RRR: Correspondence/envoy
1509
year: 1202
initiator: Philippe de Pleisset, master of the Knights Templar
recipient: Abbot of Cîteaux
institution: Templars
text: June 1-30. Frater Philippus de Plessis, pauperum militię Templi magister humilis, describes for the abbot of Cîteaux events in the Latin East. He with 100 milites spent the period from Martinmas to Pentecost on the marches of the land of Tripoli beween Castrum Album and Haman. Sephedinus with his whole army journeyed from Egypt, Jerusalem and Damascus to beyond the river Euphrates and came to an agreement with his nephew the lord of Aleppo. This threatens the Christian settlers, and peasants [agricolę] have deserted the Templars’ lands and casalia. Bad weather has ruined the crops. An earthquake on 20 May caused great destruction, knocking down a large part of Acre and killing countless people, although the Templar houses were saved. All the towers around Tyre except 3 and the walls; barbacans and houses are wrecked. Most of Tripoli is destroyed, as is the castle of Archados, the foundations of the castrum Arsum and most of the walls of Castrum Album, including the great tower, which the Templars believed to be unrivalled. The city of Tortosa and the Templar castle there were spared. A pestilence followed the earthquake. Philippus asks for the abbot’s prayers, reminding him how the Knights Templar grew from the Cistercian Order. The Templars in the East have received with pleasure frater Artaudus and frater Bernardus de Borth with their companions.
June 1-30. Frater Philippus de Plessis, pauperum militię Templi magister humilis, describes for the abbot of Cîteaux events in the Latin East. He with 100 milites spent the period from Martinmas to Pentecost on the marches of the land of Tripoli beween Castrum Album and Haman. Sephedinus with his... more
sources: Mayer, ‘Two unpublished letters’, pp. 308-10