Orderic Vitalis and the First Crusade |
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Authors: | Daniel Roach |
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Affiliation: | History, University of Exeter, Amory Building, Rennes Drive, Exeter EX4 4RJ, United Kingdom |
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Abstract: | This article examines the narrative of the First Crusade written by the Norman monk and historian Orderic Vitalis, which spans Book IX of his Historia ecclesiastica. Though hitherto little-studied, Orderic's account of the First Crusade, which was probably written in 1135, occupies an important place in the Historia and reveals much about his wider historical method. The significance of Orderic's editorial interaction with Baldric of Bourgueil's Historia Ierosolimitana, through the omission and addition of material, forms the focus of the study. By making only a small number of insertions into the story of the First Crusade which he had inherited from Baldric, Orderic transformed its meaning so that it became suitable for incorporation into the Historia as a whole, linking the First Crusade to the history of his monastery, Saint-Evroult. |
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Keywords: | Orderic Vitalis Baldric of Bourgueil First Crusade medieval historical writing narrative theory Anglo-Norman history |
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