Introduction

The Chanson des Chétifs and the Chanson de Jérusalem form part of the central trilogy at the heart of the thirteenth-century cycle of poems known as the Old French Crusade Cycle. The trilogy focuses on the events of the First Crusade, arguably the only Crusade perceived as successful, which is treated as an exemplum for later potential Crusaders. It comprises the Chanson d’Antioche, which takes events from the preaching of the Crusade to the siege, fall and battle of Antioch; the Chanson des Chétifs, which serves as a link between events at Antioch and the triumphant conclusion of the Crusade; and the Chanson de Jérusalem, which describes the siege and fall of Jerusalem and the subsequent battle of Ascalon.¹