“ If not the greatest, William of Tyre is at least among the greatest, of medieval historians. His Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum, or Historia Hierosolymitana or Belli sacri historia covers the period between 1095 and 1184, and is the main authority for the history of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem between 1127, where Fulcher of Chartres leaves off, and 1183 or 1184, where Ernoul takes up the narrative. ”

“ His powers of industry were exceptionally great, and although a man of much learning and almost certainly acquainted with Greek and Arabic, he is as ready to enliven his pages with a homely proverb as he is to embellish them with quotations from Cicero, Virgil, Ovid or Plato. ”

“ On his return to Palestine he stayed seven months at Constantinople with Manuel. This is William's last appearance in history, but he was writing his history in 1181, and this breaks off abruptly at the end of 1183 or early in 1184. He died probably between 1187 and 1190. About fifty years later one of his continuators accused Heraclius, the patriarch of Jerusalem, of procuring his death by poison at Rome, but this story appears to be legendary. Equally untrustworthy is the theory which identifies William with the archbishop of Tyre sent to Europe to preach a new crusade in 1188. ”