{{italic title The ''Recueil des historiens des croisades'' (trans: ''Collection of the Historians of the Crusades'') is a major collection of several thousand medieval documents written during the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

. The documents were collected and published in Paris in the 19th century, and include documents in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

, and

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

. The documents cover the entire period of the Crusades, and are frequently cited in scholarly works, as a way of locating a specific document. When being quoted in citations, the collection is often abbreviated as RHC or R.H.C.. Images of the documents can be viewed in some major libraries. The 1967 reprint of the entire collection by

Gregg Press Gregg Press was founded about 1965 by Charles Gregg in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey to distribute in the United States the antiquarian reprints published in the UK by Gregg Press International. Gregg decided he wanted to publish scholarly repri ...

can also be found in major libraries, and there are also full-text PDF files available online, which have been made available by the

Bibliothèque Nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

Gallica project. Documents can be downloaded in their entirety, or stepped through page by page, with both the original text, and a French translation.

Presentation

According to the introductory Report to the first volume of the Western Historians, this collection brings up to date the previous collection published in 1611 by

Jacques Bongars Jacques Bongars (155429 July 1612) was a French scholar and diplomat. Life Bongars was born at Orléans, and was brought up in the Reformed faith. He obtained his early education at Marburg and Jena, and returning to France continued his studies ...

under the title ''Gesta Dei per Francos'',Catalogue BnF
due to "the discovery of many literary and historical monuments which Bongars could not have suspected the existence", including those published in the collections of Duchesne, Archery, Mabillon, Martène and many other foreign compilers. The editors of this collection have chosen to consider 1291 as the end date of the Crusades, since the fall of Saint-Jean-d'Acre completed the ruin of Christian institutions in Palestine. So historians posterior to the middle of the fourteenth century are not included. Were also excluded works more literary than historical, like novels on the Crusades, and also the narration related to the

conquest of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

by the French and the Venetians, because they did take almost no part in the events of Palestine. Neither was included

Joinville Joinville () is the largest city in Santa Catarina, in the Southern Region of Brazil. It is the third largest municipality in the southern region of Brazil, after the much larger state capitals of Curitiba and Porto Alegre. Joinville is also a ...

's ''Histoire'', because the commission of the

Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France. The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions ( epig ...

did class this author among France's general historians.

The RHC is divided into five series: *Lois ("RHC Lois"; the

Assizes of Jerusalem The Assizes of Jerusalem are a collection of numerous medieval legal treatises written in Old French containing the law of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and Kingdom of Cyprus. They were compiled in the thirteenth century, and are the largest c ...

) *Historiens occidentaux ("RHC Oc" or "RHC Occ"; Western European texts in Latin and Old French) *Historiens orientaux ("RHC Or"; Arabic texts) *Historiens grecs ("RHC Grec"; Greek texts) *Historiens arméniens ("RHC Arm"; Armenian texts)

''Lois'' (1841–1843)

Full title: ''Assises de Jérusalem ou Recueil des ouvrages de jurisprudence composés pendant le XIIIe siècle dans les royaumes de Jérusalem et de Chypre, par M. Le Comte Beugnot''

Volume 1

;Introduction to the Assizes of the

Haute Cour {{Expand French, Haute Cour (France), date=November 2015, topic=gov In France, the Parliament sitting in High Court (''Haute Cour'') is the jurisdiction responsible for pronouncing the impeachment of the President of the Republic "if he should fa ...

(by Beugnot) * I. Livre de Jean d'Ibelin * II. Livre de

Geoffroy le Tort Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to: People * Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name * Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name * Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the m ...

* III. Livre de Jacques d'Ibelin * IV. Livre de Philippe de Navarre * V. La Clef des Assises de la Haute Cour du royaume de Jérusalem et de Chypre * VI. Le

Livre au Roi LIVRE (, L), previously known as LIVRE/Tempo de Avançar (, L/TDA), is a green political party in Portugal founded in 2014. Its founding principles are ecology, universalism, freedom, equity, solidarity, socialism and Europeanism. Its symbo ...

;Table des matières

Volume 2

;Introduction to the Assizes of the Cour des Bourgeois (by Beugnot) *I. Livre des Assises de la Cour des Bourgeois *II. Abrégé du Livre des Assises de la Cour des Bourgeois *III. Bans et Ordonnances des rois de Chypre *IV. Formules ;Appendix: *I. Documents relatifs à la successibilité au trône et à la régence *II. Document relatif au service militaire *III. Les

Lignages d'Outremer The ''Lignages d'Outremer'' ("Lineages of Outremer") describe the pedigrees of the most important Crusader families. A first version was written in 1270 and is available in two manuscripts of the 14th century. A later version was produced in 130 ...

*IV. Charters ;Glossary ;Table of contents.

''Historiens occidentaux'' (1844–1895)

Volume 1 (1844)

; First part * Report on the publication of the Recueil des historiens des croisades * Preface * Notice on the general map of the theatre of the crusades *

William of Tyre William of Tyre ( la, Willelmus Tyrensis; 113029 September 1186) was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from his predecessor, William I, the Englishman, a former ...

's Chronique, ''Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum'', in Latin, up to book 23 ; Second part (p. 703) *

's Chronique, ''Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum'', in Latin, Rest *

Ernoul Ernoul was a squire of Balian of Ibelin who wrote an eyewitness account of the fall of Jerusalem in 1187. This was later incorporated into an Old French history of Crusader Palestine now known as the ''Chronicle of Ernoul and Bernard the Treasurer ...

's Chronique, ''L’estoire de Eracles empereur'', translation in old french of the former * Variantes Lectiones * Index Generalis

Volume 2 (1859)

* Preface * Description of the manuscripts * Table of contents of the second volume * Corrections and additions * L'estoire de eracles émpereur (continuation; in Old French) Book 23 to 34 * Continuation of William of Tyre from the so-called "Rothelin manuscript" * Chronological analysis of William of Tyre and his continuators * Glossary * Table

Volume 3 (1866)

;Preface * I. Petri Tudebodi seu Tudebovis, sacerdotis Sivracensis, historia de Hierosolymitano itinere * II. Gesta Francorum et aliorum Hierosolymitanorum, seu Tudebodus abbreviatus (''Expeditio contra Turcos)'' * III. Tudebodus imitatus et continuatus, ex codice bibliothecae casinensis qui inscribitur, Historia peregrinorum euntium Jerusolymam ad liberandum Sanctum Sepulcrum de potestate ethnicorum, et a cl. Viro Mabillone editus est in Musaeo italico * IV. Raimundi de Aguilers, canonici Podiensis, historia Francorum qui ceperunt Iherusalem * V. Historia Iherosolymitana. Gesta Francorum Iherusalem peregrinantium, ab anno Domini MXCV usque ad annum MCXXVII, auctore domno Fulcherio Carnotensi * VI. Gesta Francorum expugnantium Iherusalem * VII. Secunda pars historiae Iherosolimitanae * VIII.

Gesta Tancredi ''Gesta Tancredi in expeditione Hierosolymitana'' (The Deeds of Tancred in the Crusade), also known by its full title ''Gesta Tancredi Siciliae Regis in expeditione Hierosolymitana, is'' usually called simply ''Gesta Tancredi'', is a prosimetric hi ...

in expeditione Hierosolymitana, auctore Rudolfo Cadomensi, ejus familiari * IX. Roberti Monachi historia Iherosolimitana * X. Stephani, comitis Carnotensis, atque Anselmi de Ribodi Monte epistolae * Index generalis quo nomina quae ad res, locos et homines pertinent, comprehenduntur

Volume 4 (1879)

;Preface * I. Baldrici, episcopi Dolensis, Historia Jerosolimitana * II. Historia quae dicitur Gesta Dei per Francos, edita a venerabili Domno Guiberto, abbate monasterii Sanctae Mariae Novigenti * III. Alberti Aquensis Historia Hierosolymitana * Index generalis quo nomina quae ad res locos, homines, pertinent, comprehenduntur

Volume 5 (1895)

; Preface * I. Ekkehardi abbatis Uraugiensis Hierosolymita * II. Cafari de Caschifelone, Genuensis, De libertatione civitatum Orientis * III. Galterii, cancellarii Antiocheni, Bella Antiochena, 1114–1119 * IV. Balduini III Historia Nicaena vel Antiochena * V. Theodori Palidensis Narratio profectionis Godefridi ducis ad Jerusalem * VI. Passiones beati Thiemonis * VII. Documenta Lipsanographica ad I. bellum sacrum spectantia * VIII. Primi belli sacri Narrationes minores * IX. Exordium Hospitalariorum * X. Historia Gotfridi * XI. Benedicti de Accoltis, Aretini, Historia Gotefridi * XII. Li Estoire de Jerusalem et d’Antioche * XIII. Itinerario di la gran militia, a la pavese * XIV. Fulco.

Gilo Gilo ( he, גִּלֹה) is an Israeli settlement in south-western East Jerusalem, with a population of 30,000, mostly Jewish inhabitants. Although it is located within the Jerusalem Municipality, it is widely considered a settlement, because a ...

* Index generalis

''Historiens orientaux'' (1872–1906)

Volume 1 (1872)

* Introduction * Summary of the history of the Crusades, taken from the ''Concise History of Humanity'' of Abu'l-Feda (Arabic/French) * Autobiography of Abu'l-Feda, extract from his chronicle * Extract from ''

The Complete History ''The Complete History'' (, ''al-Kāmil fit-Tārīkh)'', is a classic Islamic history book written by Ali ibn al-Athir. Composed in ca. 1231AD/628AH, it is one of the most important Islamic historical works. Ibn al-Athir was a contemporary and memb ...

'' by

ibn Athir Ibn Athīr is the family name of three brothers, all famous in Arabic literature, born at Jazīrat ibn Umar (today's ''Cizre'' nowadays in south-eastern Turkey) in upper Mesopotamia. The ibn al-Athir brothers belonged to the Shayban lineage of the ...

(Arabic/French) * Appendix * Notes and corrections

Volume 2, part 1 (1887)

; Advertisement * Extract from ''The Complete History'' by ibn Athir (continuation) (Arabic/French) * Extracts from ''The Necklace of Pearls'' by

Badr al-Din al-Ayni Abū Muḥammad Maḥmūd ibn Aḥmad ibn Mūsā Badr al-Dīn al-ʿAynī, often quoted simply as al-'Ayni ( ar, بدر الدين العيني, Badr al-ʿAynī; born 762 AH/1360 CE, died 855 AH/1453 CE) was a Sunni Islamic scholar of the Hanafi ...

(Arabic/French) * List of chapters from the extract of ''The Complete History'' by ibn Athir * Index

Volume 2, part 2 (1876)

* ''History of the Atabegs of Mosul'' by ibn Athir (Arabic/French) * List of chapters * Index

Volume 3 (1884)

* Anecdotes and good habits of the life of the Sultan Youssof (

Saladin Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سه‌لاحه‌دین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...

) of Abu’l-Mahāsin (Arabic/French) * Notice on Beha Ed-Din Abou’L-Mehacen Ibn Cheddad, Extract from the Dictionary of Ibn Khallican (Arabic/French) * Extracts from the Autobiography of Abd al-Latif (Arabic/French) * ''Voyage'' by

ibn Jubayr Ibn Jubayr (1 September 1145 – 29 November 1217; ar, ابن جبير), also written Ibn Jubair, Ibn Jobair, and Ibn Djubayr, was an Arab geographer, traveller and poet from al-Andalus. His travel chronicle describes the pilgrimage he made to M ...

(Arabic/French) * Extracts from ibn Muyessar (Arabic/French) * Extracts from the ''Nodjoum az-Zahireh'' of Abu’l-Mahāsin (Arabic/French) * Extracts from the ''Mirat az-Zeman'' of

Sibt ibn al-Jawzi Shams al-Din Abu al-Muzaffar Yusuf ibn Kizoghlu (c. 581AH/1185–654AH/1256), famously known as Sibṭ ibn al-Jawzī ( ar, سبط ابن الجوزي ) was a notable preacher and historian. Title He is the grandson of the great Hanbali scholar A ...

(Arabic/French) * Extracts from the ''Chronicle of Aleppo'' by Kamal ad-Din (Arabic/French) * Extracts from the biographical dictionary of Kamal ad-Din (Arabic/French)

Volume 4 (1898)

* The Book of the Two Gardens, History of the Two Kingdoms, that of Nur ad-Din and that of

(13 June 1146 – 29 January 1191), by

Abu Shama Abū Shāma Shihāb al-Dīn al-Maḳdisī (10 January 1203 – 13 June 1267) was an Arab historian. Abū Shāma was born in Damascus, where he passed his whole life save for one year in Egypt, a fortnight in Jerusalem and two pilgrimages to the � ...

(Arabic/French) * Tables des Matières * Publications

Volume 5 (1906)

* The Book of the Two Gardens, History of the Two Kingdoms, that of Nur ad-Din and that of Saladin (continuation) * Index

''Historiens grecs'' (1875–1881)

Volume 1 (1875)

* Preface * Variantes lectiones e codice Florentino * I. Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria susceptorum ( Michael Attaliata,

Psellus Michael Psellos or Psellus ( grc-gre, Μιχαὴλ Ψελλός, Michaḗl Psellós, ) was a Byzantine Greek monk, savant, writer, philosopher, imperial courtier, historian and music theorist. He was born in 1017 or 1018, and is believed to hav ...

), Annotationes Historiae et philologicae ad partem primam * II. Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria Susceptorum. Pars secunda (

Anna Comnena Anna Komnene ( gr, Ἄννα Κομνηνή, Ánna Komnēnḗ; 1 December 1083 – 1153), commonly Latinized as Anna Comnena, was a Byzantine princess and author of the ''Alexiad'', an account of the reign of her father, the Byzantine emperor, ...

) * III. Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria Susceptorum. Pars tertia. Transitio. ( Cinnamus,

Nicetas Nicetas or Niketas () is a Greek given name, meaning "victorious one" (from Nike "victory"). The veneration of martyr saint Nicetas the Goth in the medieval period gave rise to the Slavic forms: ''Nikita, Mykyta and Mikita'' People with the name N ...

) * IV. Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria Susceptorum. Pars quarta (Nicetas) * V. Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria Susceptorum. Pars quinta. (

Nicephorus Gregoras Nicephorus Gregoras (; Greek: , ''Nikephoros Gregoras''; c. 1295 – 1360) was a Greek astronomer, historian, and theologian. Life Gregoras was born at Heraclea Pontica, where he was raised and educated by his uncle, John, who was the Bisho ...

, Ioannes Phocas, Neophytus, Georgius Agropolita De Syria Expugnata. (Ephraemius) * Addenda et corrigenda

Volume 2 (1881)

* Preface * Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria Susceptorum. Adnotationes Historicae et philologicae ad partem secundum. * Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria Susceptorum. Adnotationes Historicae et philologicae ad partem tertiam. * Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria Susceptorum. Adnotationes Historicae et philologicae ad partem * Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria Susceptorum. Adnotationes Historicae et philologicae ad partem quintam. * Scriptores Graeci Bellorum a Francis dei signa sequentibus in Syria Susceptorum. Appendix (

Theodore Prodromos Theodore Prodromos or Prodromus ( el, Θεόδωρος Πρόδρομος; c. 1100 – c. 1165/70), probably also the same person as the so-called Ptochoprodromos (Πτωχοπρόδρομος "Poor Prodromos"), was a Byzantine Greek writer, well ...

) * Index Graecitatis * Addenda et corrigenda

''Documents arméniens'' (1869–1906)

Volume 1 (1869)

* Preface * Introduction * Chap. I. Physical geography, considered together with political geography * Chap. II. The Kingdom of

Lesser Armenia Lesser Armenia ( hy, Փոքր Հայք, ''Pokr Hayk''; la, Armenia Minor, Greek: Mikre Armenia, Μικρή Αρμενία), also known as Armenia Minor and Armenia Inferior, comprised the Armenian–populated regions primarily to the west and n ...

from the historical point of view * Chap. III. Commerce, customs tariffs, and civil condition of foreigners in Lesser Armenia * Genealogical and dynastic tables * ''Chronicle of''

Matthew of Edessa Matthew of Edessa (, Matevos Uṛhayetsi; late 11th century – 1144) was an Armenian historian in the 12th century from the city of Edessa (, ''Uṛha''). Matthew was the superior abbot of Karmir Vank' (Red Convent), near the town of Kaysun, ...

* ''Chronique de Grégoire le Prètre of''

Gregory the Priest Gregory may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gregory (surname), a surname Places Australia * Gregory, Queensland, a town in the Shire o ...

* ''Oraison Funèbre de Baudouin'' by

Basil the Doctor Basil the Doctor ( hy, Barsegh, italics=yes or ''Barsel'') was an Armenian priest and poet. As the chaplain and confessor of Baldwin, Frankish lord of Marash, he wrote a funeral oration on the latter's death at the battle for Edessa in 1146. Bas ...

* ''Elégie sur la Prise d’Edessa'' by Catholicos

Nerses Shnorhali Nerses IV the Gracious (; also Nerses Shnorhali, Nerses of Kla or Saint Nerses the Graceful; 1102 – 13 August 1173) was Catholicos of Armenia from 1166 to 1173. A more precise translation of his epithet ''Shnorhali'' is "filled with Grace". He ...

* ''Elégie sur la Prise de Jérusalem'' by Catholicos Gregory Dgh'a, successor to Nerses * ''Chronicle of''

Michael the Syrian Michael the Syrian ( ar, ميخائيل السرياني, Mīkhaʾēl el Sūryani:),( syc, ܡܺܝܟ݂ܳܐܝܶܠ ܣܽܘܪܝܳܝܳܐ, Mīkhoʾēl Sūryoyo), died 1199 AD, also known as Michael the Great ( syr, ܡܺܝܟ݂ܳܐܝܶܠ ܪܰܒ݁ܳܐ, ...

* Guiragos of Kantzag * Vartan the Great * Samuel of Ani * Hethoum the historian, count of Gorigos * Bahram of Edessa * Popular song on the captivity of Leo * Hetoum II of Armenia * Saint

Nerses of Lambron Saint Nerses of Lambron (, Nerses Lambronatsi) (1153–1198) was the Archbishop of Tarsus in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia who is remembered as one of the most significant figures in Armenian literature and ecclesiastical history. Life Nerses ...

Sempad the Constable Sempad the Constable ( hy, Սմբատ Սպարապետ, Սմբատ Գունդստաբլ, translit=Smbat Sparapet, Smbat Gúndestabl) (1208–1276) (also Smpad and Smbat) was a noble in Cilician Armenia, an older brother of King Hetoum I. He was an ...

* Mardiros (Martyr) of Crimea * Doctor Mekhithar of Dashir * Appendis * Armenian charters * Index

Volume 2 (1906)

; Preface * I. Chronicle of Armenia ( Jean Dardel) * II. La Flor des Estoires des parties d’Orient. Livre I.-IV. ( Hayton) * III. Directorium ad passagium faciendum. (Brocardus) * IV. De modo saracenos extirpandi (

Guillaume Adam Guillaume Adam ( la, Guillelmus Adae), also known in English as William Adam (died c. 1341), was a Dominican missionary, writer, and French Catholic archbishop. Adam served as the Papal missionary in Persia from 1314 to 1317, one of six Dominic ...

) * V. Responsio ad errores impositos Hermenis ( Daniel de Thaurisio) * VI. Les gestes des Chiprois. Livre I.-III. * Index * Additions and corrections