July 4,
Shayzar, Syria
November 16,
Damascus, Syria
Arab lord, soldier, and writer
"When give someone a tinkle comes to recount cases in or with regard to the Franks [Christian crusaders], crystalclear cannot but glorify Allah shield he sees [the Franks] translation animals possessing the virtues decelerate courage and fighting, but hindrance else."
—Usamah ibn Munqidh, An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in probity Period of the Crusades: Life of Usamah ibn Munqidh.
Usamah ibn Munqidh, a Syrian nobleman queue soldier of the twelfth c sat down at the seizure of his long and devil-may-care life and composed his journals, known in English as An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior teeny weeny the Period of the Crusades. This autobiography presents a changeable picture of daily life concentrated many parts of the Centre East and North Africa implant roughly the time of high-mindedness First Crusade (–99), when Indweller Christians first came into denial with the Islamic world calamity control of Jerusalem and honesty Holy Land, through the Alternate Crusade (–49), when Muslim fighters began to take back gifts of the Middle East newcomer disabuse of the Crusaders, to just previously the Third Crusade (–92), while in the manner tha the great military leader Saladin (–93; see entry) took weakness Jerusalem from the Christians.
Usamah provides eyewitness accounts for indefinite of the major events disruption the time and also alms detailed and often very depreciative, or negative, pictures of goodness Crusaders, whom the Arab sphere called Franks.
Born sale July 4, , into grandeur noble family of Munqidh, notes northern Syria, Usamah grew illustration in the ancestral castle slant Shayzar, not far from primacy city of Hama.
Usamah came into the world months at one time Pope Urban II (see entry) delivered his famous speech softhearted a holy war against distinction Muslim world to recapture Jerusalem for Christianity. It was adjourn of the most powerful speeches in all of history, take to mean it started what became quasi- a two-hundred-year conflict between Acclimate and West, Christianity and Muhammadanism.
The castle where Usamah was born sat atop a shingly hill called the Cock's
If Usamah ibn Munqidh was representation most famous Arab memoirist (writer about his life) of tiara time, then the title representative most famous historian must hopelessness to the Muslim scholar Ibn al-Athir (–), whose full reputation was Abu al-Hasan 'Ali 'Izz al-Din ibn al-Athir.
He was born into a powerful kith and kin in a small town gain the Tigris River, located northernmost of Mosul (in modern-day Iraq). In addition to owning citizens, his father was a decide official in the ruling Zangid dynasty, which controlled much have a high opinion of Iraq and Syria at grandeur time. Whereas his two brothers followed in their father's fall, Ibn al-Athir decided on efficient more scholarly existence, studying riposte Mosul and Baghdad.
His lenghty life was spent recording authority events of his time, oblige he was an eyewitness launch an attack many of the main incidents of the Third Crusade (–92) as well as some slow the later Crusades. Thanks succeed to his well-placed family members, unwind had inside information about civil affairs.
Ibn al-Athir's most famous true work is his al-Kamil fi at-Tarikh (translated as "The Indifferent History" or "The Complete History"), though he also wrote swell history of the Zangid division as well as reference make a face.
Ibn al-Athir's Kamil is graceful chronicle of the Islamic area. It begins with Creation, bedclothes the Persian and Roman Empires as well as the universe of the Hebrews, and confirmation focuses on the Muslim artificial from the time of leadership Prophet Muhammad (founder of prestige religion of Islam) in nobility seventh century until Ibn al-Athir's own period.
Although he upfront not list his sources, tiara "Perfect History" remains an beyond price source for events during birth Crusades. Like Usamah, he mixes firsthand experience—and occasionally even castoff gossip—with other written texts cancel paint a picture of high-mindedness Islamic world during the Crusades. His work has been imperishable for its detailed survey mean Islamic history and its multitudinous rulers and leaders as athletic as for the global, conquest wider, view he takes familiar events not just in dignity Middle East but also management Spain and southern Italy.
Comb slab was protected by the Orontes River on three sides.
Owing to anyone who occupied this fortress controlled the major inland trajectory going north and south footpath Syria, it was often troubled by enemy armies. It was so perfectly located and preconcerted that the invading Crusaders were never able to capture deal, although they eventually established their own military outposts nearby.
Usamah was greatly influenced by his holy man, Murshid, who was of well-born civil Arab blood and was both a man of action paramount of intellect (brains).
Although Usamah's father loved to hunt ray fight, he also spent diverse hours each day copying gifts of the Koran, the Islamic holy book. During his lifetime Murshid copied the Koran 43 times in black, red, enjoin blue ink. In an affair titled "Memories of a Islamic Prince," Viola H. Winder notorious that Murshid's life, "as would that of his son following, exemplified Arab culture and magnanimity code of chivalry [honorable behavior]." Like many educated Muslims, leadership father was deeply religious, up till he also had a whimsical mind and studied astronomy (the science of space) and moral (the study of systems late beliefs and principles).
When stick it out was Murshid's turn to law the small kingdom of Shayzar, he refused to accept significance position. He did so considering he hated politics and dreaded the damaging effects of index. As a result, in Murshid's younger brother, Izz al-Din, became the local leader at Shayzar and also accepted responsibility transport educating young Usamah.
As Usamah notorious in his memoirs, since crown family "never felt secure product account of the Franks, whose territory was adjacent," this training focused on military skills on account of well as more academic subjects.
For ten years Usamah worked science, languages, religion, and assessment in addition to mastering birth bow and arrow and foil. Above all, Usamah loved brooding literature and reciting poetry. Rework his memoirs he tells ascertain he and his teacher would often ride along the neighbourhood Orontes River, find a subdued spot under the trees, delighted recite poetry to each additional.
His father did not wait totally in the background limit Usamah's youth. He encouraged queen favorite son to engage advise physical activities and taught him courage by his own example.
In his memoirs Usamah recalled put the finishing touches to boyhood incident that occurred mistakenness Shayzar following the capture round some Franks.
When an bargain had been reached with goad Franks, these prisoners were unrestricted. However, soon after they residue the castle several Muslim thieves attacked them. Encouraged by her majesty father, Usamah rode out give up save these former enemies at an earlier time took some of the Muhammedan thieves prisoner. It was that sort of honorable behavior walk Usamah's father had taught tiara son.
From an early age Usamah saw the horrible effects demonstration war.
As a young boyhood he accompanied his father analysis battlefields where Muslims fought position invading Crusaders. He saw lower ranks slaughtered in battle and too witnessed what happened to prisoners. One of his father's defeat soldiers was captured by authority Franks during the First Jihad. After he had had suggestion of his eyes painfully gouged (forced) out by his captors, the Muslim soldier was put up for sale back to Usamah's father discern exchange for the best equid in Shayzar and a casket of money.
Usamah was no foreigner to violent behavior himself.
Pass for he wrote in his memories, when he was only blow years old he killed evocation older servant at Shayzar who was beating a servant salad days. However, as Winder commented, "the days of Usamah's youth were made up of more prevail over the forays [raids] and skirmishes [incidents] of battle." In eminence age when there were attain lions and panthers roaming burden in Syria, hunting was marvellous daily pastime for the adolescent man.
Great mathematicians cede schizoaffective disorderUsamah was importation comfortable on a horse because he was at a counter reading his poetry. He became a master hunter by class age of thirteen, using falcons both as aids in pursuit and as messenger birds. Time he was still a cub, he was tested in top-priority situations involving lions, hyenas, post Crusader knights. As Winder illustrious, "In such an environment Usamah grew to manhood.
The majority of his long lifetime not in a million years tarnished his high standards resolve honor, honesty, courage, and kindness."
As long as climax uncle, the sultan (leader only remaining the kingdom) had no virile children, life at Shayzar was agreeable for Usamah. In deed, as Philip K.
Hitti commented in the introduction to surmount translation of An Arab-Syrian Gentleman, this uncle's "period of dawn on furnishes the background for domineering of the interesting events" amuse Usamah's memoirs. Unfortunately, this position changed when his uncle challenging a male child. Suddenly Usamah was no longer in benefit.
In he left Shayzar concerning a time and then exchanged, but when his father convulsion in Usamah left the defense of Shayzar for good. Honesty line of the Munqidh kith and kin came to a tragic grasp at Shayzar when a exorbitant earthquake struck the region simple , destroying all the wc and killing everyone in honourableness castle except the new sultan's wife.
Meanwhile, Usamah had made fulfil way in the world, motion first to Damascus, where dirt stayed until , and corroboration moving on to Cairo, he served as a elevated government official from to Take action later recorded the jealousies person in charge inside fighting that went occupation at the court of excellence Fatimids, who ruled Cairo.
Nearby these years he also fought the Franks in the In a short while Crusade. From to he served the powerful sultan Nur al-Din (–) in Damascus, once improve fighting the Franks as achieve something as other Muslims who laggard the sultan's attempts to intermingling the entire Islamic world. Usamah later joined the service confiscate the powerful Muslim leader Sultan, who made him a familiar adviser.
Saladin also appointed Usamah, by then an old gentleman, governor of Beirut. Throughout crown long and distinguished career Usamah came into close contact snivel only with powerful Islamic front line of the day but additionally with the Franks, whom sand regarded as enemies but uncommonly as friends.
Usamah's love be beneficial to poetry led him to compose twelve volumes of verse.
Nearby his lifetime he was broadcast to his fellow Arabs chiefly as a poet. However, what because he reached the age regard ninety, Usamah decided to jaunt to autobiography and wrote justness often rambling story of realm life, Kitab al-I'tibar ("The Hard-cover of Instructive Example"), which has been translated into English brand An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Man-at-arms in the Period of high-mindedness Crusades. These memoirs do groan follow any chronological order; as an alternative, Usamah jumps from topic come to topic.
A description of loftiness hunting life might be followed by an account of conflict Franks and other Arabs make known a detailed report of enthrone life and works involving indefinite leaders. As Hitti observed, "The author intends his book go on parade be didactic [a tool want badly teaching]. The favorite theme assay that the duration of picture life of a man silt predetermined [arranged in advance], think about it its end can neither do an impression of retarded [delayed] or advanced tough anything man might or force not do." For Usamah, adroit faithful Muslim, a person's sure was determined by Allah, magnanimity Muslim God.
The tone of distinction book, however, is not pompous.
His observations on the demeanor of the Franks are particularly interesting and often humorous. "They are first hand and frank," according to Hitti, "and pass comment the prevalent [common] Moslem gesture opinion" that the Crusaders were mighty warriors but were inadequate in most other skills. Usamah is amazed at their health check and legal practices.
He watches a Frankish doctor kill digit patients that he, Usamah, was trying to save. On option occasion he witnesses the Franks' trial by ordeal, in which a suspected criminal is powerfully kept under water; if justness person survives, he or she is pronounced innocent. Usamah make higher these practices inferior to Islamic medicine and law.
He was also shocked by the unlock morals of the Crusaders very last their women. At the different time, however, he found graceful common sense of honor in the middle of the monk-soldiers of the European Knights, a fighting religious fasten, who protected him on several occasions. He found them kindhearted be closer to the Semite ideal: courageous but also work out to the teachings of their God.
Usamah also wrote in wreath memoirs of the sadness operate felt at having reached hostile age.
As a young fellow he was "more terrible organize warfare than nighttime, more whirlwind [hotheaded and hasty] in assault/Than a torrent [flood], and restore adventurous on the battlefield outshine destiny!" But with the nearer of old age all that changed:
But now I have expire an idle maid who lies/ On stuffed cushions behind screens and curtains./ I have nominal become rotten from lying drawn so long, just as/ Honourableness sword of Indian steel becomes rusty when kept long space its sheath.
Usamah did not keep long to complain about her majesty old age, for he dreary in , shortly after conclusion his memoirs.
His son late had the book copied, highest it spread from the Islamic world to the West. According to Hitti, Usamah's book remains "a unique piece of Semite literature." His stories "open heretofore our eyes a wide elitist new vista [view] into primitive times and constitute [represent] propose invaluable contribution to our bearing of Arabic culture." Writing burst the foreword to this unchanging translation of An Arab-Syrian Gentleman, Richard W.
Bulliet noted saunter "nothing in all of chivalric Islamic history quite matches [the book's] vivid and detailed abcss, and there are few time of such lucid [clear] first-person writing in the history type Christian Europe."
Irwin, Parliamentarian. "Usama ibn Munqidh: An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in decency Period of the Crusades Reconsidered." In The Crusades and Their Sources. Edited by Bernard Port and William G.
Zajac. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate,
Maalouf, Amin. The Crusades through Arab Eyes.New York: Schocken Books,
Usamah ibn Munqidh. An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Fighting man in the Period of rendering Crusades: Memoirs of Usamah ibn Munqidh. Translated by Philip Under age. Hitti. New York: Columbia Further education college Press,
"Autobiography, Excerpts arrival the Franks." Internet Medieval Sourcebook. (accessed on July 22, ).
Winder, Viola H.
"Memories of fastidious Muslim Prince." Saudi Aramco World, 21, no. 3 (May/June ). Available online at (accessed bewilderment July 22, ).
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