom in an overwhelmingly Muslim world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Classics, Medieval History, Medieval, Religion

448 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2011

About the author

Christopher Tyerman is professor of the history of the crusades at Oxford University and a fellow of Hertford College. His books include God’s War, The Debate on the Crusades, and How to Plan a Crusade. He lives in Oxford.

Reviews

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read in 2021 preparatory to work on WATCHERS OF OUTREMER book 4. Great collection of the major primary sources dealing with the First Crusade. It's mostly highlights, being only selections from chronicles by folks such as Anna Comnena, Fulcher, Aguilers, and the Anonymous of the Gesta Francorum; Albert of Aachen is omitted altogether. Still, a very helpful compilation!

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Been reading this slowly for the last few months. Extremely helpful.

[Googoogjoob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always think it's hilarious when people give middling or negative reviews to primary sources, as if they expected an enthralling narrative and character development. Anyway I give this book five stars 'cuz it's well-selected (it interweaves extracts from the source material into a not-quite-coherent, but chronological, narrative), there's enough explanatory text and footnotes that you can follow the narrative (though I wouldn't actually recommend reading this without already having a reasonable understanding of the First Crusade, as the authors are often biased and make conflicting claims and incorporate miracle stories etc; Thomas Asbridge's "The First Crusade: A New History" or "The Crusades", or indeed the editor Christopher Tyerman's "God's War: A New History of the Crusades" are good places to start), and it has some nice maps and a timeline and a little glossary of major figures which are helpful. The translations are all pretty clear and understandable in modern English, though as far as I know none are original to this book: they're all sourced from pre-existing scholarly translations of the works. But that's okay, there's no need to re-translate them when perfectly good versions already exist.

[Simon Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone interested in the crusades. This is very well laid out with the excerpts from the sources arranged in chronological order with brief explanatory notes at the beginning of each section. The excerpts are well selected and as well as covering all the key events also convey a great sense of the mind set of the participants. With significant chunks from the Gesta Francorum, Fulcher of Chartres and Raymond of Aguilers as well as Anna Comnena we also get a wide range of other sources including letters sent by the protagonists as well as some Muslim accounts and particularly noteworthy is the account of the European Jewish victims of the crusaders who suffered appalling brutality from the hands of those en route to the Holy land. There is plenty here both to admire and to despise, nicely packaged for your convenience.

[Breadfan · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Taking contemporary accounts and weaving them into a narrative works quite well.
-Things that were 'delightful' back then can make you laugh (in an extremely inappropriate fashion)
-Helps one to have a better understanding the state of the middle east today
-Bohemund is awesome!

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well sourced and translated. I couldn't help but get worn down by the language used by the chronicles. I much prefer modern accounts interspersed with some contemporary quotes, rather than the reverse.

[William Corrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent compilation of primary documents revolving around the events of the first Crusade, from the call to Crusade to poems and letters written in its aftermath. the authors did a fantastic job at keeping their opinions removed from the work (something very difficult to find on the subject) and let those who chronicled the Crusade speak for themselves. For those wanting to know what happened during this conflict, this book is an excellent resource.

The only downside to this book, and the reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars, is due to some of the primary documents being VERY loosely related to the Crusade, specifically documents used in the last chapter, "Rejoicing, Lamentation, Sept. 1099-1105"

[Jonah Shiramizu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating historical record of the first crusade and what led up to the conflict from Constantinople to Jerusalem. Bordering history and myth, the people who recorded these events give their take on what was occurring at this time.
The most interesting parts are the ones where the moral standards at that time dictated the actions that today we would find reprehensible.
A great read for anyone who wants to know more about the first crusade, the political and religious climate, as well as the battles that occurred. It also provides a helpful perspective for understanding how these events led to centuries of conflict between Muslims and Christians.

[Rune Fey · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting collection of historical sources. I especially liked the jewish perspective from Cairo.

On the editorial side, the editor seems much more critical of Anne Komnene than the other sources, which seems odd.

The Editor has also chosen to refer to the Romans (Byzantines) as "Greeks", a rather absurd decision as this was a deliberate misidentification carried out by the "Latins" in the wake of the crusades.

[AB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am kind of surprised by how much I liked this collection. I'm trying to meander with the medievals a bit, a big break from my classicist background and this is exactly the type of book that I am looking for. Tyerman collects a diverse set of sources and walks through the build up of the crusade to the sack of Jerusalem. The sources were engaging, enough so that I'm quite keen to read more from them (especially Anna Ccomnena's aloof and haughty history). Would highly recommend

[Jessica Harn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of testimonies and written accounts of the First Crusade. This is one of the most interesting accounts of Europe in the Middle Ages

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’re interested in the period and event, the accounts are interesting, sometimes fascinating.

[Eric W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting to read the original sources to complement my understanding of the Crusades. It’s not for everybody, and I wouldn’t necessarily start here, but it’s great for a Crusades deep dive.

[Melissa]

Areopagus

[aubs]

One of my required texts for class — had to read every chapter so you bet it’s going to count for my reading goal this year lol.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wacky zany adventures of some funky dudes and how they got away with the impossible because muslims are pussies.

[Paul]

Finished reading the Penguin Classics Chronicles of the First Crusade. (Some of you probably know about my lifelong fascination with Medieval History, from about age 10 onwards.) Christopher Tyerman's edition of the chronicles draws on Gesta Francoram, Raymond of Aguilers, Fulcher of Chartres, Anna Conena's Alexiad, Ibn al-Qalanisi (for the Muslim POV) and various letters. Its a fascinating read, giving a reasonably comprehensive account of the events of the First Crusade - its calling by Pope Urban II at the request of the Byzantyne Emperor, Alexius,; the crusader pilgrim journeys to Asia Minor, via Constantinople; the capture of Nicea, the battle of Dorylaeum, the siege of Antioch, the occupation of northwest Syria, the fall of Jerusalem to the crusaders, and the crusader victory at the battle of Ascalon. Some characters intrigue : John Bartholomew, an obscure merchant who believed he was guided by Saint Andrew to find the Holy Lance. The religious enthusiasm following this event had much to do with the Crusader victories in the First Crusade. Its an easy read, and not hard to keep its large cast of characters in mind.