by Alejandra Pizarro (See Chinese translation)
Master Thadeus Neapolitanus (alternative names) was a citizen of Naples, Italy, who lived in the Outremer for some time. Nothing else is known about him other than that he lived during the 13th century and at least for a time in Syria. His Historia de desolatione et conculcatione civitatis Acconensis et tocius Terre Sancte seems to have been written in Messina in December 1291.
The Historia recounts the capture of Acre by the Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Khalil in May 1291, which marked the end of Crusader domination in the Holy Land. This is one of the two main Latin sources, written within months of the catastrophe, though the Historia is restricted to the events of spring 1291.
The capture of Acre in May 1291 occurred after a forty-four-day siege. A major catastrophe for the Christian forces in the East, it marked the effective end of the crusader presence in Syria and Palestine. Thadeus was not an eyewitness, but claims to have relied on eyewitness sources for his material. It seems he was well-informed, though prejudiced when it came to attributing responsibility. He accuses Christians everywhere, and the military orders and the people of Acre in particular, of having brought on the loss of the Holy Land through sinful actions.
Thadeus is concerned to inspire Christendom to recover its losses. His text is a useful reminder that Western Christians of the time did not see 1291 as the end of their possession of the Holy Land, but rather as one in a series of setbacks that could be partially or fully reversed with enough perseverance and dedication.
The Historia was lost, but later rediscovered in the 1840s. It was published by Count Paul Riant in 1873. Huygens’ 2004 edition provides a useful introduction. It identifies quotations from, or allusions to, earlier authors. David Nicolle has contributed a discussion of the vocabulary found in these texts that relates to medieval warfare, and Alan Forey has added some notes explaining points concerning the military orders.
