Directorium ad faciendum passagium transmarinum

An illustration depicting the king of France leading a crusade, from a copy of Jean de Vignay's translation made before 1340

The Directorium ad faciendum passagium transmarinum (or Directorium ad passagium for short)[1] is an anonymous 24,000-word Latin treatise on crusading submitted to King Philip VI of France on 26 July 1330 or 1332. The treatise proposes the conquest of the Holy Land, the Byzantine Empire and Russia and their subjection to the Catholic Church; outlines how this might be achieved; and describes how the conquered territories could be administered.[2]

Two French translations were produced, one by Jean de Vignay in 1333 and another by Jean Miélot in 1455. Both are transmitted in richly illustrated manuscripts. There are a total of 15 surviving manuscripts in Latin or French. The authorship of the treatise has been a matter of much speculation.

  1. ^ Elsie 2003, pp. 28–30, translates the title "Initiative For Making the Passage".
  2. ^ Beazley 1907a, pp. 810–813.