I Cristiani e il favoloso Egitto. Una relazione dall Oriente e la Storia di Damietta di Oliviero da Colonia

[Autom. eng. transl.] The History of Damietta (Historia Damiatina) by Oliviero da Colonia is the source for the knowledge not only of the events of the fifth crusade from 1218 to 1221, but also of the political structure, customs and traditions of the Islamic world in the transition phase after death of Saladin. The translation of the Historia Damiatina is proposed here to readers interested in the subject of the Crusades in a renewed edition. Oliviero's text is preceded by a report describing the Holy Land and the Ayyubid dynasty. These sources had traditionally been attributed to Giacomo Da Vitry, but historical criticism has long brought them back to Oliviero's work. The volume is enriched by three critical introductions that take stock of many aspects: from the tradition of the work, now considered more reliable, to the crusaders' fighting techniques, up to the complex cultural situation of the West, divided between the will to fight and the rush of preaching. It is not by chance that the famous episode of the meeting between Francis of Assisi and the sultan Al Malich takes place in Damietta.