Sæwulf (LateOld English pronunciation:[ˈsæːwulf];fl. 1102 – 1103) was probably the first English pilgrim toJerusalem following its conquest in theFirst Crusade.[1] HisLatin written account of his pilgrimage,Relatio de situ Ierusalem, tells of an arduous and dangerous journey; and Sæwulf's descriptive narrative provides scholars brief but significant insight into sea travel across theMediterranean to the newKingdom of Jerusalem that was established soon after the end of the First Crusade.[2][3]
Jerusalem fell to the forces of the First Crusade in 1099 after a successfulsiege of the city. Sæwulf's telling of his travels onpilgrimage to theHoly Land start inApulia on 13 July 1102 with his boarding ship atMonopoli. Via many ports, he made landfall atJaffa and began a tour ofPalestine, includingJericho andHebron.[3]
The narrative of his journey to Jerusalem described the prevailing lawlessness of theJudean hills at the time. He noted the road between Jaffa and Jerusalem "was very dangerous...because theSaracens are continually plotting an ambush...day and night always keeping a lookout for someone to attack".[4] He noted the presence of many corpses of pilgrims abandoned on and near the road, unburied because of the rough ground and reasons of safety, as "[a]nybody who did this would dig a grave not for his fellow Christian but for himself."[5]
For Jerusalem, Sæwulf related guidebook-like details highlighting important sites for pilgrims,[6] including the famousChurch of the Holy Sepulchre.[7] He also visitedBethlehem, finding it, with the exception of amonastery, "all ruined".[5]
For his return journey, Sæwulf took adromund from Jaffa on 17 May 1103.[5] The galley was attacked nearAcre by Saracen ships, but soldiers onboard defended the vessel allowing it to escape. They were attacked again on the voyage fromCyprus toConstantinople by pirates. Sæwulf's account abruptly ends after recounting passage through theDardanelles.[3]
In 1839 Sæwulf's report was edited into French[8] byArmand d'Avezac and from that translated into English byThomas Wright who included it as the section "The Travels of Sæwulf"[9] in his 1848 anthology "Early Travels in Palestine".[10][11] Though details of Sæwulf's life after his pilgrimage are uncertain, he is generally thought[12] to be the Sæwulf (or Seuulfus) ofWorcester mentioned by the distinguished English historianWilliam of Malmesbury in his "Gesta Pontificum Anglorum" as a merchant who in his old age became a monk inMalmesbury Abbey inWiltshire, England.[3][13]
