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The Oxford History of the Crusades
In this collection of essays, the story of the Crusades is told as never before in an engrossing and comprehensive history that ranges from the preaching of the First Crusade in 1095 to the legacy of crusading ideals and imagery that continues today. Here are the ideas of apologists, propagandists, and poets about the Crusades, as well as the perceptions and motives of the crusaders themselves and the means by which they joined the movement.
The book's coverage ranges from the elaborate social and civic systems that arose to support the Crusades to in-depth and vivid descriptions of the battles themselves. The contributors provide keen and insightful commentary on the reactions of the Muslims to a Christian holy war. Also included are studies of crusades outside the eastern Mediterranean region as well as post-medieval crusades.
By describing the combat and homefront conditions, by evaluating the clash (and coalescence) of many cultures, by tracing a legacy that continues in our conflict-ridden present, and by documenting the enduring artistic and social changes that the Crusades wrought, A History of the Crusades offers an unsurpassed panorama of one of the great movements in western history. All students of medieval culture, religion, politics, and/or history will find in these pages a highly useful, thorough, and contemporary account of that movement.
The book's coverage ranges from the elaborate social and civic systems that arose to support the Crusades to in-depth and vivid descriptions of the battles themselves. The contributors provide keen and insightful commentary on the reactions of the Muslims to a Christian holy war. Also included are studies of crusades outside the eastern Mediterranean region as well as post-medieval crusades.
By describing the combat and homefront conditions, by evaluating the clash (and coalescence) of many cultures, by tracing a legacy that continues in our conflict-ridden present, and by documenting the enduring artistic and social changes that the Crusades wrought, A History of the Crusades offers an unsurpassed panorama of one of the great movements in western history. All students of medieval culture, religion, politics, and/or history will find in these pages a highly useful, thorough, and contemporary account of that movement.
478 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
33 people are currently reading
1183 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Riley-Smith
43 books48 followersJonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Cambridge, was educated at Eton College and Trinity College Cambridge. He received his BA (1960), MA (1964), PhD (1964) and LittD (2001) from Cambridge.
From 1964–1972 Dr. Riley-Smith taught in the Department of Medieval History at the Unversity of St Andrews, first as assistant lecturer, until 1966, then as lecturer. From 1972 until 1978, he served on the history faculty at the University of Cambridge. He was professor of history at the University of London from 1978 until 1994. Since 1994, Professor Riley-Smith has served on the faculties of history and divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. From 1997 to 1999 he was chair of the faculty of history.
He was a founder member (1980), acting secretary (1980–1982) and president (1987–1995) of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East. Other positions he has held include Knight of Grace and Devotion, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Officer of Merit, Order Pro Merito Melitens, and Knight of Justice, Most Venerable Order of St John.
From 1964–1972 Dr. Riley-Smith taught in the Department of Medieval History at the Unversity of St Andrews, first as assistant lecturer, until 1966, then as lecturer. From 1972 until 1978, he served on the history faculty at the University of Cambridge. He was professor of history at the University of London from 1978 until 1994. Since 1994, Professor Riley-Smith has served on the faculties of history and divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. From 1997 to 1999 he was chair of the faculty of history.
He was a founder member (1980), acting secretary (1980–1982) and president (1987–1995) of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East. Other positions he has held include Knight of Grace and Devotion, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Officer of Merit, Order Pro Merito Melitens, and Knight of Justice, Most Venerable Order of St John.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 19, 2012
When I started this book, I had just read two others which went chronologically through the Crusades in an overview manner, giving some details of battles, etc. So I was not necessarily looking forward to reading another book that did exactly the same on an overview level without going into any more detail on specific things I was interested in, but I really wanted to see some pictures and get an idea about the Crusades with some visual aids, so I started reading it anyway.
I was pleasantly surprised that this book took a different approach and talked about various cultural/social/political ideas and movements on the peripheries of the battles which greatly helps inform them and gives them a context. This book to me is less about the Crusades as it is about how the Crusades affected the people involved in it and the people back home, and about the culture the Crusades grew out of. An excellent book (if a bit jumpy in style, which is unavoidable when you have several authors writing different sections).
I was pleasantly surprised that this book took a different approach and talked about various cultural/social/political ideas and movements on the peripheries of the battles which greatly helps inform them and gives them a context. This book to me is less about the Crusades as it is about how the Crusades affected the people involved in it and the people back home, and about the culture the Crusades grew out of. An excellent book (if a bit jumpy in style, which is unavoidable when you have several authors writing different sections).
August 30, 2013
a wonderful overview of what the crusades were and meant, and not just the 1st but also the crusading movement up to modern times.
December 9, 2022
مجموعة بحوث قيمة متنوعة مفيدة لمجموعة من المؤلفين، في تاريخ الحروب الصليبية: من حيث أصولها ومنطلقاتها، ومصادر تمويلها، ودعاتها، وآثارها في الفكر والفن والعمارة
وواقع المسلمين آنذاك وتفاعلهم معها
ثم ما أفرزته تلك الحقبة الطويلة من إمارات صليبية في الشرق، ومن منظمات عسكرية دينية ظلت تعمل عدة قرون
وحال تلك المنظمات وتطورها مع تطور التاريخ الغربي حتى نهاية القرن الثامن عشر
ثم لمحة عن ترسبات تلك الحروب في الذهنية الغربية واستدعاءاتها الجديدة في العصر الحديث
والكتاب قيم وممتع وغني بالصور واللوحات التوضيحية
September 14, 2021
An overview of the Crusades covers a good deal more than the two centuries when Frankish and other forces from medieval Europe gained (and lost) a foothold in Palestine and the Levant. Crusades were carried out against Muslim Spain, against the Byzantine Empire (the infamous Fourth Crusade of 1204, promoted by the Venetian Empire, and against the peoples of Russia, Livonia Poland, etc.) It is not a chapter of history that reflects well on Christian civilization, of course, but the scholarship here opened my eyes to a great deal of background that I took little note of before.
A good example of this is the detailed chapters on the development of the "military orders" the Crusades inspired (Templers, Knight Hospitallers, Teutonic Order, et al). The one thing I wished the book had is a chapter with a basic chronology of how the Crusades developed from Pope Urban's first campaign for the attack on Jerusalem and environs in 1096.
This is a good read for anyone who knows the outline of this important part of the Christian-Muslim "clash of civilizations" and wants to get a stronger background. You may well be surprised on what has constituted a Papal-sanctioned Crusade.
A good example of this is the detailed chapters on the development of the "military orders" the Crusades inspired (Templers, Knight Hospitallers, Teutonic Order, et al). The one thing I wished the book had is a chapter with a basic chronology of how the Crusades developed from Pope Urban's first campaign for the attack on Jerusalem and environs in 1096.
This is a good read for anyone who knows the outline of this important part of the Christian-Muslim "clash of civilizations" and wants to get a stronger background. You may well be surprised on what has constituted a Papal-sanctioned Crusade.
April 7, 2020
While the book is comprehensive in a wide variety of aspects surrounding the Crusades, it disappointed me in that it actually didn't discuss in any detail the actual battles that occurred. Instead, it provides a wealth of information regarding the Crusades' orgins, artwork, organization, politics, military orders and more. Sadly -- and inexplicably -- the actual battles are rarely even mentioned, let along discussed in detail.
So, while I learned quite a bit, I was left wanting in terms of the actual battles and outcomes. Sad.
So, while I learned quite a bit, I was left wanting in terms of the actual battles and outcomes. Sad.
April 20, 2023
An academic history book from Oxford University Press, very informative, but kind of dense and hard to read. (But then again, maybe I am just a bad reader.). It was hard to follow, but that is probably due to it covering such a broad expanse of time and geography. Lots of details, and it turns out that the Crusades were mostly due to internal politics of the Catholic Church and the various kingdoms. Not much on the battles really. A crazy period of history. This book is only for those who are really interested in this topic.
October 2, 2024
Good book on the culture of the crusades. It talks of the knights and soldiers and their importance on the battlefield-this book does not go into the battles, but tries to show the politics behind the wars. It covers the military orders from inception to modern times. Shows how the Popes were able to use the crusade system against a lot of people beyond the Muslims (Protestants, any heretic).
It is a little choppy because it is written by a lot of different authors. Good read, dense, lots of information.
It is a little choppy because it is written by a lot of different authors. Good read, dense, lots of information.
December 23, 2023
This History provides a collection of articles written by various crusade Historians about different eras and topics of crusading. I enjoyed some authors and articles more than others as most readers probably do. This is a valuable resource for those seeking an introduction to the history and defining topics of the crusades. It's also a good starting point as the reader can follow up on topics and authors of interest.
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May 24, 2012"[The Church] had inherited from Roman Law, the Old and the New Testament, and the Early Christian Fathers, pre-eminently St. Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430) various terms of reference by which to analyze instances of violence and pronounce upon their quality." p. 16
"It is important to note a distinction between the senior clerical policy-makers who would one day devise theFirst Crusade and the lay people who would volunteer to go on it. The perspective of a Mediterranean wide struggle was visible only to those institutions, in particular the papacy, which had the intelligence networks, grasp of geography, and sense of long historical tradition to take a broad overview of Christendom and its threatened predicament, real or supposed." p. 16
"It was supposed that Muslims were idolatrous polytheists, and fabulous stories circulated about the life of the Prophet Muhammad. But such ideas fell far short of amounting to a coherent set of prejudices which could motivate people to uproot themselves from their homes and families in the dangerous and costly pursuit of enemies in distant places." 18
"This cast of mind was particularly evident at the thousands of saints' shrines which were dotted across western Christendom: there Christianity made anthropomorphic and accessible, could be seen, smelt, heard, and touched. Saints were a central element in eleventh-century devotion and performed many useful functions. They enabled the Church to walk the tightrope of holding out the possibility of salvation to the sinful populace while asserting Heavens' rigorous entry requirements." p. 26-27
"The Crusades message cut the Gordian Knot." p. 33
"It is important to note a distinction between the senior clerical policy-makers who would one day devise theFirst Crusade and the lay people who would volunteer to go on it. The perspective of a Mediterranean wide struggle was visible only to those institutions, in particular the papacy, which had the intelligence networks, grasp of geography, and sense of long historical tradition to take a broad overview of Christendom and its threatened predicament, real or supposed." p. 16
"It was supposed that Muslims were idolatrous polytheists, and fabulous stories circulated about the life of the Prophet Muhammad. But such ideas fell far short of amounting to a coherent set of prejudices which could motivate people to uproot themselves from their homes and families in the dangerous and costly pursuit of enemies in distant places." 18
"This cast of mind was particularly evident at the thousands of saints' shrines which were dotted across western Christendom: there Christianity made anthropomorphic and accessible, could be seen, smelt, heard, and touched. Saints were a central element in eleventh-century devotion and performed many useful functions. They enabled the Church to walk the tightrope of holding out the possibility of salvation to the sinful populace while asserting Heavens' rigorous entry requirements." p. 26-27
"The Crusades message cut the Gordian Knot." p. 33
Currently reading
June 15, 2012A very promising collection of scholarly essays on the subject.
*Review in progress*
First essay by Jonathan Riley-Smith, "The Crusading Movement and Historians," centers on the evolution of crusade historiography. Brief, but good, giving an outline of major points of transition, from traditionalists (those who are strict about which events could be considered 'crusades') and pluralists (more inclusive in same) division, to the issue of ideology. Riley-Smith touches on the misconception of the crusades having been conducted for profit. He charges those who claim that with unwillingness to study the difficult area of ideology, and with ignoring evidence, especially that of how arduous and ruinously expensive the crusades were to the crusaders. Both are good points. There is a chapter on crusaders' state of mind by R-S further in the book, and I expect it to be a good follow-up to this essay.
...
*Review in progress*
First essay by Jonathan Riley-Smith, "The Crusading Movement and Historians," centers on the evolution of crusade historiography. Brief, but good, giving an outline of major points of transition, from traditionalists (those who are strict about which events could be considered 'crusades') and pluralists (more inclusive in same) division, to the issue of ideology. Riley-Smith touches on the misconception of the crusades having been conducted for profit. He charges those who claim that with unwillingness to study the difficult area of ideology, and with ignoring evidence, especially that of how arduous and ruinously expensive the crusades were to the crusaders. Both are good points. There is a chapter on crusaders' state of mind by R-S further in the book, and I expect it to be a good follow-up to this essay.
...
December 2, 2009
terlalu fully western european perspective, sampe2 pembantaian di Yerusalem n beberapa kota lainnya dipandang sisi positifnya aja dengan kedalaman bahasan yang agak dangkal. Maaf, ini opini pribadi
Mu dikasih bintang 1, tp, wew... baca sendiri lah, informatif lah pokoknya
Mu dikasih bintang 1, tp, wew... baca sendiri lah, informatif lah pokoknya
July 24, 2011
Interesting and illuminating. This has ignited my interest in learning more about the Teutonic order in particular, and generally about central European history in general, as I feel like it's an area I'm not really that familiar with.
February 7, 2008
Nice... Used this one as a secondary and tertiary source. Again, states what has already been written. Not much new, but an easier read than some others.
October 19, 2012
This is a very technical book, even with the few illustrations. I love it, I do have to stop and reread portions of what I just read because of the many dates involved!
March 11, 2011
A robust, valuable resource for my crusades research. Will keep this one close at hand.
July 6, 2012
The Oxford illustrated histories are very well made and interesting (if a bit dry). Shows a more balanced history of the period, touching more on the daily affairs and less on the wars.
January 11, 2015
Handig standaardwerk over de kruistochten
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews