ALBERT OF AIX (fl. c. A.D. 1100), historian of the first
crusade, was born during the later part of the 11th century,
and afterwards became canon and custos of the church of
Aix-la-Chapelle. Nothing else is known of his life except
that he was the author of a
Historia Hierosolymitanae
expeditionis, or
Chronicon Hierosolymitanum de bello
sacro, a work in twelve books, written between 1125 and
1150. This history begins at the time of the council of
Clermont, deals with the fortunes of the first crusade and
the earlier history of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, and
ends somewhat abruptly in 1121. It was well known during the
middle ages, and was largely used by William, archbishop of
Tyre, for the first six books of his
Belli sacri historia.
In modern times its historical value has been seriously
impugned, but the verdict of the best scholarship seems
to be that in general it forms a true record of the events
of the first crusade, although containing some legendary
matter. Albert never visited the Holy Land, but he appears
to have had a considerable amount of intercourse with
returned crusaders, and to have had access to valuable
correspondence. The first edition of the history was published
at Helmstadt in 1584, and a good edition is in the
Recueil
des historiens des croisades, tome iv. (Paris, 1841-1887).
See
F. Krebs, Zur Kritik Alberts von Aachen (Munster,
1881)
B. Kugler, Albert von Aachen (Stuttgart, 1885)
M. Figeonneau, Le Cycle de la croisade et de la famine
de Bouillon (Paris, 1877)
H. von Sybel, Geschichte des
ersten Kreuzzuges (Leipzig, 1881)
F. Vercruysse, Essai
critique sur la chronique d'Albert d'Aix (Liege, 1889).
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