The Crusades: A History

"Pulls off the enviable feat of summing up seven centuries of religious warfare in a crisp 309 pages of text."—Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post Book World
 
In this authoritative work, Jonathan Riley-Smith provides the definitive account of the Crusades: an account of the theology of violence behind the Crusades, the major Crusades, the experience of crusading, and the crusaders themselves. With a wealth of fascinating detail, Riley-Smith brings to life these stirring expeditions to the Holy Land and the politics and personalities behind them. This new edition includes revisions throughout as well as a new Preface and Afterword in which Jonathan Riley-Smith surveys recent developments in the field and examines responses to the Crusades in different periods, from the Romantics to the Islamic world today.
 
From reviews of the first edition:
 
“Everything is here: the crusades to the Holy Land, and against the Albigensians, the Moors, the pagans in Eastern Europe, the Turks, and the enemies of the popes. Riley-Smith writes a beautiful, lucid prose, . . . [and his book] is packed with facts and action.”—Choice

“A concise, clearly written synthesis . . . by one of the leading historians of the crusading movement. ”—Robert S. Gottfried, Historian

“A lively and flowing narrative [with] an enormous cast of characters that is not a mere catalog but a history. . . . A remarkable achievement.”—Thomas E. Morrissey, Church History

“Superb.”—Reuven S. Avi-Yonah, Speculum

“A first-rate one-volume survey of the Crusading movement from 1074 . . . to 1798.”—Southwest Catholic

Jonathan Riley-Smith (1938–2016) was Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Cambridge, and the author or editor of many books on the Crusades and the Middle Ages.