Frederick II's Crusade:
Letters, 1229
[Adapted from TR] These are the most valuable sources for the
crusade of Frederic II. Each of the contestants - the Emperor
and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem - tells the story from his
own standpoint. We have comparatively little data for controlling
their statements and determining their motives.
1. FREDERICK II TO HENRY III OF ENGLAND. 1229.
Translation taken from Roger of Wendover, Bohn edition, Vol.
ii, pp. 5224. Original text in Rolls Series, Roger of Wendover,
Vol. II pp. 365 ff. Latin.
Frederic, by the grace of God, the august emperor of the Romans,
king of Jerusalem and Sicily, to his well-beloved friend, Henry,
king of the English, health and sincere affection.
Let all rejoice and exult in the Lord, and let those who are correct
in heart glorify Him, who, to make known His power, does, not
make boast of horses and chariots, but has now gained glory for
Himself, in the scarcity of His soldiers, that all may know and
understand that He is glorious in His majesty, terrible in His,
magnificence, and wonderful in His plans on the sons of men, changing
seasons at will, and bringing the hearts of different nations
together; for in these few days, by a miracle rather than by strength'
that business has been brought to a conclusion, which for a length
of time past many chiefs and rulers of the world amongst the multitude
of nations, have never been able till now to accomplish by force,
however great, nor by fear.
Not, therefore, to keep you in suspense by a long account, we
wish to inform your holiness, that we, firmly putting our trust
in God, and believing that Jesus Christ, His Son, in whose service
we have so devotedly exposed our bodies and lives, would not abandon
us in these unknown and distant countries, but would at least
give us wholesome advice and assistance for His honor,, praise,
and glory, boldly in the name set forth from Acre on the fifteenth
day of the month of November last past and arrived safely at Joppa,
intending to rebuild the castle at that place with proper strength,
that afterwards the approach to the holy city of, Jerusalem might
be not only easier, but also shorter and more safe for us as well
as for all Christians. When, therefore we were, in the confidence
of our trust in God, engaged at Joppa, and superintending the
building of the castle and the cause of Christ, as necessity required
and as was our duty, and whilst all our pilgrims were busily engaged
in these matters, several messengers often passed to and fro between
us and the sultan of Babylon; for he and another sultan, called
Xaphat, his brother were with a large army at the city of Gaza,
distant about one day's journey from us; in another direction,
in the city of Sichen, which is commonly called Neapolis, and
situated in the plains,the sultan of Damascus' his nephew, was
staying with an immense number of knights and soldiers also about
a day's journey from us and the Christians.
And whilst the treaty was in progress between the parties on either
side of the restoration of the Holy Land, at length Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, beholding from on high our devoted endurance and
patient devotion to His cause, in His merciful compassion of us,
at length brought it about that the sultan of Babylon restored
to us the holy city, the place where the feet of Christ trod,
[note: This is in Psalm 132 The English version
is "Before thy footstool". The translation in the letter
is from the Vulgate and is due to a mistake made by St. Jerome.]
and where the true worshippers adore the Father in spirit and
in truth. But that we may inform you of the particulars of this
surrender each as they happened, be it known to you that not only
is the body of the aforesaid city restored to us, but also the
whole of the country extending from thence to the seacoast
near the castle of Joppa, so that for the future pilgrims will
have free passage and a safe return to and from the sepulchre;
provided, however, that the Saracens of that part of the country,
since they hold the temple in great veneration, may come there
as often as they choose in the character of pilgrims, to worship
according to their custom, and that we shall henceforth permit
them to come, however, only as many as we may choose to allow,
and without arms, nor are they to dwell in the city, but outside,
and as soon as they have paid their devotions they are to depart.
Moreover, the city of Bethlehem is restored to us, and all the
country between Jerusalem and that city; as also the city of Nazareth,
and all the country between Acre and that city; the whole of the
district of Turon, which is very extensive, and very advantageous
to the Christians; the city of Sidon, too, is given up to us with
the whole plain and its appurtenances, which will be the more
acceptable to the Christians the more advantageous it has till
now appeared to be to the Saracens, especially as there is a good
harbor there, and from there great quantities of arms and necessaries
might be carried to the city of Damascus' and often from Damascus
to Babylon. And although according to our treaty we are allowed
to rebuild the city of Jerusalem in as good a state as it has
ever been, and also the castles of Joppa, Cesarea, Sidon, and
that of St. Mary of the Teutonic order, which the brothers of
that order have begun to build in the mountainous district of
Acre, and which it has never been allowed the Christians to do
during any former truce; nevertheless the sultan is not allowed,
till the end of the truce between him and us, which is agreed
on for ten years, to repair or rebuild any fortres or castles.
[Ryccardus de Sancto Germano, ad ann. 1229, gives the treaty
somewhat differently. M. G. H SS. Vol. XIX.]
And so on Sunday, the eighteenth day of February last pastm which
is the day on which Christ, the Son of God, rose from dead, and
which, in memory of His resurrection, is solemnly cherished and
kept holy by all Christians in general throughout the world, this
treaty of peace was confirmed by oath between us. Truly then on
us and on all does that day seem to have shone favorably, in which
the angels sing in praise of God, " Glory to God on high,
and on earth peace, and goodwill toward men." And in
acknowledgment of such great kindness and of such an honor, which,
beyond our deserts and contrary to the opinion of many, God has
mercifully conferred on us, to the lasting renown of His compassion,
and that in His holy place we might personally offer to Him the
burnt offering of our lips, be it known to you that on the seventeenth
day of the month of March of this second indiction, we, in company
with all the pilgrims who had with us faithfully followed Christ,
the Son of God, entered the holy city of Jerusalem, and after
worshipping at the holy sepulchre, we, as being a Catholic emperor,
on the following day, wore the crown, which Almighty God provided
for us from the throne of His majesty, when of His especial grace,
He exalted us on high amongst the princes of the world; so that
whilst we have supported the honor of this high dignity, which
belongs to us by right of sovereignty, it is more and more evident
to all that the hand of the Lord hath done all this; and since
His mercies are over all His works, let the worshippers of the
orthodox faith henceforth know and relate it far and wide throughout
the world, that He, who is blessed for ever, has visited and redeemed
His people, and has raised up the horn of salvation for us in
the house of His servant David.
And before we leave the city of Jerusalem, we have determined
magnificently to rebuild it, and its towers and walls, and we
intend so to arrange matters that, during our absence, there shall
be no less care and diligence used in the business, than if we
were present in person. In order that this our present letter
may be full of exultation throughout, and so a happy end correspond
with its happy beginning, and rejoice your royal mind, we wish
it to be known to you our ally, that the said sultan is bound
to restore to us all those captives whom he did not in accordance
with the treaty made between him and the Christians deliver up
at the time when he lost Damietta some time since, and also the
others who have been since taken.
Given at the holy city of Jerusalem, on the seventeenth day of
the month of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand two hundred
and twenty-nine.
2. GEROLD TO ALL THE FAITHFUL.
1229.
Rolls Series, M. Paris, Chron. maj. iii, 179184.
Latin.
Gerold, patriarch of Jerusalem, to all the faithfulgreeting.
If it should be fully known how astonishing, nay rather, deplorable,
the conduct of the emperor has been in the eastern lands from
beginning to end, to the great detriment of the cause of Jesus
Christ and to the great injury of the Christian faith, from the
sole of his foot to the top of his head no common sense would
be found in him. For he came, excommunicated, without money and
followed by scarcely forty knights, and hoped to maintain himself
by spoiling the inhabitants of Syria. He first came to Cyprus
and there most discourteously seized that nobleman J. [John] of
Ibelin and his sons, whom he had invited to his table under pretext
of speaking of the affairs of the Holy Land. Next the king, whom
he had invited to meet him, he retained almost as a captive. He
thus by violence and fraud got possession of the kingdom.
After these achievements he passed over into Syria. Although in
the beginning he promised to do marvels, and although in the Presence
of the foolish he boasted loudly, he immediately sent to the sultan
of Babylon to demand peace. This conduct rendered him despicable
in the eyes of the sultan and his subjects, especially after they
had discovered that he was not at the head of a numerous army,
which might have to some extent added weight to his words. Under
the pretext of defending Joppa, he marched with the Christian
army towards that city, in order to be nearer the sultan and in
order to be able more easily to treat of peace or obtain a truce.
What more shall I say? After long and mysterious conferences,
and without having consulted any one who lived in the country,
he suddenly announced one day that he had made peace with the
sultan. No one saw the text of the peace or truce when the emperor
took the oath to observe the articles which were agreed upon.
Moreover, you will be able to see clearly how great the malice
was and how fraudulent the tenor of certain articles of the truce
which we have decided to send to you. The emperor, for giving
credit to his word, wished as a guarantee only the word of the
sultan, which he obtained. For he said, among other things, that
the holy city was surrendered to him.
He went thither with the Christian army on the eve of the Sunday
when "Oculi mei" is sung [third Sunday in Lent].
The Sunday following, without any fitting ceremony and although
excommunicated, in the chapel of the sepulchre of our Lord, to
the manifest prejudice of his honor and of the imperial dignity
he put the diadem upon his forehead, although the Saracens still
held the temple of the Lord and Solomon's temple, and although
they proclaimed publicly as before the law of Mohammed
to the great confusion and chagrin of the pilgrims.
This same prince, who had previously very often promised to fortify
Jerusalem, departed in secrecy from the city at dawn on the following
Monday. The Hospitalers and the Templars promised solemnly and
earnestly to aid him with all their forces and their advice, if
he wanted to fortify the city, as he had promised. But the emperor,
who did not care to set affairs right, and who saw that there
was no certainty in what had been done, and that the city in the
state in which it had been surrendered to him could be neither
defended nor fortified, was content with the name of surrender,
and on the same day hastened with his family to Joppa. The pilgrims
who had entered Jerusalem with the emperor, witnessing his departure,
were unwilling to remain behind.
The following Sunday when "Laetare Jerusalem" is
sung [fourth Sunday in Lent], he arrived at Acre. There in order
to seduce the people and to obtain their favor, he granted them
a certain privilege. God knows the motive which made him act thus,
and his subsequent conduct will make it known. As, moreover, the
passage was near, and as all pilgrims, humble and great, after
having visited the Holy Sepulchre, were preparing to withdraw,
as if they had accomplished their pilgrimage, because no truce
had been concluded with the sultan of Damascus, we, seeing that
the holy land was already deserted and abandoned by the pilgrims,
in our council formed the plan of retaining soldiers' for the
common good, by means of the alms given by the king of France
of holy memory.
When the emperor heard of this, he said to us that he was astonished
at this, since he had concluded a truce with the sultan of Babylon.
We replied to him that the knife was still in the wound, since
there was not a truce or peace with the sultan of Damascus, nephew
of the aforesaid sultan and opposed to him, adding that even if
the sultan of Babylon was unwilling, the former could still do
us much harm. The emperor replied, saying that no soldiers ought
to be retained in his kingdom without his advice and consent,
as he was now king of Jerusalem. We answered to that, that in
the matter in question, as well as in all of a similar nature,
we were very sorry not to be able, without endangering the salvation
of our souls, to obey his wishes, because he was excommunicated.
The emperor made no response to us, but on the following day he
caused the pilgrims who inhabited the city to be assembled outside
by the public crier, and by special messengers he also convoked
the prelates and the monks.
Addressing them in person, be began to complain bitterly of us,
by heaping up false accusations. Then turning his remarks to the
venerable master of the Templars he publicly attempted to severely
tarnish the reputation of the latter, by various vain speeches,
seeking thus to throw upon others the responsibility for his own
faults which were now manifest, and adding at last, that we were
maintaining troops with the purpose of injuring him. After that
he ordered all foreign soldiers, of all nations, if they valued
their lives and property, not to remain in the land from that
day on, and ordered count Thomas, whom he intended to leave as
bailiff of the country, to punish with stripes any one who was
found lingering, in order that the punishment of one might serve
as an example to many. After doing all this he withdrew, and would
listen to no excuse or answers to the charges which he had so
shamefully made. He determined immediately to post some crossbowmen
at the gates of the city, ordering them to allow the Templars
to go out but not to return. Next he fortified with crossbows
the churches and other elevated positions and especially those
which commanded the communications between the Templars and ourselves.
And you may be sure that he never show as much animosity and hatred
against Saracens.
For our part, seeing his manifest wickedness, we assembled all
the prelates and all the pilgrims, and menaced with excommuncation
all those who should aid the emperor with their advice or their
services against the Church, the Templars, the other monks of
the Holy land, or the pilgrims.
The emperor was more and more irritated, and immediately, caused
all the passages to be guarded more strictly, refused to allow
any kind of provisions to be brought to us or to the members of
our party, and placed everywhere crossbowmen and archers,
who attacked severely us, the Templars and the pilgrims. Finally
to fill the measure of his malice, he caused some Dominicans and
Minorites [Franciscans] who had come on Palm Sunday to the proper
places to announce the Word of God, to be torn from the pulpit,
to be thrown down and dragged along the ground and whipped throughout
the city, as if they had been robbers. Then seeing that he did
not obtain what he had hoped from the above-mentioned siege he
treated of peace. We replied to him that we would not hear of
peace until he sent away the crossbowmen and other troops,
until he had returned our property to us, until finally he had
restored all things to the condition and freedom in which they
were on the day when he entered Jerusalem. He finally ordered
what we wanted to be done, but it was not executed. Therefore
we placed the city under interdict.
The emperor, realizing that his wickedness could have no success,
was unwilling to remain any longer in the country. And, as if
he would have liked to ruin everything, he ordered the cross-bows
and engines of war, which for a long time had been kept at Acre
for the defense of the Holy Land, to be secretly carried on his
vessels. He also sent away several of them to the sultan of Babylon,
as his dear friend. He sent a troop of soldiers to Cyprus to levy
heavy contributions of money there, and, what, appeared us more
astonishing, he destroyed the galleys which he was unable to take
with him. Having learned this, we resolved to reproach him with
it, but shunning the remonstrance and the correction, he entered
a galley secretly, by an obscure way, on the day of the Apostles
St. Philip and St. James, and hastened to reach the island of
Cyprus, without saying adieu to any one, leaving Joppa destitute;
and may he never return!
Very soon the bailiffs of the above-mentioned sultan shut off
all departure from Jerusalem for the Christian poor and the Syrians,
and many pilgrims died thus on the road.
This is what the emperor did, to the detriment of the Holy Land
and of his own soul, as well as many other things which are known
and which we leave to others to relate. May the merciful God deign
to soften the results! Farewell.
Source:
Trans in Dana C. Munro, "Letters of the Crusaders", Translations and Reprints from the Original Sources of European
History, Vol 1:4, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania,
1896), 23-31
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