Andrew D. Buck. The Principality of Antioch and Its Frontiers in the Twelfth Century

This book fills a lacuna in the historiography of the Latin principality of Antioch. From the publication of Claude Cahen’s influential La Syrie du Nord (1940) up to Thomas Asbridge’s The Creation of the Principality of Antioch, 1098–1130 (2000), most historians have addressed Antioch’s early, formative period, with interest in the principality waning for the period after the battle known as Ager Sanguinis (1119). Asbridge’s book broke the ground for the new historiographical trend that does not center on the kingdom of Jerusalem, but rather gives a wider, more nuanced portrayal of the history of the Latin East and Antioch’s role during the early period. Recent years have also seen a shift in focus to the later periods, as evidenced by the convening of three conferences called “East and West in the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean” and their proceedings. Andrew D. Buck’s The Principality of Antioch and Its Frontiers in the Twelfth Century belongs to this shift. Focusing on the later period (1130–1193), it aims to examine the “frontier” nature of the principality. Buck starts by reviewing the primary sources: he surveys the Latin, French, and Armenian chroniclers, alongside contemporary Arabic sources, and he subjects charters and legal documentary sources to thorough scrutiny. His consultation of a wealth of diverse sources enables him to put forth a new, more nuanced description of the principality and its history.

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Battle · Frontier · Historiography · Period (music) · Political science · Scrutiny · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classics · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Law · Medieval History and Crusades