Opening page of the Estoire d'Eracles (William of Tyre in French), with the Crucifixion and Pope Urban II preaching the First Crusade in the initial (Walters W.137, fol. 1r)

Opening page of a late 13th-century French history of the crusades. The four-part initial L puts the Crucifixion beside a seated figure addressing a crowd, which the Walters catalogue identifies as Pope Urban II preaching the First Crusade, with an altar and a standing idol below; placing the preacher beside the Crucifixion is how the page ties the papal call to Christ's authority.

Date: 1275
Period: Pre-1914
Made by: Scribes and illuminators of a northern French (possibly Paris) manuscript of the Estoire d'Eracles, the French version and continuation of William of Tyre's history
Region: Western and Central Europe
Country: France
Medium: Books and pamphlets
Issuer type: Media
Regime: Papal States Crusades
Leader: Urban II
Audience: Domestic public
Purpose: Commemorate
Themes: Religion, War and the military
Techniques: Testimonial Transfer
Regime: The papacy and crusade messaging
Leader: Urban II
Source: Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source: The Walters Art Museum (Digital Walters), retrieved October 2, 2026
Rights: Public domain (Digital Walters images released by the Walters Art Museum under CC0; manuscript about 700 years old)
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MS W.137, fol. 1r (Digital Walters, CC0)

Text on the object

Original (Old French) · checked against a source transcription

Les ancienes ystoires dient que Eracles fu moult boens crestiens

English translation (machine translation by Claude, not verified by a fluent reader)

The ancient histories say that Heraclius was a very good Christian.

First words of the text (incipit) as given in the Walters manuscript description; the scribe abbreviates some words, and later marginal notes are omitted. The historiated initial itself carries no legible lettering.