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Jean de Joinville: The Capture and Captivity of St. Louis
Taken from Jean de Joinville. "Joinville's Chronicle of the Crusade of St. Lewis." Chronicles of the crusades, by Villehardouin & De Joinville, translated by Sir Frank Marzials, (London: Dent, 1908) 211-212, 219-220
Now I will leave off speaking of this matter, and tell you how the king was taken, as he himself related it to me. He told me how he had left his own division and placed himself, he and my lord Geoffry of Sargines, in the division that was under my Lord Gaucher of Chatillon, who commanded the rearguard.
And the king related to me that he was mounted on a little courser covered with a housing of silk; and he told me that of all his knights and sergeants there only remained behind with him my Lord Geoffry of Sargines, who brought the king to a little village, there where the king was taken; and as the king related to me, my Lord Geoffry of Sargines defended him from the Saracens as a good servitor defends his lord’s drinking cup from flies; for every time that the Saracens approached, he took his spear, which he had placed between himself and the bow of his saddle, and put it to his shoulder, and ran upon them, and drove them away from the king.
And thus he brought the king to the little village; and they lifted him into a house, and laid him, almost as one dead, in the lap of a burgher-woman of Paris, and thought he would not last till night. Thither came my Lord Philip of Montfort, and said to the king that he saw the emir with whom he had treated of the truce, and, if the king so willed, he would go to him, and renew the negotiation for a truce in the manner that the Saracens desired. The king begged him to go, and said he was right willing. So my Lord Philip went to the Saracen; and the Saracen had taken off his turban from his head, and took off the ring from his finger in token that he would faithfully observe the truce.
Meanwhile a very great mischance happened to our people; for a traitor sergeant, whose name was Marcel, began to cry to our people: “Yield, lord knights, for the king commands you, and do not cause the king to be slain!” All thought that the king had so commanded, and gave up their swords to the Saracens. The emir saw that the Saracens were bringing in our people prisoners, so he said to my Lord Phillip that it was not fitting that he should grant a truce to our people, for he saw very well that they were already prisoners.
Joinville, Selection on Louis in Captivity, Marzials, pages 219-220
The counsellors of the soldan had tried the king in the same manner that they had tried us, in order to see if the king would promise to deliver over to them any of the castles or the Temple of the Hospital, or any of the castles belonging to the barons of the land; and, as God so willed, the king had answered after the very same manner that we had answered. And they threatened him, and told him that as he would not do as they wished, they would cause him to be put in the bernicles. Now the bernicles are the most cruel torture that any one can suffer. They are made of two pieces of wood, pliable, and notched at the ends with teeth that enter the one into the other; and the pieces of wood are bound together at the end with strong straps of ox-hide; and when they want to set people therein, they lay them on their side, and put their legs between the teeth; and then they cause a man to sit on the pieces of wood. Hence it happens that, not half a foot of bone remains uncrushed. And to do the worst they can, at the end of three days, when the legs are swollen, they replace the swollen legs in the bernicles, and crush them all once more. To these threats the king replied that he was their prisoner, and that they could do with him according to their will.
When they saw that they could not prevail over the good king by threats, they cam eback to him and asked how much money he would give to the soldan, besides surrendering Damietta. And the king replied that if the soldan would accept a reasonable sum, he would advertise the queen to pay it for their deliverance. And they asked: “How is it that you will not tell us definitely that these things shall be done?” And the king replied that he did not know if the queen would consent, seeing she was his lady and the mistress of her actions. Then the counsellors returned and spoke to the soldan, and afterwards brought back word to the king that if the queen would pay a million besants of gold, which are worth five hundrend thousand livres, the soldan would release the king.
And the king asked them, on their oath, whether the soldan would release them, provided the queen consented. So they went back once more and spoke to the soldan, and on their return, made oath that the soldan would release the king on these conditions. And now that they had taken the oath, the king said and promised to the emirs, that he would willingly pay the five hundred thousand livres for the release of his people, and surrender Damietta for the release of his own person, seeing it was not fitting that such as he should barter himself for coin. When the soldan heard this he said: “By my faith, this Frank is large-hearted not to have bargained over so great a sum! Now go and tell him,” said he, “that I give him a hundred thousand livres towards the payment of the ransom.”
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