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Albert of Aachen
also known as Albert of Aix
The twelfth-century canon and chronicler Albert of Aachen (born late 11th Cent.-d.?) has contributed to our understanding of the crusading movement primarily through his Chronicon Hierosolymitanum de Bello Sacro, which can be found in the Recueil des Historiens des Croisades. Albert's work included twelve books covering the period from 1095-1121.

We know that Albert was a canon at the Church of Aix en Chapelle, but not much else about him personally. His work on the crusade was apparently popular, as others including William of Tyre used it as a source for their works on the crusading movement. While there has been some debate over the use of Albert's work as a source, modern historians agree that it provides a generally accurate sequence of events for the First Crusade and the early developement of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.The 1910 Catholic Encyclopedia is particularly critical of the work, noting: "
His narrative is written with little order and less critical skill, his chronology is inexact, and his topographical references are often greatly disfigured."

Nevertheless, Albert's work is particularly important as a source for the history of the so called popular crusade, which involved Peter the Hermit and provides a graphic description of the slaughter of the Rhineland Jews. Although Albert never traveled to the East, he based his account on eyewitness accounts and written sources from the time including the
Gesta Francorum and possibly the Chanson de Antioch.

Albert of Aachen [Partial Text]
Historia Hierosolymita Internet History Sourcebooks
First Crusade- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Primary Sources of the First Crusade- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Jews and the Crusades-Crusades-Encyclopedia
Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem- Crusades-Encyclopedia
William of Tyre- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Chanson de Antioch- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Crusades Chroniclers and Authors of Primary Sources- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Albert of Aachen- Catholic Encyclopedia

(c) Andrew Holt, April 2005-Permission is granted for electronic copying and distribution in print form for educational and personal use. No permission is granted for commercial use.