DOCSLIB.ORG

Ralph of Caen

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ralph of Caen Ralph of Caen Raoul de Caen, Radulfo Cadomensi Date of Birth About 1080 Place of Birth Caen, Normandy Date of Death Unknown; after 1118 Place of Death Unknown Biography Ralph of Caen probably came from a prominent Norman family. He was likely educated at the cathedral school at Caen under the tutelage of Arnulf of Chocques, who was later to become patriarch of Jerusa- lem. It is not known whether he completed his studies and training for the priesthood before Arnulf’s departure for the Holy Land in 1096, but he was an ordained priest at least by 1106. That year, Bohe- mond of Taranto, prince of Antioch, toured France to recruit men for his new crusade. Ralph accompanied Bohemond as his chaplain and appears to have served Bohemond during his campaign against Emperor Alexius Comnenus (1107-8). In his work, Ralph emphasizes his close personal relationship with Bohemond, although it is possible this was a rhetorical device designed to give greater credence to his narrative. Some time before Bohemond’s death in 1111, Ralph of Caen left his service to join Bohemond’s nephew Tancred, who had succeeded him as prince of Antioch. Ralph seems to be deliberately vague regarding the circumstances surrounding this move. He remained with Tancred until the latter’s death in 1112. Throughout his narrative, Ralph high- lights his close association with both Bohemond and Tancred, and emphasizes that his information on the crusade came from them and their followers. Ralph began the Gesta Tancredi after Tancred’s death in 1112, seems to have had Arnulf of Chocques as a patron, and dedi- cated the work to him. Ralph probably completed the work shortly before Arnulf’s death in 1118. 376 ralph of caen MAIN SOURCES OF INFORMATION Primary B. Bachrach and D. Bachrach, The Gesta Tancredi of Ralph of Caen. A his- tory of the Normans on the First Crusade, Aldershot UK, 2005 (English trans. of the RHC Occ. text) Radulfo Cadomensi, Gesta Tandcredi in expeditione Hierosolymitana, RHC Occ. 3, pp. 587-716 Historia Belli Sacri, RHC Occ. 3, pp. 169-229, (the anonymous author follows Ralph’s work from pp. 215-29) Secondary Bachrach and Bachrach, The Gesta Tancredi of Ralph of Caen, pp. 1-17 J. Payen, ‘Une légende épique en gestation. Les Gesta Tancredi de Raoul de Caen’, in E. Baungartner et al. (eds), La chanson de geste et le mythe carolingien, Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay, 1982, pp. 1051-62 Works on Christian-Muslim Relations Gesta Tandcredi in expeditione Hierosolymitana, ‘The deeds of Tancred on the expedition to Jerusalem’ Date 1112-18 Original Language Latin Description Ralph of Caen began his work after the death of Tancred in 1112, writing in both verse and prose. In the RHC edition, the text takes up about 125 pages. In his preface, Ralph implies that he wrote only after the death of his lord so that he could not be accused of being bribed and told what to write. Ralph dedicated the work to Arnulf of Chocques, his former teacher and patriarch of Jerusalem. Through- out his work, he highlights the close personal relationship he had enjoyed with both Bohemond and Tancred, and stresses that he had obtained his information from these two men and also from their fol- lowers. While we cannot know how much information they actually provided for his narrative, Ralph certainly had ample opportunity to learn details of the First Crusade, both while he was in Europe and in the Holy Land; Bohemond’s tour of France in 1106 was accom- panied by the circulation of an early narrative of the First Crusade, the anonymous Gesta Francorum et aliorum Hierosolimitanorum, and .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Medieval French Alexander: Arthurian Orientalism, Cross-Cultural Contact, and Transcultural Assimilation in Chrétien De Troyes’S Cligés
    Otterbein University Digital Commons @ Otterbein Modern Languages & Cultures Faculty Scholarship Modern Languages & Cultures 2013 The »Other« Medieval French Alexander: Arthurian Orientalism, Cross-Cultural Contact, And Transcultural Assimilation in Chrétien de Troyes’s Cligés Levilson C. Reis Otterbein University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/mlanguages_fac Part of the French and Francophone Literature Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, and the Modern Languages Commons Repository Citation Reis, Levilson C., "The »Other« Medieval French Alexander: Arthurian Orientalism, Cross-Cultural Contact, And Transcultural Assimilation in Chrétien de Troyes’s Cligés" (2013). Modern Languages & Cultures Faculty Scholarship. 14. https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/mlanguages_fac/14 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Modern Languages & Cultures at Digital Commons @ Otterbein. It has been accepted for inclusion in Modern Languages & Cultures Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Otterbein. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Romanische Forschungen , 125 (3), 2013 The “Other” Medieval Alexander The »Other« Medieval French Alexander: Arthurian Orientalism, Cross- Cultural Contact, And Transcultural Assimilation in Chrétien de Troyes’s Cligés Résumé/Abstract En tenant compte du climat xénophobe des croisades cet article recense la réception de Cligés , roman de Chrétien de Troyes dont la plus grande partie de l’action se passe en Grèce, et explore les stratégies dont l’auteur se serait servi pour en déjouer un mauvais accueil. On examine d’abord les idées que les Francs se faisaient des Grecs par le biais de la réception contemporaine de l’ Énéide et du Roman d’Alexandre . On examine par la suite comment Cligés cadre avec ces perspectives.
    [Show full text]
  • THE LOGISTICS of the FIRST CRUSADE 1095-1099 a Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Wester
    FEEDING VICTORY: THE LOGISTICS OF THE FIRST CRUSADE 1095-1099 A Thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate School of Western Carolina University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History By William Donald O’Dell, Jr. Director: Dr. Vicki Szabo Associate Professor of Ancient and Medieval History History Department Committee Members: Dr. David Dorondo, History Dr. Robert Ferguson, History October, 2020 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee members and director for their assistance and encouragements. In particular, Dr. Vicki Szabo, without whose guidance and feedback this thesis would not exist, Dr. David Dorondo, whose guidance on the roles of logistics in cavalry warfare have helped shaped this thesis’ handling of such considerations and Dr. Robert Ferguson whose advice and recommendations for environmental historiography helped shaped my understanding on how such considerations influence every aspect of history, especially military logistics. I also offer my warmest regards and thanks to my parents, brothers, and extended family for their continued support. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................................v Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy Lance of Antioch
    The Holy Lance of Antioch A Study on the Impact of a Perceived Relic during the First Crusade Master Thesis By Marius Kjørmo The crucified Jesus and the Roman soldier Longinus with the spear that would become the Holy Lance. Portrait by Fra Angelico from the Dominican cloister San Marco, Florence. A Master Thesis in History, Institute of Archaeology, History, Culture Studies and Religion, University of Bergen, Spring 2009. 2 Contents Preface.........................................................................................................................................5 List of Maps..................................................................................................................................6 List of Illustrations.......................................................................................................................6 Cast of Characters.......................................................................................................................7 1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................9 1.1. Introduction...........................................................................................................................9 1.2. Lance Historiography..........................................................................................................11 1.3. Terms and Expressions.......................................................................................................13
    [Show full text]
  • Baldwin I of Jerusalem: Defender of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem
    Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses Spring 6-18-2013 Baldwin I of Jerusalem: Defender of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem John Francis Lowe Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the History of Christianity Commons, Medieval History Commons, and the Medieval Studies Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Lowe, John Francis, "Baldwin I of Jerusalem: Defender of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem" (2013). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 1029. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.1029 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Baldwin I of Jerusalem: Defender of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem by John Francis Lowe A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Thesis Committee: John Ott, Chair Thomas Luckett Brian Turner Anne McClanan Portland State University 2013 © 2013 John Francis Lowe i Abstract The reign of King Baldwin I (1100-1118) has thus far received little noteworthy attention by historians as the important pivotal period following the First Crusade conquest of Jerusalem in 1099. The two decades of his rule marked the extension of Latin conquests in the east, most notably by the conquest of the important coastal cities of Arsulf, Acre, Caesarea, Beirut and Sidon. These vital ports for the early Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem provided outlets to the sea for commerce, as well as safe harbors for incoming assistance from the west.
    [Show full text]
  • The Physiognomy of the Enemy: the Image of Saracens in Travel Literature
    CTPIJTW JAN ’15 | 4(1) The Physiognomy of the Enemy: The Image of Saracens in Travel Literature Ilaria Sabbatini Abstract Florentine writers of travel, on which is based this article, were no longer interested in writing about the Arabs as a people, charged with Christian symbols, but the Arabs became the subject of a new mode of observation. Something of the traditional theological device remained in the Florentine diaries but what interested travellers was the concrete observation made of the Eastern peoples grouped under the name of Saracens. The new approach, far from banishing symbolism from the representation of reality, stimulated its reinterpretation in the light of empirical observation. Field experiences were mingled with bookish knowledge; data collected first-hand was interwoven with the traditional repertoire of beliefs, producing an inseparable mixture. Given that the paradigm still remained that of St. Augustine, a great change had taken place: the Christian symbolism, in which the real city was that of God, passed to a civic symbolism whose point of reference was the city of men, shaped during the urban development that had changed the face of the West. The Augustinian background was always present, but was shifting its focus from being the city of God to the city built by Christians: the proximity to the city marked the degree of proximity to the human species. Only in the light of these considerations can one understand the full extent of the operation undertaken by Florentine diarists who described physically — but also socially — the populations of the Eastern Mediterranean. Keywords Florentine Diarists, Débat du Chrestien et du Sarrazin, Muhammad, Liber Phisionomiae, Christianity, Saracens, Liber de secretis nature, arabi salvatichi, arabi piccolini, Mamelukes The International Quarterly of Travelogy Read this and other works at <<http://www.coldnoon.com>> ISSN 2278-9642 | E-ISSN 2278-9650 CTPIJTW JAN ’15 | 4(1) Recommended Citation Sabbatini, Ilaria.
    [Show full text]
  • Remembering the First Crusade
    REMEMBERING THE FIRST CRUSADE: LATIN NARRATIVE HISTORIES 1099-c.1300 Barbara Packard Royal Holloway University of London PhD Thesis 1 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I, Barbara Packard, hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: ______________________ Date: 04/01/2011 2 ABSTRACT The success of the First Crusade by the Christian armies caught the interest and arrested the imagination of contemporaries, stimulating the production of a large number of historical narratives. Four eyewitness accounts, as well as letters written by the crusaders to the West, were taken up by later authors, re-worked and re-fashioned into new narratives; a process which continued throughout the twelfth century and beyond. This thesis sets out to explore why contemporaries continued to write about the First Crusade in light of medieval attitudes towards the past, how authors constructed their narratives and how the crusade and the crusaders were remembered throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It will analyse the development in the way the First Crusade was recorded and investigate the social, religious, intellectual and political influences dictating change: How, why and under what circumstances was the story re- told? What changed in the re-telling? What ideas and concepts were the authors trying to communicate and what was their meaning for contemporaries? The thesis will also aim to place these texts not only in their historical but also in their literary contexts, analyse the literary traditions from which authors were writing, and consider the impact the crusade had on medieval literature.
    [Show full text]
  • The Case of Muslims Tomasz Pelech
    Shaping the Image of Enemy-Infidel in the Relations of Eyewitnesses and Participants of the First Crusade : The Case of Muslims Tomasz Pelech To cite this version: Tomasz Pelech. Shaping the Image of Enemy-Infidel in the Relations of Eyewitnesses and Participants of the First Crusade : The Case of Muslims. Archaeology and Prehistory. Université Clermont Auvergne; Uniwersytet Wroclawski, 2020. English. NNT : 2020CLFAL002. tel-03143783 HAL Id: tel-03143783 https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-03143783 Submitted on 17 Feb 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. UNIWERSYTET WROCŁAWSKI WYDZIAŁ NAUK HISTORYCZNYCH I PEDAGOGICZNYCH INSTYTUT HISTORYCZNY / UNIVERSITÉ CLERMONT–AUVERGNE ÉCOLE DOCTORALE DES LETTRES, SCIENCES HUMAINES ET SOCIALES (ED 370) CENTRE D’HISTOIRE «ESPACES ET CULTURES» PRACA DOKTORSKA/THÈSE DE DOCTORAT Shaping the Image of Enemy-Infidel in the Relations of Eyewitnesses and Participants of the First Crusade: The Case of Muslims NAPISANA POD KIERUNKIEM/SOUS LA DIRECTION DES: Promotorzy/Directeurs: Prof. dr hab. Stanisław Rosik (Université de Wrocław) Prof. dr hab. Jean-Luc Fray (Université Clermont-Auvergne) Kopromotor/Cotuteur: Dr hab. Damien Carraz (Université Clermont-Auvergne) SKŁAD KOMISJI/MEMBRES DU JURY: Prof. dr hab.
    [Show full text]
  • The Struggle for the Conquest of Antioch (1097-1098) the Struggle
    The Struggle for the Conquest of Antioch (1097-1098) The Struggle for the Conquest of Antioch (1097-1098): Muslim and Christian Perspectives of a Critical Battle during the First Crusade Mersadi’s Dâ Curtsinger Pope Urban II’s sermon at the Council of Clermont in 1095 calling for Christians of Europe to recapture Jerusalem in the name of God brought forth a widespread response from people of all social ranks.1 These included princeps (princes or leaders), minors (petty knights, castellans, and lords), the populous (the poor and laborers), and, lastly, the clergy.2 The following excerpt from Urban’s letter provides instructions on how the Christian community could join this cause: Your brotherhood, we believe, has long since learned from many accounts that a barbaric fury has deplorably afflicted and laid waste the churches of God in the regions of the Orient. More than this, blasphemous to say, it has even grasped in intolerable servitude its churches and the Holy City of Christ, glorified by his passion and resurrection. Grieving with pious concern at this calamity, we visited the regions of Gaul and devoted ourselves largely to urging the princes of the land and their subjects to free the churches of the East. We solemnly enjoined upon them at the council of Auvergne (the accomplishment of) such an undertaking, as a preparation for the remission of all their sins. And we have constituted our most beloved son, Adhemar [sic], Bishop of Puy, leader of this expedition and undertaking in our stead, so that those who, perchance, may wish to undertake this journey should comply [w]ith his commands, as if they were their own, and submit fully to his loosings or bindings, as far as shall seem to belong to such an office.
    [Show full text]
  • James Plumtree FORMING the FIRST CRUSADE: the ROLE OF
    James Plumtree FORMING THE FIRST CRUSADE: THE ROLE OF THE KINGDOM OF HUNGARY IN WESTERN CRUSADING DISCOURSE MA Thesis in Medieval Studies CEU eTD Collection Central European University Budapest 2010 FORMING THE FIRST CRUSADE: THE ROLE OF THE KINGDOM OF HUNGARY IN WESTERN CRUSADING DISCOURSE by James Plumtree (United Kingdom) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Medieval Studies Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU ____________________________________________________________ Chair, Examination Committee ____________________________________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________________________________ Examiner CEU eTD Collection ____________________________________________________________ Examiner Budapest 2010 FORMING THE FIRST CRUSADE: THE ROLE OF THE KINGDOM OF HUNGARY IN WESTERN CRUSADING DISCOURSE by James Plumtree (United Kingdom) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Medieval Studies Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU ____________________________________________________________ External Supervisor CEU eTD Collection Budapest 2010 I, the undersigned, James Plumtree, candidate for the MA degree in Medieval Studies, declare herewith that the present thesis is exclusively my own work, based on my research and only such external information credited in notes and bibliography. I declare that no unidentified and illegitimate use was made of the work of others, and no part of the thesis infringes on the copyright of any person or institution. I also declare that no part of the thesis has been submitted in this form to any other institution of higher education for an academic degree.
    [Show full text]
  • Thesis Template for Researchers
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Huddersfield Repository University of Huddersfield Repository McCabe, Mark Godfrey of Bouillon: Representations of Kingship and Masculinity on the First Crusade Original Citation McCabe, Mark (2015) Godfrey of Bouillon: Representations of Kingship and Masculinity on the First Crusade. Masters thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/27860/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ GODFREY OF BOUILLON: REPRESENTATIONS OF KINGSHIP AND MASCULINTIY ON THE FIRST CRUSADE MARK MCCABE A thesis submitted to the University of Huddersfield in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters by Research in History The University of Huddersfield September 2015 Copyright statement i.
    [Show full text]
  • Cannibals and Crusaders
    Cannibals and Crusaders Jay Rubenstein The First Crusade began in 1096 with massacres of Jews along the Rhine, and its penultimate act in 1099 was the killing of nearly all of Jeru- salem’s inhabitants—men, women, and children. The events sparked serious discussion among contemporary witnesses and continue to do so among scholars today. Most twelfth-century observers condemned the killing of the Jews and distinguished its perpetrators from the real crusaders. The killings at Jerusalem, on the other hand, they accepted Jay Rubenstein is associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He is author of Guibert of Nogent: Portrait of a Medieval Mind (2002) and editor, with Sally N. Vaughn, of Teaching and Learning in Northern Europe, 1000–1200 (2006). He is working on a book about twelfth- century interpretations of the crusade. Numerous people from a variety of disciplines have discussed with the author the twin subjects of cannibalism and crusading. Suggestions and advice from Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Tom Bissell, Heather Blurton, Clémentine Bobin, Virginie Bobin, Philippe Buc, Thomas Burman, Helen Damico, Sharon Farmer, C. Stephen Jaeger, Christopher MacEvitt, Jaclyn Maxwell, Carmen Nocentelli, William North, Gerard Passannante, Hilary Poriss, Charles Radding, Marina Rustow, Thomas Sizgorich, Kevin Uhalde, and Sally N. Vaughn have all been extremely helpful. Thanks are also due to members of the Texas Medieval Association and the members of the Marco Center at the University of Tennessee who listened to and commented on earlier versions of this essay. The article was completed at the American Academy in Rome with the help of an American Coun- cil of Learned Societies Burkhardt Fellowship.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Intermediaries in the Latin East, 1095-1291 Honors Re
    “For We Who Were Occidentals Have Become Orientals:” The Evolution of Intermediaries in the Latin East, 1095-1291 Honors Research Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation “with Honors Research Distinction in Medieval and Renaissance Studies” in the Undergraduate colleges of The Ohio State University By K. A. Tuley The Ohio State University June 2012 Project Adviser: Professor Sarah-Grace Heller, Department of French and Italian ! Tuley 2 ! Table of Contents Introduction, p. 3 Historical Background, p.5 Methodology and Sources, p. 18 Chapter 1: Crusaders to Latin Easterners: From the First Crusade to the Aftermath of the Loss of Jerusalem (1097-1191), p. 26 Chapter 2: Franks of the East and West: the Third Crusade (1191-1192), p. 45 Chapter 3: Intermediaries Within the Kingdom of Jerusalem (1097-1291), p. 56 Concluding Remarks, p. 80 Appendix 1: Maps, p. 84 Appendix 2: Key Figures in the Crusades and Latin East, p. 89 Appendix 3: Ethnic Terms, p. 98 Bibliography, p. 100 ! Tuley 3 ! Introduction The Mediterranean Basin in the medieval era was, itself, a cultural contact zone, where Jews, Muslims, and Christians of various sects and languages met, trading ideas, goods, and battles. The strip of Levantine coastal territory from Ascalon in the south to Antioch and Edessa in the north conquered by the armed pilgrimages now called the Crusades has come to be known the “Crusader States,” but I find the “Latin East” to be a more accurate title: Europeans who came to the Levant quickly lost the total-war ideology associated with Crusaders, and developed an identity based on being Latins in and of the East.
    [Show full text]