Tri starofrancuske hronike o Zadru u godini 1202.

In this edition, Nikola Majnarić brings together three Old French chronicles that, from the direct perspective of the participants, depict the events of 1202, when the Crusaders – instead of heading for the Holy Land – besieged and captured Zadar, then a Christian city under the rule of the Hungarian-Croatian king, at the request of Venice. The chronicles originate from the pens of different participants or observers of the Crusade, which gives the collection a layered structure and different tones: from cold military reporting to moral dilemmas and attempts to justify the controversial attack.

In the introduction and notes, Majnarić explains the context: the political interests of the Venetian Republic, the internal problems of the Crusaders, and the dispute between Zadar and Venice that lasted for decades. The testimonies themselves reveal the dynamics of the siege — negotiations, threats, military preparations — but also the shock among the Crusaders attacking a city that was, at least formally, part of the Christian community they were supposed to “defend.” The texts convey a tension between religious idealism and political manipulation: chroniclers record the justifications of leaders, the suspicions among ordinary soldiers, and the final, violent outcome.

Majnarić's selection and commentary allow the modern reader to understand how these events appeared through the eyes of those who wrote them down more than eight centuries earlier, preserving the tone and atmosphere of the Old French originals.