What Were the Crusades?

What Were the Crusades?

• elucidates key ideas and institutions which have been neglected in the past
• demonstrates, through the analysis of European campaigns, that the movement was not confined to expeditions launched to recover the Holy Land - or to defend the Christian presence there - and shows that it continued, in one form or another, into the eighteenth century and perhaps beyond
• draws attention to the increasing interest of historians in the motivation of crusaders
• now includes material on a child crusader and concludes with a short discussion of the current effects of aggressive Pan-Islamism
• features a new map illustrating the different theatres of war Original in its conception, this essential guide is a contribution of major importance to crusading scholarship. In its clear and concise treatment of the issues, it remains an unequalled introduction to the subject for students and general readers alike.