The Crusades: A Beginner's Guide

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Andrew Jotischky

In 1095 Pope Urban II launched the first crusade to recover Jerusalem from the Seljuq Turks. Tens of thousands of people joined his cause making it the single largest event of the Middle Ages. The conflict would rage for over 200 years, transforming Christian and Islamic relations forever.

In this new introduction, Andrew Jotischky takes readers through the key events, focussing on the experience of crusading, from both sides, and asking crucial questions: What were the motivations of the crusaders? What was it like to be a crusader or live in a crusading society? How do these events, nearly a thousand years ago, still shape the politics of today?

Genres: History, Nonfiction

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 19, 2015

About the author

Professor Andrew Jotischky is a professor at Bowland College, Lancaster University,
United Kingdom. His interests are centered on medieval religious beliefs, traditions and practices, and on religious institutions. I write about medieval monasticism, including mendicant orders; the Crusades and the Crusader States; interactions between Latin and Greek Orthodox Christendom; pilgrimage; food and diet in the Middle Ages.

Dr. Jotischky's work has been funded by the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation.

Reviews

[Emma Waters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Purely an emotional rating; the writing itself was intriguing

[Janhmmn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few books set around the Crusades, most memorably and enjoyably Kevin Crossley Holland's Arthur trilogy, and also a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, but I didn't have much of a historical background to the Crusades as a whole, which is exactly what this book seeks to provide: a historical overview of the events, what happened next, what happened much later, and why it matters to us in 2018. The very last sentence sums it up well:

"Understanding how and why the Crusades came about, why they took the course that they did, how they affected Europeans' dealings with people outside Christendom and how they reflected changes in European society is vital if we are to understand the relationship between religious belief, political action and social forces that made Europe what it is today."

[Richard A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro and summary to the whole crusading episodes in European history, including descriptions of the crusader states, the impact on and reactions of the Muslim world, the evolution of crusading from the beginning (1095) to the end about 350 years later. Very readable.

[Alex Linschoten · Rating 3 out of 5]

A painting-by-numbers chronological account of the Crusades. Nothing really to fault this book except it was fairly dull to read. Good way to get a sense of how events proceeded, but not much else.