To medieval Christians the Crusades were papally approved military expeditions for the recovery of the Holy Land; to the Arabs these campaigns were “Frankish wars” or “Frankish invasions” for the acquisition of territory. The Arab perspective is illustrated in a history of the First Crusade by Ibn Al-Athir (1160-1223). Al-Athir, a native of Mosul in northern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), relied on Arab sources for the events he described. Here is his account of the Crusaders’ capture of Antioch in Syria.
The power of the Franks first became apparent when in the year 478/1085-86* they invaded the territories of Islam and took Toledo and other parts of Andalusia. Then in 484/1091 they attacked and conquered the island of Sicily and turned their attention to the African coast. Certain of their conquests there were won back again but they had other successes, as you will see.
In 490/1097 the Franks attacked Syria. . . . When Yaghi Siyan, the ruler of Antioch, heard of their approach, he was not sure how the Christian
People of the city would react, so he made the Muslims go outside the city on their own to dig trenches, and the next day sent the Christians out alone to continue the task. When they were ready to return home at the end of the day he refused to allow them. “Antioch is yours,” he said, “but you will have to leave it to me until I see what happens between us and the Franks.” “Who will protect our children and our wives?” they said. “I shall look after them for you.” So they resigned themselves to their fate, and lived in the Frankish camp for nine months, while the city was under siege.
Yaghi Siyan showed unparalleled courage and wisdom, strength and judgment. If all the Franks who died had survived they would have overrun all the lands of Islam. He protected the families of the Christians in Antioch and would not allow a hair of their heads to be touched.
After the siege had been going on for a long time the Franks made a deal with. . . a cuirass [armor]-maker called Ruzbih whom they bribed with a fortune in money and lands. He worked in the tower that stood over the riverbed, where the
Miniature showing heavily armored knights fighting Muslims.
(Bibliotheque nationale de France)
*Muslims traditionally date events from Muhammad’s hegira, or emigration, to Medina, which occurred in 622 according
To the Christian calendar.
River flowed out of the city into the valley. The Franks sealed their pact with the cuirass-maker, God damn him! and made their way to the watergate. They opened it and entered the city. Another gang of them climbed the tower with their ropes. At dawn, when more than 500 of them were in the city and the defenders were worn out after the night watch, they sounded their trumpets. . . . Panic seized Yaghi Siyan and he opened the city gates and fled in terror, with an escort of thirty pages. His army commander arrived, but when he discovered on enquiry that Yaghi Siyan had fled, he made his escape by another gate. This was of great help to the Franks, for if he had stood firm for an hour, they would have been wiped out. They entered the city by the gates and sacked it, slaughtering all the Muslims they found there. This happened in ju-mada I (491/April/May 1098). . . .
It was the discord between the Muslim princes. . . that enabled the Franks to overrun the country.
Questions for Analysis
1. From the Arab perspective, when did the Crusades begin?
2. Why did Antioch fall to the Crusaders?
3. The use of dialogue in historical narrative is a very old device dating from the Greek historian Thucydides (fifth century B. C.E.). Assess the value of Ibn Al-Athir’s dialogues for the modern historian.
Sources: P. J. Geary, ed., Readings in Medieval History (Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 1991), pp. 443444; E. J. Costello, trans., Arab Historians of the Crusades (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1969).
World History
