My history course is skipping the Third Crusade, for the most part, but I still want to read it. We read the Gesta Francorum along with other sources for the 1st, and are starting Villehardouin's account of the 4th.
I tried looking for the authoritative equivalent source for the thrid and got mixed results from google.
Did any of the participants write a complete account of the third Crusade or at least their part in it? If not, why?
It seems like if the disastrous 4th Crusade gets a Chronicle, then the one which includes Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, and St. Francis should warrant a history.
But I'm a non-major and it's eluding me.
A Muslim source would be great, too.
The Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi, translated by Helen J. Nicolson is what you'll want.
The Itenerarium is, according to John Gillingham (a specialist in the reign of Richard I) "the most comprehensive, near contemporary history of the Third Crusade". It was compiled in around 1220 by Richard de Templo from two separate manuscripts, the first covering the events of the crusade up to 1190 and the second is the Estoire de la Guerre Sainte by Ambroise.
If you're interested in eye-witness accounts of the Crusades, try Jean de Joinville's Life of Saint Louis. It's a remarkable work that includes a striking ground level account of the battle of Al-Mansurah. If you're interested in primary accounts of the Crusades, I highly recommend it.
For Muslim texts, Arab Historians of the Crusades, translated by F. Gabrieli has an entire section on Saladin and the Third Crusade.
I'm super curious about the rationale for skipping the Third Crusade considering it's prominence in the historiography?