The Old French William of Tyre / by Philip Handyside.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 266-273) and index.

Introduction: Current scholarship; Medieval translation -- Part I. Comparison of the editions -- Introduction -- The first person -- Classical and Biblical allusions -- Terminology -- Lay interest -- Ecclesiastical material -- Background to French Crusaders and France -- Italy and Greece -- The translator -- The translator as a pilgrim -- Views on the military orders -- Reliability of the editions -- Dating the translation -- Summary of the alterations -- Part 2. The manuscripts -- Introduction -- The manuscript tradition -- Book 7, Chapter 22 -- Book 11, Chapter 14 -- Book 12, Chapter 1 -- Book 15, Chapter 22 -- Book 20, Chapter 11 -- Book 22, Chapter 6 -- The rubrics -- The continuations -- The manuscript stemma -- Conclusion -- Appendix.

"William of Tyre's history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem has long been viewed as one of the most useful sources for the Crusades and the Latin East from the beginnings of the First Crusade to William's death shortly before Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem. However, this text was most popular during the medieval period in an Old French translation. In The Old French of William of Tyre, Philip Handyside identifies the differences between the Latin and French texts and analyses the translator motives for producing the translation and highlights significant changes that may provide a better understanding of the period in question. Handyside also argues for a complex manuscript tradition that developed across the medieval Mediterranean"--Provided by publisher.