Matthew of Edessa

Matthew of Edessa was an Armenian historian in the 12th century from the city of Edessa. Matthew was the superior abbot of Karmir Vank, near the town of Kaysun, east of Marash, the former seat of Baldwin of Boulogne. He relates much about the Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia, the early Crusades, and the battles between Byzantines and Arabs for the possession of parts of northern Syria and eastern Asia Minor.

Biography

Matthew was born in Edessa sometime in the second half of the 11th century and was a member of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He was a determined opponent of both the Greek church and the Latin church. Matthew was especially bitter against Frankish settlers, whose avaricious and imperious rule and ingratitude he condemns in his work. He was probably slain during the siege of Edessa by Zengi, atabeg of Mosul, in 1144.

''Chronicle''

Matthew's work, Zhamanakagrutyun at a later date.

Translations

, French translation from 1858
Armenia and the Crusades: Tenth to Twelfth Centuries: The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa, translated from the original Armenian with a commentary and introduction by Ara Edmond Dostourian. Belmont, MA: National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, 1993.
Matthew of Edessa's Chronicle, translated by Robert Bedrosian. Sophene. 2021