Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Contents and Synopsis
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Translator’s Note
I. The First Crusade. Louis VII is crowned king of France.
II. Queen Eleanor is enamored of Saladin. Eleanor marries Henry II of England.
III. Louis VII marries Adele of Champagne. Philip II is crowned king of France.
IV. King Henry takes his intended daughter-in-law to bed. She, King Philip’s sister, is later wed to the count of Ponthieu. Philip attempts to kill Henry and fails. King Henry commits suicide.
V. The queen of Jerusalem succeeds in having her husband, Guy of Lusignan, crowned king.
VI. The queen’s foes plot to dethrone herhusband, Guy of Lusignan. Led by the count of Tripoli, they solicit the willing aid of Saladin. In battle with Saladin’s troops, Guy is captured and imprisoned. Traitorous barons are rewarded by Saladin with gold a
VII. Saladin liberates Guy and sends him to Tyre, where he is denied entry. The queen escapes and joins her husband outside the city. They receive material assistance from Saladin.
VIII. The pope initiates a new crusade. The crusaders move against Tyre, which surrenders quickly. They go on to Acre, where lengthy combat results in Christian victory. The main victor is King Philip.
IX. There is great enmity between Kings Richard and Philip. Richard goes to Germany, then Austria. He is captured and imprisoned.
X. The count of Blois drowns in a storm at sea. Count Henry becomes king of Cyprus, has an accident, and dies. King Guy and his queen die after fourteen years in what is left of their realm.
XI. Philip II returns to France. He marries Isabella of Hainault.
XII. King Richard, secretly held captive by Duke Leopold of Austria, is discovered, thanks to the singing of Blondel of Nesle, and is ransomed.
XIII. King Richard, back in England, nurses grievances against King Philip. He returns to France ready for armed conflict. A great battle at Gisors is followed by a remarkable duel with no winner. Rebellion across the Channel calls Richard back from Franc
XIV. King Philip decides to take advantage of Richard’s return to Britain. He captures Richard’s holdings at Gisors and Niort. Richard returns in secret to France. Conflict continues to rage between the two kings. At one point, Philip is saved from captur
XV. Richard, learning of incursions by the king of Spain, responds with force. Battle between Richard and King Ferran results in Spanish defeat. Richard returns to England, then again to France. Richard the Lionhearted is wounded in battle and dies.
XVI. John of Brienne, landless, grows up to become king of Jerusalem.
XVII. Pope Innocent III plans a new crusade against the Saracens. The Saracens make plans for defense. A major confrontation will take place at Damietta.
XVIII. Facing Saphadin, the Christians debate strategy. The people of Damietta suffer as fighting goes on. The bishop-elect of Beauvais is captured. Serious reversals lead to the unmasking and death of a spy.
XIX. Saphadin, to save Damietta, sends a peace proposal to the crusaders. Dispute between King John and the papal legate; the legate prevails. The crusaders are ultimately defeated.
XX. Milo, bishop-elect of Beauvais, goes to Rome for his consecration. His vestments are described, then his villainous character. Queen Blanche and the bishop are in serious conflict. The bishop encounters his counterpart of Turin. Milo falls ill, suffer
XXI. King John meets the noble uncle of Saladin, who recounts the life and fabulous exploits of his nephew.
XXII. The Minstrel turns to the life of Frederick II, emperor of Germany. Conflict involving the pope, the emperor, and the people of Milan.
XXIII. The story of Emperor Frederick continues. There is a growing breach between emperor and pope. The old pope dies; he is succeeded by Innocent IV. Pierre de la Vigne intervenes—to his detriment. Frederick is excommunicated. He becomes king of Jerusal
XXIV. King John of England shows early wickedness by murdering young Arthur. Exchange of summonses with King Philip Augustus leads to armed conflict. Town by town, Philip conquers all of Normandy.
XXV. Philip’s forces find a way to seize Château-Gaillard, the last holdout in Normandy.
XXVI. A quarrel between two of King Philip’s barons leads to treachery and a new alignment of political forces.
XXVII. Decisive battle is fought at Bouvines. Philip Augustus faces alliance led by Otto IV, including John of England. Holy Roman Emperor Otto, King John, and others, conclusively defeated. French victory will lead to major changes in Germany, England, a
XXVIII. English barons seek King Philip’s help against King John. Philip’s son Louis takes charge of the French response. John bribes the pope to put an end to Louis’s advance through England. Louis rejects excommunication.
XXIX. The English barons rescind their allegiance to Louis. He returns to France and turns, unsuccessfully, to Toulouse.
XXX. Philip Augustus dies. Louis VIIIand Blanche of Castile are crowned in Reims. The archbishop is forced to honor his word and pay for the event.
XXXI. Some Flemish barons conspire against the countess of Flanders. She unmasks their plot and has an impostor pilloried.
XXXII. King Louis takes action against the rebellious town of Avignon. His dear friend Guy of Saint-Pol is killed at the siege. Avignon decides to submit to Louis. Louis falls ill on the way home and dies. His pubescent son is crowned Louis IX at Reims.
XXXIII. Barons hostile to Queen Blanche conspire to seize the throne. They begin by challenging Theobald IV of Champagne. Allied with the queen, Theobald triumphs. Thanks to the death of his mother, he becomes king of Navarre.
XXXIV. Louis IX weds Margaret of Provence. Theobald is persuaded to go to war against Louis. With great effort, they are eventually reconciled. After multiple complications, Louis IX is uncontested as king of France.
XXXV. Louis IX initiates a new crusade. He has a touching final exchange with his mother, Queen Blanche. Fighting at Damietta results in French capture of the city.
XXXVI. The count of Artois initiates an attempt at conquest beyond Damietta. What ensues is a disaster at Mansourah. King Louis is taken prisoner by the Saracens, then ransomed. Damietta returns to Saracen control and is destroyed. The king’s mother calls
XXXVII. There is a struggle for mastery in Flanders. With intervention by the count of Anjou, it ends satisfactorily.
XXXVIII. The Minstrel illustrates the story of the countess of Flanders with an exemplum drawn from the “Roman de Renart” (Tale of Renard the Fox).
XXXIX. Further developments in Flanders are recounted. The count of Anjou takes possession of Hainault. Blanche of Castile dies. John of Avesnes seeks the aid of the king of Germany. The king of Germany is killed by Danish peasants.
XL. Louis IX returns to France from overseas. The count of Anjou is called to task by the king. John of Avesnes dies miserably. Baldwin of Avesnes is reconciled with his mother, Margaret of Flanders. The problem of Flanders is settled.
XLI. Young Emperor Baldwin of Constantinople seeks aid in France. Queen Blanche bequeaths Namur to the empress in her own right. The empress confronts crime and disobedience.
XLII. Further developments in Namur are recounted. Townsmen unsuccessfully seek the intervention of the king of France. They turn to Henry of Luxemburg. Henry takes possession of Namur.
XLIII. King Louis makes a peace agreement with King Henry III of England. Louis and the queen lament the early death of their eldest son. The archbishop of Rouen consoles them with the Lay of the Titmouse.
XLIV. The archbishop of Reims covets the treasure of the abbey of Saint Remi. Jurisdictional dispute is brought before the king. The archbishop’s attempted swindle fails.
References
Index