The Crusades

by David Nicolle, Richard Hook (Illustrator)

Overview

Born amid immense suffering and bloodshed, the Kingdom of Jerusalem remained a battlefield for almost 200 years. The Crusades gave rise to the Military Orders of the Templars and Hospitallers, and were a backdrop to the careers of some of history's most famous leaders including Richard 'The Lionheart' and Saladin. On occasion the savagery of the Crusaders left their opponents reeling, creating frictions that survived for more than 700 years. At the same time, as this book lavishly illustrates, art, architecture and learning all benefited from new knowledge the Crusaders brought back from the East.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781841761794
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/19/2001
Series:	Essential Histories
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	6.68(w) x 9.91(h) x 0.23(d)

About the Author

David Nicolle PhD was born in 1944 and was educated at Highgate School. For eight years he worked in the BBC Arabic Service. In 1971 he went 'back to school', gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies and a PhD from Edinburgh University. For some years he taught art and architectural history at Yarmuk University, Jordan. David has written many Osprey titles, including Men-at-Arms 140 'Armies of the Ottoman Turks', Men-at-Arms 320 'Armies of the Caliphates 862–1098', and Campaign 43 'Fornovo 1495'.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	7
	Chronology	11
	Background to war: Christendom and Islam in the 11th century	12
	Warring sides: Byzantines, Turks, Crusaders and Saracens	18
	Outbreak: The First Crusade	23
	The fighting: Crusade and jihad; consolidation of Islamic resistance	29
	Portrait of a soldier: Brothers in arms; two crusaders; two fursan	55
	The world around war: The impact of the Crusades on the Mediterranean and beyond	60
	Portrait of a civilian: A saint, a lady, a scholar and a rabbi	73
	How the war ended: The rise of the Mamluks and the fall of the Crusader State	76
	Conclusion and consequences: The failure of an idea and the rebirth of Islamic expansionism	81
	Further reading	89
	Glossary	91
	Index	94

Editorial Reviews

This lavishly illustrated mini-text introduces readers to the hundreds of years of conflict commonly known in Western history as the Crusades. The author (affiliation unknown) details topics such as who the warring sides were and how certain battles played out, as well as providing portraits of foot soldiers and civilians involved at a variety of levels in the conflicts. Color and b&w photographs, maps, and drawings highlight both the details of some of the campaigns and the rich artistic and architectural heritage of the period. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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