“An enriching account of the expansion of the political and cultural frontiers of the Latin West in the central Middle Ages.”—History Today When the armies of the First Crusade wrested Jerusalem from control of the Fatimids of Egypt in 1099, they believed their victory was an evident sign of God’s favor. It was, therefore, incumbent upon them to fulfill what they understood to be God’s plan: to re-establish Christian control of Syria and Palestine. This book is devoted to the resulting settlements, the crusader states, that developed around the eastern shores of the Mediterranean and survived until Richard the Lionheart’s departure in 1192. Focusing on Jerusalem, Antioch, Tripoli, and Edessa, Malcolm Barber vividly reconstructs the crusaders’ arduous process of establishing and protecting their settlements, and the simultaneous struggle of vanquished inhabitants to adapt to life alongside their conquerors. Rich with colorful accounts of major military campaigns, the book goes much deeper, exploring in detail the culture of the crusader states—the complex indigenous inheritance, the architecture, the political, legal, and economic institutions, the ecclesiastical framework through which the crusaders perceived the world, the origins of the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers, and more. With the zest of a scholar pursuing a life-long interest, Barber presents a complete narrative and cultural history of the crusader states while setting a new standard for the term “total history.” A Choice Outstanding Academic Title in the Western Europe Category “Barber is a highly distinguished scholar, whose touch is continually deft, and he navigates the basis of the main narrative histories with care . . . a delight to read.”—Literary Review

The first comprehensive survey of monasteries and monasticism in the Near East during the 'Crusader' period.

First published in 1999, this volume emerged as part of the Collected Studies series and features studies authored by Bernard Hamilton over a period of twenty years, all of which deal with relations between Western Europe and the neighbouring civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean during the 12th and 13th centuries. The first set examines the kind of society which developed in the Crusader States (including three essays on women and Queens), and the attitude of western settlers to the Byzantine Empire, eastern Christian churches and the Islamic world. Further essays deal with the impact on Western Europe of Christian dualist heresy which had its roots in the Balkans and Armenia, and perhaps ultimately in Persia. The final group centres around the Holy Places, whose liberation was the raison d’etre of the crusade movement. They examine how the Western Church administered these shrines, the way in which they shaped western piety during the time of crusader rule, and how the cult of the Holy Places developed in the Western Church after they had been recaptured by Islam. Each article’s original citation information is included, along with the original page numbers and pagination.

The six volumes of A History of the Crusades will stand as the definitive history of the Crusades, spanning five centuries, encompassing Jewish, Moslem, and Christian perspectives, and containing a wealth of information and analysis of the history, politics, economics, and culture of the medieval world.

A compilation of facts, figures, maps, family trees, summaries of the major crusades and their historiography, the Routledge Companion to the Crusades spans a broad chronological range from the eleventh to the eighteenth century, and gives a chronological framework and context for modern research on the crusading movement. Not just a history of the Crusades, but an overview of the logistical, economic, social and biographical history, this is a core text for students of history and religious studies.