Translating Crusade in Early Stuart England

In 1789, the Society of Antiquaries of London received a translation of Robert the Monk’s Historia Iherosolimitana – the earliest known rendering of this crusade chronicle into English. Produced in the early seventeenth century, the hand-written manuscript reveals an overlooked facet of early modern England’s engagement with the crusading past. This paper situates the translation within its historical context, proposing that it was produced c. 1617, coinciding with plans for an English military campaign against Algiers that was to be led by the text’s intended patron, Henry Wriothesley, earl of Southampton. The work sheds light on how crusading narratives were repurposed to frame contemporary military ambitions, aligning with the broader intellectual current of ‘politic history’ that informed early modern historical writing. By analysing the translation’s language, patronage, and intent, this paper offers new insights into how Stuart England reimagined medieval crusades, positioning them within the geopolitical and ideological landscapes of the seventeenth century.