TheEstoire d’Antioche: Conversion and Assimilation in the First Crusade

Abstract

The Estoire d’Antioche, in common with the better-known Chanson d’Antioche, provides a vernacular account of the siege of Antioch. While focused on the events of the First Crusade, an examination of the Estoire d’Antioche demonstrates an interest in Anglo-Norman identity reflected in twelfth-century texts such as the Chronique des ducs de Normandie and Estoire des Engleis. The poem explores questions of identity and assimilation through its depiction of the conversion of the Antiochene traitor’s family and presents an image of Anglo-Norman unity in portraying soldiers from the British Isles under the command of Robert of Normandy. This article contrasts the Estoire d’Antioche with the Chanson d’Antioche and contemporary Latin texts to consider its role in promoting the ideal of a distinct, pan-Angevin identity participating in the shared endeavour of the crusades.