RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1767
year: 1217
initiator: Willelmus de Carnoto, master of the Knights Templar
recipient: Pope Honorius III
institution: Templars
additional institution: Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem
text: Oct. 1-31. Frater W. de Carnoto pauper militie Templi magister informs Pope Honorius III of the arrival at Acre of a large number of crusaders [peregrini] from the German empire and elsewhere. They have been joined by the king of Hungary and the dukes of Austria and Moravia. Al-Adil [Sephedinus], the great sultan, is immobile in Egypt, fearing the fleet from Frisia, which is due on the next passage. He has sent his son Coradinus to the frontiers of the Latin settlement. The Muslims are weaker than at any time in many years, but on the Christian side there is a great need of provisions, because the harvests have failed in Palestine and less grain has been imported than expected.There is also a severe shortage of horses. Before the arrival of the king of Hungary and the duke of Austria, the patriarch of Jerusalem, the king, the crusaders [peregrini], the brothers of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem and the Knights Templar had decided to campaign towards Nablus and to engage with Coradinus, but after their arrival the unanimous decision has been made to invade Egypt to besiege Damietta, thus opening a prudent way to the land of Jerusalem. All crusaders [crucesignati] should be prepared to bring with them large quantities of provisions and horses.
Oct. 1-31. Frater W. de Carnoto pauper militie Templi magister informs Pope Honorius III of the arrival at Acre of a large number of crusaders [peregrini] from the German empire and elsewhere. They have been joined by the king of Hungary and the dukes of Austria and Moravia. Al-Adil [Sephedinus],... more
sources: Annales ecclesiastici 20:372 (RRH no. 902)
RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1773
year: 1217
initiator: Abbot Gervase of Prémontré
recipient: Patriarch of Jerusalem
text: (1217 ). Abbot Gervase of Prémontré reminds the patriarch of Jerusalem how on papal orders Frater Hellinus abbas Floreffiae had accompanied the bishop of Acre on his journey to the East and how Hellinus, who had full powers to represent their Order, asked the patriarch to assist the Premonstratensians. Gervase asks the patriarch to bear in mind especially the restoration of the possessions of the Premonstratensians, [the abbeys of] Sanctus Samuel and Sanctus Abacuc, the first being a daughter of Prémontré, the second a daughter of Floreffe. [311]
(1217 ). Abbot Gervase of Prémontré reminds the patriarch of Jerusalem how on papal orders Frater Hellinus abbas Floreffiae had accompanied the bishop of Acre on his journey to the East and how Hellinus, who had full powers to represent their Order, asked the patriarch to assist the... more
sources: Gervase of Prémontré, pp. 38-9, no. 38 (RRH no. 906)
RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1785
year: 1218
initiator: Pope Honorius III
recipient: Archbishop of Tyre
institution: Saint Mark in Tyre
text: May 7. Rome. St Peter’s. Pope Honorius III reassures the archbishop of Tyre that he had no intention, when he wrote to Giacomo Barbo [March 8 1217] about the recovery of the Venetian church of St Mark in Tyre, of permanently infringing the archbishop’s rights.
May 7. Rome. St Peter’s. Pope Honorius III reassures the archbishop of Tyre that he had no intention, when he wrote to Giacomo Barbo [March 8 1217] about the recovery of the Venetian church of St Mark in Tyre, of permanently infringing the archbishop’s rights.
sources: Claverie, Honorius, pp. 328-9, no. 29 (RRH no. 893)
RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1787
year: 1218
initiator: Pope Honorius III
recipient: All the clergy and the laity in the Latin East
text: May 18. Rome. St Peter’s. Pope Honorius III writes to all the clergy and laity in the Latin East [in transmarinis partibus] attributing the failure of crusades in the past to the sins of the Christian people, exhorting them to piety in the face of the approaching crusade, the success of which has been foresignalled by achievements in Spain, and informing them of the appointment of Cardinal Pelagius of Albano as papal legate.
May 18. Rome. St Peter’s. Pope Honorius III writes to all the clergy and laity in the Latin East [in transmarinis partibus] attributing the failure of crusades in the past to the sins of the Christian people, exhorting them to piety in the face of the approaching crusade, the success of which has... more
sources: Schabel, Bullarium 1:194-6, no. c-14; also ed. Claverie, Honorius, pp. 330-2, no. 31
RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1796
year: 1218
initiator: Pope Honorius III
recipient: Queen of Cyprus
text: Jul. 12. Lateran. Pope Honorius III consoles the queen of Cyprus on the death of her husband King Hugh and, agreeing that dangers follow a vacuum in government, takes her and the kingdom of Cyprus under papal protection.
Jul. 12. Lateran. Pope Honorius III consoles the queen of Cyprus on the death of her husband King Hugh and, agreeing that dangers follow a vacuum in government, takes her and the kingdom of Cyprus under papal protection.
sources: Schabel, Bullarium 1:199-200, no. c-17
RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1803
year: 1218
initiator: Pope Honorius III
recipient: John of Brienne, the archbishop of Nicosia, the bishops of Acre and Bethlehem, the duke of Austria, the magistri of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, the Knights Templar and the Hospital of St Mary of the Germans, and all the clergy and laity laying siege to Damietta
text: Aug. 13. Lateran. Pope Honorius III informs King John of Jerusalem, the archbishop of Nicosia, the bishops of Acre and Bethlehem, the duke of Austria, the magistri of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, the Knights Templar and the Hospital of St Mary of the Germans, and all the clergy and laity laying siege to Damietta that he has received their letters and knows how hard is their task. He has exhorted the crusaders at Genoa, Venice and elsewhere in Italy to come quickly to their aid and that he hopes that enough help will reach them.
Aug. 13. Lateran. Pope Honorius III informs King John of Jerusalem, the archbishop of Nicosia, the bishops of Acre and Bethlehem, the duke of Austria, the magistri of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, the Knights Templar and the Hospital of St Mary of the Germans, and all the clergy and laity... more
sources: Schabel, Bullarium 1:207-9, no. c-22
RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1804
year: 1218
initiator: James of Vitry
recipient: Pope Honorius III
institution: Templars
text: After Aug. 24. [314] James of Vitry [I. Acconensis ecclesie minister] writes to Pope Honorius III. He describes how in 1217 the kings of Hungary, Cyprus and Jerusalem, the duke of Austria, the Knights Templar, the Hospitallers of St John, princes and counts, knights [equites] and footsoldiers, in a greater army than any since the city’s fall [in 1191], gathered at Acre and decided to launch a destructive raid against Damascus, but was ambushed by the Sarraceni and lost many men. It then made unsuccessful assaults on Mons Thabor [without siege engines], Belfort and Belinas. After Epiphany [6 January 1218] the king of Hungary left, travelling by way of Tripoli, Antioch and Constantinople. He was accompanied as far as Tripoli by the king of Cyprus, who died there, and by the count of Tripoli, betrothed to the sister of the king of Cyprus, who was forced by Muslim pressure to make a truce with the Sarraceni. The king of Jerusalem, the duke of Austria, the patriarch, James of Vitry himself [episcopus Acconensis], the Hospitallers of St John and most of the diminished Christian force refortified the castle of Caesarea. The Knights Templar spent an enormous sum of money building a new castle [Castrum Peregrinorum]. After returning to Acre, the Christian army was joined by Oliver of Paderborn [magister Oliverus Coloniensis ecclesie canonicus], authorized to preach the cross, who brought a fleet of cogs [cogones] containing major reinforcements. The decision was made to invade Egypt [Babylonia] and the army left Acre by sea on 24 May, reaching the Egyptian city of Damietta. The Christians established a siege camp and took a great tower in the middle of the river Nile on 24 August. They are planning to attack Damietta in spite of its strength.
After Aug. 24. [314] James of Vitry [I. Acconensis ecclesie minister] writes to Pope Honorius III. He describes how in 1217 the kings of Hungary, Cyprus and Jerusalem, the duke of Austria, the Knights Templar, the Hospitallers of St John, princes and counts, knights [equites] and footsoldiers, in a... more
sources: James of Vitry, Lettres, pp. 98-100, no. 3 (RRH no. 913)
RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1806
year: 1218
initiator: Oliver of Paderborn
recipient: Archbishop and clergy of Cologne
institution: Templars
additional institution: Hospital of Saint Mary of the Germans
text: Sept. 14. In the siege of Damietta. Oliver of Paderborn [Oliverus peccator, dictus Coloniensis scolasticus] records for the archbishop and clergy of Cologne, what he has heard and seen. He recounts the actions of the Fifth Crusade before his arrival: the stationing of the patriarch and the True Cross outside Acre [in castra Domini] on the other side of Recordana; the first campaign by way of the plain of Faba to the fons Tubanie, and from there to Betsaida, then across the Jordan, around the east side of the Sea of Galilee, and back to Acre by way of Capharnaum; the second campaign to Mons Thabor and the failure to attack it; and the third expedition to Sarepta on the borders of Tyre and Sidon. He describes the departure of the kings of Hungary and Cyprus, the second of whom died in Tripoli; the trepidation of many crusaders who gathered in Acre to wait for the next passage home; the expedition of the king of Jerusalem, the duke of Austria, the Monasteriensis episcopus and the Traiectensis episcopus to Caesarea; and the construction between Haifa and Caesarea, on the site of the Castrum filii Dei called Districtum, by the Knights Templar, together with some peregrini and Hospitallers of St Mary of the Germans, of Castrum Peregrinorum, although a Muslim assault had to be driven off. He records the castle in detail and the expenses needed to build it. He reports that the Knights Templar intend to move their headquarters there, away from the sinful distractions of Acre. He goes on to describe the invasion of Egypt, the establishment of the Christian camp opposite Damietta, the attacks on the tower built in the middle of the Nile and their lack of success until Oliver’s Germans and Frisians constructed an ingenious floating siege engine. He records their eventual success, the final assault being led by a young knight from Liège.
Sept. 14. In the siege of Damietta. Oliver of Paderborn [Oliverus peccator, dictus Coloniensis scolasticus] records for the archbishop and clergy of Cologne, what he has heard and seen. He recounts the actions of the Fifth Crusade before his arrival: the stationing of the patriarch and the True... more
sources: Oliver of Paderborn, ‘Briefe’, pp. 288-95, no. 3
RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1808
year: 1218
initiator: James of Vitry
recipient: Pope Honorius III
text: Sept. 14 and 22. In the army besieging Damietta. James of Vitry [I. Acconensis ecclesie minister] writes to Pope Honorius and to his friends. He narrates how, after returning from Caesarea, the Christian army in Palestine built a new castle [Castrum Peregrinorum] by the sea, at a place on the road to Jerusalem called Districte, how the Sarraceni made an unsuccessful attack on Caesarea, how, after the Christian army had returned to Acre, a fleet of 40 Frisian and German cogones arrived not long after Easter and a council-of-war [commune consilium] decided to invade Egypt [Egyptum]. He describes the wealth of Egypt, its flatness, the absence of major fortifications other than Damiata, Babylonia - called Kayre by the Egyptians - and Alexandria, the sites of Christian pilgrimage in the country and the fact that it is the centre of the production of balsam. He maintains that most of the population are still Christian, if pacific, and comments on the fact that there are Christian populations in the East. He narrates how on 24 May the patriarch of Jerusalem embarked with the relic of the True Cross, which was a splinter of that which had been lost [at Hattin], how the army voyaged to Egypt, arrived before Damietta and established an encampment on an island before the city. He describes the practice of the incubination of hen eggs, the situation of the city, the flooding of the river Nile, sickness in the army, the difficulty, even with siege engines, of ship-borne assaults on a strong tower in the middle of the river from which a chain barred the progress of shipping. The attacks continued for 4 months until the Frisians, under magister Oliverus Coloniensis cancellarius, constructed a magnificent and expensive floating siege engine on 2 ships and the tower was captured. At the time of writing [14 September] the Christians, who were expecting reinforcements, were planning a crossing of the Nile to attack Damietta. Many Sarraceni were deserting and being baptized, while part of the garrison of Mons Thabor had been sent to Egypt and their castle had been destroyed, as had been the city of Gibelet [Gibel ?] and 5 fortresses between Tyre and Damascus, at a time when the Christians had strengthened the fortresses [munitiones] of Districtum and Caesarea on the way to Jerusalem. Further, the sultan of Egypt had died from sorrow at the loss of the tower in the Nile. James of Vitry asks for prayers that the Christians successfully take Egypt. In the copy of his letter to the pope, James reports that 9 ships with domnus Petrus Hanibal and other Romans arrived in the week after 24 August. Cardinal Pelagius of Albano, the papal legate, has reached Acre with a Roman prince and is daily expected in Egypt. In the copy of his letter to his friends, James of Vitry asks for prayers for those who have died, including magister Walterus de Tornacho archidiaconus ecclesie Acconensis, who did much good in Acre; magister Constantius de Duacho decanus ecclesie Acconensis; domnus Iohannes de Cameracho ecclesie Acconensis cantor; domnus Reinerus, a cleric in James’s household who became Sancti Michaelis in Accon pastor; H. serviens episcopi Acconensis; magister Thomas cancellarius Noviomensis; magister Leonius qui legebat de Theologia in civitate Acconensi; magister Alexander nepos magistri R. cardinalis; Iohannes iunior de Cameraco nepos cantoris ecclesie Acconensis; magister Reinaldus de Barbachon ecclesie Acconensis thesaurarius. James adds that he was very ill for 2 months in the camp before Damietta.
Sept. 14 and 22. In the army besieging Damietta. James of Vitry [I. Acconensis ecclesie minister] writes to Pope Honorius and to his friends. He narrates how, after returning from Caesarea, the Christian army in Palestine built a new castle [Castrum Peregrinorum] by the sea, at a place on the road... more
sources: James of Vitry, Lettres, pp. 101-11, no. 4 (RRH no. 915)
RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1809
year: 1218
initiator: Pope Honorius III
recipient: Cardinal Pelagius of Albano, the papal legate
institution: Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem
additional institution: Templars
text: Nov. 24. Lateran. In view of rumours circulating in Europe about the poor performance of the military orders, Pope Honorius III states that Cardinal Pelagius of Albano, the papal legate, and others have reported very favourably on the efforts and achievements of the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem and Knights Templar, stressing their need for funds and their support in the army before Damietta with nearly 2000 persons and 700 mounts.
Nov. 24. Lateran. In view of rumours circulating in Europe about the poor performance of the military orders, Pope Honorius III states that Cardinal Pelagius of Albano, the papal legate, and others have reported very favourably on the efforts and achievements of the Hospitallers of St John of... more
sources: Rodenberg, Epistolae 1:57-8, no. 79