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The History of the Holy War: Ambroise's Estoire de la Guerre Sainte, Volume I: Text edited by Marianne Ailes and Malcolm Barber. The History of the Holy War: Ambroise's Estoire de la Guerre Sainte; Volume II: Translation by Marianne Ailes with notes by Malcolm Barber. (Rochester, New York: Boydell Press. 2003. Pp. xvii, 211; xix, 214. $125.00 the set.)
Ambroise's Estoire de la Guerre Sainte is one of the most important primary sources for the Third Crusade (1189-1192). It recounts the events of the crusade from the point of view of the Anglo-Norman contingent. Its hero is King Richard the Lionheart-Ambroise being one of the earliest authors to give him this title (line 2306 and vol. 2, p. 65). This is an exciting tale of war, victory, and defeat, but although told in the same style as the epic chansons de geste it is a serious and accurate historical source. It is also one of the earliest works of history in French, holding an important place in the development of vernacular historiography. Scholars and students of the crusades, medieval warfare, and the reign of Richard the Lionheart will be indebted to Marianne Ailes and Malcolm Barber for this modern edition of Ambroise's work, with its readable translation and thorough introduction and notes.
This work is in two volumes. The first contains a short introduction describing the manuscript and editorial principles, a new edition of the text, and an index. The second contains an historical introduction considering the author and date of the text and describing the crusade and other contemporary accounts (Christian and Muslim) with maps and a chronology of the crusade, a translation of Ambroise's text with detailed explanatory notes, and a bibliography and index.
The importance of...