In search of the Marshal's lost crusade
The persistence of memory, the problems of history and the painful birth of crusading romance
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11892156 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nicholas L Paul (0009-0007-7880-610X, Fordham University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 292-310 |
| Publication date | 2014-05-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Medieval History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0304-4181 • E-ISSN: 1873-1279 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03044181.2014.916082 |
| OpenAlex | W2053968815 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
Despite his otherwise detailed coverage of the martial adventures in the life of William Marshal, earl of Pembroke and Striguil (d.1219), the author of the History of William Marshal (c.1224–6) remained silent about the two years William spent on crusade. Generations of historians have struggled to understand this missing episode and have offered a variety of explanations. This article offers a new solution to this old problem, by placing the History of William Marshal for the first time in the broader landscape of contemporary writing about the crusades and the East. It is argued that the period in which the History was written was one of intense reflection on the crusading past. A survey of contemporary narratives reveals that the biographer had two options, to admit that his crusade had been a failure, or to reground the story within a growing romance tradition. Eschewing both options, he chose silence
Adventure · Ancient history · Art · Art history · Literature · Narrative · Romance · Silence · Classics · Historical Studies of British Isles · History · Medieval History and Crusades · Medieval Literature and History
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2023 (7) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |