Abstract
This paper aims to explore the manuscript tradition of Riccoldo’s Liber peregrinationis, which was translated from Latin - once into French (in 1351) and twice into Italian (in the 14 th century). Seventeen manuscripts containing the text and its translations survive. Through a detailed description of each manuscript, I will endeavour to determine the date and place of its production as well as its medieval owner. The analysis of the other texts contained in the manuscripts allow us to glean evidence pertaining to the milieu in which they were commissioned. These elements also provide evidence of the diffusion and the readership of Riccoldo’s text throughout the centuries as well as in various cultural and social environments. It may thus be concluded that every aspect of Riccoldo’s account is exploited: it is at once a guide to the Holy Land and a geographical treatise, a description of exotic peoples and natural wonders, and a theological treatise on heretics and Muslims.