Robert the Monk
Encyclopedia
Robert the Monk or Robert of Rheims was a chronicler of the First Crusade
. He did not participate in the expedition, but rewrote the Gesta Francorum
at the request of his abbot, who was appalled at the 'rustic' style of the Gesta.
His chronicle contains an account of Pope Urban II
's speech at the Council of Clermont
, which has had a great influence on how the Crusades have been portrayed over the centuries. Robert writes as though he were present at Clermont, but he wrote his account perhaps in 1116, twenty-one years after the Council, or later. Runciman dates Robert's popular and somewhat romantic version, known as the Historia Hierosolymitana, to about 1122.
Hindsight about what actually happened on the First Crusade, as well as Robert's own theological and political perspectives, may have coloured Robert's account.
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
. He did not participate in the expedition, but rewrote the Gesta Francorum
Gesta Francorum
The so-called Gesta Francorum or in full De Gesta Francorum et aliorum Hierosolimitanorum is a Latin chronicle of the First Crusade written in circa 1100-1101 by an anonymous author connected with Bohemund I of Antioch.It narrates the events of the First Crusade from the inception in November...
at the request of his abbot, who was appalled at the 'rustic' style of the Gesta.
His chronicle contains an account of Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
's speech at the Council of Clermont
Council of Clermont
The Council of Clermont was a mixed synod of ecclesiastics and laymen of the Catholic Church, which was held from November 18 to November 28, 1095 at Clermont, France...
, which has had a great influence on how the Crusades have been portrayed over the centuries. Robert writes as though he were present at Clermont, but he wrote his account perhaps in 1116, twenty-one years after the Council, or later. Runciman dates Robert's popular and somewhat romantic version, known as the Historia Hierosolymitana, to about 1122.
Hindsight about what actually happened on the First Crusade, as well as Robert's own theological and political perspectives, may have coloured Robert's account.