Cum enim in ecclesia sepulcri Domini celebrarent in loco proprio quo filius Dei Deo patri
d uictima est oblatus se ipsum ab impiis
trucidatus obtulit hostiam
Iesu Christo. Huius uero perfide gentis sordicies ⁊ crudelitas infinita Sarracenos alios
in
nequitia superauit uniuersos qui cum Ierusalem sepius occupassent utcunque in
ueneratione seruabant Grecos, Armenos, Iaco
bitas ⁊ alios habitantes ibidem qui
censebantur nomine Christiano quamuis subditos seruituti dimittentes in pace in sepulcro
⁊
aliis locis uenerabilibus diuina misteria celebrare, ⁊ eadem custodire. Illi
uero perfidissimi non parcentes religioni
sexui uel etati loca sancta quantum in
se est prophanauerunt, nec in ipsa ciuitate dimisserunt aliquem Christianum. Ab ecclesia
quidem sepulcri
Dominici tectum plumbeum abstulerunt quam etiam ad marmoreum
tabulatum, quod hinc inde sepulcrum Dominicum circumdabat manus
sacrilegas
extendentes ipsum funditus eruerunt, locum ipsum in quo sepultus est Dominus quantum in
se est multipliciter deturpantes nec est
in memoria aliquorum usque ad tempora
illa Saracenorum aliquos tam nepharia commisisse, ⁊ ascendentes ad Beelmitam
ecclesiam eam multis modis uiolasse dicuntur, loca etiam sacratissima scilicet montem
Syon Templum Domini ⁊ alia loca
uenerabilia ciuitatis Ierusalem turpissime
tractantes. In urbe itaque magni decoris que fuerat gaudium uniuerse
terre in qua
iustitia habitabat exigentibus peccatis populi Christiani nunc habitant homocide. Sed ⁊
hostia ⁊ holocaustum deficit
deficit ab illa. Tulerunt enim iuge sacrificium, deiecerunt locum
sanctificationis, incenderunt igne sanctuarium Dei
polluerunt locum tabernaculi,
nominis eius, in contumeliam ⁊ obprobrium nominis Christiani. Insuper noueritis pater
sancte quod in tantam
audaciam ⁊ superbiam ascenderunt quod per totam terram
predictam undique discurrentes quorum manus nil mali indifferenter euitant,
⁊
neque in Tiberiadim ⁊ loca adiacentia in predictis incendiis ⁊ homocidiis procedentes
prope Accon ad vii miliaria,
uenerant in predam, terramque ultra marinam noueritis
in necessitate plurima ⁊ periculo magno constitutam scilicet
quali a centum annis
non \r/ecolitur extitisse. Ascendant igitur ad aures uicarii Iesu
Christi terre sancte gemitus dolorosi ecclesie
Ierusalem lamenta ⁊ obprobria
exprobrancium fidei Christiane. Prodeat de ecclesia Romana gladius bisacutus ad
uindi
candum sanguinem innocentem exeat de thesauris ipsius consolatio desolatis
intonet de faucibus ipsius uerbum
exortationis ad reges ⁊ mundi principes
uniuersos, ut ad uindicandam iniuriam Iesu Christi, per quem uiuunt
⁊ regnant ⁊
tocius Christianitatis obprobria non permissis illata de festinato succursu terre
predicte subueniant
sicut uestra sanctitas duxerit ordinandum. Actum apud Accon,
Anno Domini moccoxliiiio in die Sancti Matthei.
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Viris religiosis in Christo, Iohanne ⁊
Andree, ultra mare E’ humilis arch’ Cirencis, etc. De flebilibus miserabilibus
terribilibus
horribilibus ⁊ dampnosis rumoribus ultra marinis recurratis ad
priorem hospitalis Sancti Iohannis qui portat regi
Christianissimo Francorum
litteras non atramento scriptas ut s2 sed sanguine scriptas ut fertur
non ud uidi ipsas, sed
eos qui eas uiderunt, dicentes rubeo
conscriptas. In summa dicitur quod magister Hospitalis ⁊ totus conuentus preter quidecim
totus conuentus Templi, totus conuentus Hospitalis Sancte Marie Teutonicorum
perpaucis euadentibus tota milicia
ultra marina magnus populus Christianorum
armatorum ⁊ cum illis Nassarus soldanus Turci ⁊ quidam alius soldanus captus
a
Corosminis ⁊ hominibus soldani Babilonie interfecti sunt xviio die Octobris, dicitur tamen quod comes
Willelmus ⁊ dompnus Philippus
capti sunt. Dominus patriarcha ⁊ constabularius euaserunt. Ecce luctus ⁊
lamen
tatio.
For when they were
celebrating in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the very place where the Son of God
was offered as a victim to God the Father, he [Master Peter] offered himself,
slaughtered by the godless, as a sacrificial victim to Jesus Christ. The wickedness and
boundless cruelty of this perfidious nation surpassed all others who had occupied
Jerusalem, even though they had shown some respect for Greeks, Armenians, Jacobites, and
others dwelling there who professed the Christian name. They had allowed them to
celebrate the divine mysteries and maintain the same truce in peace at the Holy
Sepulchre and other honoured places, even though they had been subjected to servitude.
But those most treacherous people profaned the holy sites to the best of their ability,
having no regard for religious order, sex, or age. Within the city itself, they did not
leave any Christian. They removed the lead roof from the church of the Lord’s Sepulchre,
and even stretching out their sacrilegious hands to the marble panels that surrounded
the Lord’s tomb, they entirely demolished it, variously defiling the very place where
the Lord was buried as far as they could. And no one can remember any of the Saracens up
to that time having committed such heinous acts. And going up to the church of
Bethlehem, they are said to have violated it in many ways, treating even the holiest
places, namely, Mount Zion, the Temple of the Lord, and other venerable places of the
city of Jerusalem with utmost disrespect. Thus, in the city of great beauty that had
once been the joy of the whole earth, where justice had once resided, on account of the
sins committed by the Christian people now dwell murderers. For they continually offered
sacrifices, desecrated the place of consecration, set fire to the sanctuary of God,
defiled the place of the tabernacle of his name, in insult and disgrace to the name of
Christians. Furthermore, you should know, Holy Father, that they have risen to such a
height of audacity and pride that they roam everywhere throughout the whole of the
aforesaid land, and their hands in no respect avoid indiscriminate evil. And advancing
neither towards Tiberias nor the neighbouring areas in the aforementioned fires and
killings, they came near Acre, about seven miles away. They came for plunder. And you
should know that the land beyond the sea [or Outremer] stands in dire need and great
danger, such as has not been recalled for a hundred years. Therefore, let the mournful
cries of the Holy Land, the lament of the Church of Jerusalem, and the abuse of those
who revile the Christian faith rise to the ears of the Vicar of Jesus Christ. Let a
two-edged sword issue from the Roman Church to avenge the innocent blood; let
consolation for the desolate come forth from her treasures. Let the word of exhortation
thunder from her throat to all the kings and princes of the world, so that, to avenge
the injury to Jesus Christ, through whom they live and reign, and not allowing the
insults of all Christendom to be endured, assistance be swiftly provided to the
aforementioned land as Your Holiness sees fit to decree. Executed at Acre, in the
1244th year of the Lord, on the feast of St
Matthew.1
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2
To the religious men in Christ beyond the sea, John and
Andrew, E., humble archbishop of Tyre, etc. Regarding the sorrowful, pitiful, terrible,
horrible, and destructive rumours from overseas, refer to the Prior of the Hospital of
St John, who carries letters to the most Christian king of the Franks, written not in
ink but, as it is said, in blood. I have not seen them myself, but those who have seen
them report that they are written in red. In summary, it is said that the Master of the
Hospital and the entire conventual community, except for a few, the whole Templar
community, the whole community of the Hospital of St Mary of the Teutonic Order, with
very few escaping, and the entire overseas knighthood, along with Nassar, the Sultan of
the Turks, and another sultan, were captured by the Khwarezmians and the men of the
Sultan of Babylon [Cairo] and killed on the 17th day of
October. It is said that Count William and the lord Philip were captured. The lord
Patriarch and the Constable escaped. Behold, mourning and lamentation!