Letter to Pope Urban II, 11 September, 1098. Re: Antioch

Bibliographic Information

Medieval Title:

N/A

Authors:

Bohemond, Raymond, Count of St. Gilles, Godfrey, Duke of Lorraine, Robert Duke of Normandy, Robert, Count of Flanders, Eustace, Count of Boulogne

Composition:

September 1098, Latin

Textual Information

Brief Summary:

In this letter, which appears to have been written predominately by Bohemond, the authors detail their successful capture of Antioch. They describe the difficulties they faced in obtaining the city, explaining that at times they were forced to eat their own horses and mules to avoid starvation. The letter describes how they found the Lance which used to pierce Jesus’s side during his crucifixion and explains how this discovery empowered and uplifted the authors to continue their fight. While many victories and successes are recounted, the letter also includes the news that the bishop of Le Puy died in battle. Additionally, the authors lament the fact that others have been given permission to stay at home, feeling that anyone who has not taken part in the expedition should not be given special privilege.

Relics Appearing in Text:

Lance

Manuscripts, Editions, and Translations

Manuscripts:

N/A

List of Editions of the Medieval Text: 

“No. XVI.“ In Epistulae et chartae ad historiam primi belli sacri spectantes. Die Kreuzzugsbriefe aus den Jahren 1088-1100. Edited by Heinrich Hagenmeyer, 161-5. Innsbruck, 1901.

Text available from archive.org: https://archive.org/details/epistulaeetchart00hageuoft

List of Translations of the Medieval Text: 

“Letter 8. Bohemond, Raymond, Count of St. Gilles, Godfrey, Duke of Lorraine, Robert Duke of Normandy, Robert, Count of Flanders, Eustace, Count of Boulogn, to Pope Urban II (11 September, 1098).” In Letters from the East: Crusaders, Pilgrims and Settlers in the 12th-13th Centuries. Translated by Malcolm Barber and Keith Bate, . Burlington: Ashgate, 2010.