The Life of Peter Thomas by Philippe de Mezieres

A Translation of the Vita Sancti Petri Thomasii and Other Material
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-22840-2
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 190 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Crusade Texts in Translation

Peter Thomas was a successful churchman and crusading papal legate of the 14th century who began his career as an impoverished Carmelite friar and ended it as Latin patriarch of Constantinople. The Life of Peter Thomas, a biography written immediately after Peter’s death by a devoted friend, Philippe de Mézières, who is himself an important figure in the history of the crusades, is not only the best source for the life of Peter Thomas, but an extremely valuable source for the history of the crusades, most importantly the attack on Alexandria in 1365 led by King Peter I of Cyprus.

The work also provides a wealth of other insights into the history of the Mediterranean of that period, including inter-faith relations in the Kingdom of Cyprus, the relationship between the Latin and Orthodox churches, and the messy political struggles in Italy and surrounding areas. This translation of Philippe de Mézières’ Life of Peter Thomas makes use of the best modern edition of the text, and as such is the first translation of what is the fullest surviving version of the Life. Additional material written by Philippe de Mézières has been selected and translated here for the first time to offer further insight into the two men and their activities in service of the crusade.

The translation makes this important text more accessible than ever before for students and others with an interest in the crusades and the Eastern Mediterranean in the later medieval period.

Zielgruppe

Academic and Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Owens, Timothy

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Abbreviations
Note on Names
Acknowledgements

List of Maps

Introduction

Part I: The Life of Peter Thomas

Book One: The Life
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Carmelite (1305?–1353)
Chapter 2: Papal Envoy (1353–1358)
Chapter 3: Papal Legate (1359–1362)
Chapter 4: Preparations for the Crusade
Chapter 5: The Crusade of 1365

Chapter 6: Last Illness and Death
Epilogue

Book Two: The Miracles
A Lament by Philippe de Mézières
The Ecclesiastical Process into the Miracles Ascribed to Saint Peter Thomas
The Dream of Philippe de Mézières
The Petition for the Canonisation of Peter Thomas by Peter I of Cyprus

Part Two: Additional Translated Material

Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Timothy Owens received his doctorate in medieval history from the University of St Andrews, UK, in 2019. His research interests include the history of the crusades, particularly in the later medieval period.