Directorium ad faciendum passagium transmarinum
The Directorium ad faciendum passagium transmarinum (or Directorium ad passagium for short) is an anonymous 24,000-word Latin treatise on crusading submitted to King Philip VI of France on 26 July 1330 or 1332. The treatise proposes the conquest of the Holy Land, the Byzantine Empire and Russia and their subjection to the Catholic Church; outlines how this might be achieved; and describes how the conquered territories could be administered. Two French translations were produced, one by Jean de Vignay in 1333 and another by Jean Miélot in 1455. Both are transmitted in richly illustrated manuscripts. There are a total of 15 surviving manuscripts in Latin or French. The authorship of the treatise has been a matter of much speculation. Manuscripts There are nine known extant manuscripts of the Latin text: Brussels, Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, 9176 (14th century) Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 5990, ff. 34–55 (14th century) Basel, Öffentliche Bibliothek der Universität, A. I. 28, ff. 254v–291v (15th century) Oxford, Magdalen College Library, 43, ff. 1–24 (15th century) Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Pal. lat. 603, ff. 73–133v (15th century) Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 5138, ff. 1–39 (17th century) London, British Library, Harley 3995 El Escorial, Real Biblioteca del Monasterio de San Lorenzo, O-III-34, starting at f. 32v Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, lat. 536 Jean de Vignay's translation survives in a single known manuscript: London, British Library, Royal 19 D I, ff. 165v–192v The 1423 catalogue of the library of the Louvre indicates that it possessed a copy, but it has since been lost. Jean Miélot's translation survives in five known manuscripts: Brussels, Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, 9095 Oxford, Bodleian Library, Douce 374 Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arsenal, 4798, starting at f. 1 Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fr. 5593, ff. 6–67 Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fr. 9087, starting at f. 1 Author The author of the Directorium is unknown. The French royal register gives him only as "a wise prelate, formerly a Dominican, and now an archbishop in the empire of Constantinople." In the treatise he claims to have traveled far and wide and lived as a missionary in Persia. He visited Constantinople, Socotra and claims to have traveled south as far as Madagascar. His account of Russia suggests first-hand knowledge. He may have been involved in the union of the church of Cilician Armenia with Rome. The text may have been anonymous from the start. Charles Köhler, who edited the text, presumed that even the king of France did not know the name of the author. It was not known to Jean de Vignay, who translated it in 1333. An early tradition ascribes the Directorium to a monk named Burcard or Brochard (Brocardus monacus), usually identified with Burchard of Mount Sion. This is untenable, but was propagated by the French translation of Jean Miélot, which attributes it to Brochard l'Allemand. Köhler therefore refers to the author as Pseudo-Brocardus. He tentatively suggests that its author was William of Adam, but this has been disputed. The