ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a number of charters issued before and during the Third Crusade. It considers the place of charters among the sources for the Third Crusade. The chapter analysis of an intriguing deed issued by Count John I of SES, one of the many high-ranking casualties of the crusade, before he set off c.1190 from his homeland in northwest France. The grant was conceded by John de Hodengs lord Hugh de Gournay, and it is very likely that Johns act was issued in advance of the Third Crusade, in which Hugh de Gournay played a prominent part. Count Johns act was therefore intended to deal with every possibility that might arise from his prolonged absence. Count Johns act is an exceptionally rich text for the concerns of crusaders on the eve of the Third Crusade. It shows how the expedition could alter the political priorities of the participants.
