The Crusades: Les Passages d'Outremer

The Crusades: Les Passages d'Outremer

The Medieval Crusades were a series of ecclesiastically sanctioned wars in the Middle East initiated between 1095 and the 13th century by Christian rulers and popes for religious, strategic and economic reasons. Depending on the count, seven or eight Crusades were organized to "protect" the Holy Land from Muslim rule. The scholar, writer and translator Sébastien Mamerot (1430/40 – around 1490) wrote the most comprehensive medieval work on the history of the crusaders in 1474: Les Passages d'Outremer. "Outremer" is the French term for "overseas" and thus stands for the four crusader states that were established as a result of the First Crusade (1096–99) – the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch and the counties of Edessa and Tripoli.

Commissioned by a French Bibliophile

The patron of this mammoth work was the French nobleman, politician and bibliophile Louis de Laval (ca. 1411–1489), who is portrayed on the first page and in whose service Mamerot spent most of his life. In keeping with this patronage, the author focused above all on the French participation in the Crusades in his work, parts of which are already characterized by fantastical and almost legendary details. Nevertheless, the almost 600-page codex is an important historical source on the Crusades and the late medieval perspective on these events. An inscription states that Mamerot completed his work in April 1474.

Artistic Miniatures by a Great Master

The precious manuscript was splendidly illuminated shortly afterwards by none other than Jean Colombe (around 1430 – around 1493) and his workshop. Colombe is considered one of the most important and talented illuminators of the 15th century and the Passages d'Outremer are one of his most beautiful works. On 66 monumental pictorial pages, usually consisting of a large main miniature and a matching bas-de-page scene, Colombe captured the events of the Crusades. The paintings, adorned with golden details and frames, impress above all with wide landscapes, convincing spatial depth effects and architectures as well as imposing crowds. The rich color palette also captivates the viewer's gaze and makes each individual miniature a work of art in its own right.

The Letter from Sultan Bayezid II

A few years after the completion of the magnificent manuscript, probably in 1488 or a little later, a contemporary document was added to it: The Latin and French translation of a letter written by the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II (1447/48–1512) to King Charles VIII of France (1470–1498). The copy of the diplomatic document was inserted after the preface of the actual work by two different hands on fols. 3v-4r, which had originally been left blank.