Philip of Novara

Life & Legacy

Philip of Novara (c. 1200 – c. 1270) was a medieval historian, warrior, musician, diplomat, poet, and lawyer born at Novara, Italy, into a noble house, who spent his entire adult life in the Middle East. He primarily served the Ibelin family, and featured in a number of prominent battles and negotiations involving Jerusalem and Cyprus. He chronicled the War of the Lombards, the dispute between the Ibelin family and Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor.
He wrote a lengthy treatise on the feudal law of Jerusalem, which influenced later jurists like John of Ibelin.