A German Third Crusader's Chronicle of His Voyage and the Siege of Almohad Silves, 1189 Ad / Muwahid Xelb, 585 Ah: de Itinere Navali

Eleven shiploads of German crusaders from the cities of Lübeck and Bremen departed the Holy Roman Empire in 1189CE, part of Frederick Barbarossa's crusader army destined for the Holy Land via England, Portugal, and the Mediterranean polities. Leaving a trail of ships wrecked, towns ruined and shrines visited, this periplus (travelogue) manuscript records the sole surviving eyewitness testimony of early crusader sailing and of the tiny Kingdom of Portugal's campaign to annex the neighbouring Kingdom of the Algarve by using Europe's crusader armies to take its capital Silves (Xelb) from the Islamic Emperor of Morocco, a medieval naval superpower called the Almohad (Muwahid) dynasty. This crusader's chronicle provides fascinating and accurate detail of medieval travel and warfare, including the devastating human consequences of shipwreck, siege, and invasion that bring the late twelfth century vividly into our minds. As vicious underground battles are waged by candlelight, and as desperate citizens leap from city walls when death, disease and starvation overwhelm them, Cushing's insightful analysis of both Christian and Muslim sources - including newly-discovered medieval sources unavailable to previous editors, and modern multidisciplinary research of unparalleled breadth and quality - provides the reader with a well-rounded scholarly study for this dramatic, engaging historical text.

Lynette Nusbacher says in her Foreword, "The battle pieces show a fascinating emphasis on artillery and military engineering... This brightly-limned picture of warfare has been translated before and discussed before, but Cushing has given us something new. In addition to providing clear critical notes to her translation she has Englished it into a text that is a pleasure to read. The translations, the clear original text and the images of the manuscript make this edition useful to anyone regardless of whether they have the Latin, the palaeography or the time to come to grips with the original."

Cushing's book, inexpensively accessible for individuals in digital format and reasonably priced for institutions in durable hardcover, provides the most accurate and comprehensive, up-to-date translation and study of this work in its every facet. Her work engages the interest of undergraduates, suggests fresh avenues of endeavor for graduates, and wholly satisfies the professional specialist.