The Crusades: A Short 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.--ChoiceA 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 HistorySuperb.--Reuven S. Avi-Yonah, SpeculumA first-rate one-volume survey of the Crusading movement from 1074 . . . to 1798.--Southwest Catholic.…