The Crusades

Osprey Elite #19

by David Nicolle

Born of a mixture of religious fervour, military ardour and political will, the Crusades ( 1095 - 1291) remain a fascinating and misunderstood aspect of medieval history. Born amid immense suffering and bloodshed the Kingdom of Jerusalem remained a battlefield for almost 200 years. The Crusades raised to campaign for it gave rise to the Military Orders of the Templars and Hopitallers as well as numerous smaller orders, and were a backdrop to the careers of some of history's most famous leaders including Richard 'The Lionheart' and Saladin. David Nicolle recounts the background and events of these fundamental campaigns that scarred the Late Medieval period.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Military History, Middle East

64 pages, Paperback

Published September 22, 1988

About the author

David C. Nicolle is a British historian specialising in the military history of the Middle Ages, with a particular interest in the Middle East.

Reviews

[Dimitri]

An Elite booklet entitled "the crusades" has to hit all the notes, however lightly: the origins, the
political puzzle of the muslim lands, all 7 official crusades, the weaponry, the castles and the tactics which kept the states alive until 1291.

Nicolle does it. Not a sentence is wasted, with a lot of attention for cross-cultural influences between France, Germany, Italy, Byzantium and the Turkish arts of war.

[Marcus]

I have to admit that this particular volume in Osprey Elite had me baffled at first. I tend to regard Osprey publications as primers; in the case of ‘The Crusades’ I doubt that anyone without solid prior knowledge of the history of the Crusades will be able to make heads or tails out of the first dozen or so pages of this booklet. Fortunately, things get much better once one manages to get through this surprisingly demanding opening; further into the booklet, the author's narrative becomes much more accessible and provides a very informative and enjoyable reading experience which should be appreciated both by a the complete novice as well as a reader already familiar with the topic of Crusades.