The Crusades, the Genoese and the Latin East - DSpace at ...

Genoa responded to the fall of Jerusalem in two manners. From the first announcement of
the news, the Genoese became involved in diplomatic negotiations, with an attempt to coerce the
contemporary superpowers into an agreement to embark on a joint crusade. As soon as the news
reached Genoa the Genoese wrote a letter to the pope to inform him about the events in the Latin
East as they were narrated by `lugubri civis nostri de ultramarinis partibus redeuntis. '19 The letter
related the events from the beginning of July 1187, including the fall of Tiberias and Acre.
Ascalon, however, was still in Christian hands: `Ascalona bene victualibus et bellatoribus inclytis
est bene munita. i20 This remark suggests that the Genoese ship must have hurried to return to
Genoa before the usual autumn sailing period in September, because
the authors of the letter did
not know of the surrender of Ascalon on 05 September 1187.21 Unfortunately, the date of
compilation is not given in the letter, which means that there is no indication how long it took the
ship to sail from (presumably) Tyre to Genoa. There is no doubt, however, that the Genoese
seriously perceived the urgency of their mission to spread the news in western Europe.
Interestingly, the line in the letter in which the capture of the king and the Holy Cross are
mentioned is followed by the same phrase of grief used by the author of the Genoese annals: proh
dolor! 22
While the messages were sent, the citizens of Genoa took an active role as participants in
the crusade. Some Genoese happened
to be in the Latin East during the time of the crisis and, as
mentioned above, they were praised in the annals for their assistance to Conrad of Montferrat.
Many Genoese arrived shortly afterwards from Constantinople and Sicily, according to the
Genoese chronicle of the kingdom of Jerusalem: maximam quantitatem lanuensium qui ibidem
[in civitatem Tyri] accesserant de Romania et de partibus Sicilie. 23 The contribution of these
groups of Genoese was appreciated in the Latin East. In particular, Prince Bohemond III of
Antioch bestowed the commune of Genoa with concessions in return for their help in saving
Antioch. It is not known, however, who were the leaders of these Genoese
troops that hastened
from Sicily and Byzantium to provide what may be regarded as spontaneous military help. 4 The
19
`Epistola Januensium ad Urbanum papam' in Roger of Howden, Gesta regis Henrici secundi benedicti
abbatis, in William Stubbs (ed. ), The Chronicle of the Reigns of Henry!! and Richard 1, A. D. 1169-1192,
known commonly under the Name Benedict of Peterborough, vol. 2 (London, 1867), p. 11
20 Epistola Januensium ad Urbanum papam' in Roger of Howden, ibid, p. 12
21 For the date of the fall of Ascalon see Benjamin Z. Kedar, `The Battle of Hattin Revisited', in Benjamin
Z. Kedar (ed. ), The Horns of Hattin (Jerusalem, 1992), p. 192, n. 4; On the sailing season in September see
John H. Pryor, Geography, Technology and War: Studies in the Maritime History of the Mediterranean,
649-1571 (Cambridge, 1988), p. 4.
22 Epistola Januensium ad Urbanum papam' in Roger of Howden, ibid, p. 12.
23 Regni Iherosolymitani brevis historia, in Ann. Ian., vol. 1, p. 143
24 For Bohemond concession see: I Libri Iurium, vol. 1/2,342, p. 161; See more about these Genoese troops
in the discussion in Chapter Five of the management and leadership of the Genoese community in the Latin
East.
21