The Crusader States and their Neighbours: A Military History, 1099-1187

by Nicholas Morton

The Crusader States and their Neighbours explores the military history of the Medieval Near East, piecing together the fault-lines of conflict which entangled this much-contested region. This was an area where ethnic, religious, dynastic, and commercial interests collided and the causes of war could be numerous. Conflicts persisted for decades and were fought out between many groups including Kurds, Turks, Armenians, Arabs, and the crusaders themselves. Nicholas Morton recreates this world, exploring how each faction sought to advance its own interests by any means possible, adapting its warcraft to better respond to the threats posed by their rivals. Strategies and tactics employed by the pastoral societies of the Central Asian Steppe were pitted against the armies of the agricultural societies of Western Christendom, Byzantium, and the Islamic World, galvanising commanders to adapt their practices in response to their foes. Today, we are generally encouraged to think of this era as a time of religious conflict, and yet this vastly over-simplifies a complex region where violence could take place for many reasons and peoples of different faiths could easily find themselves fighting side-by-side.

Genres: History, Medieval

308 pages, Hardcover

Published June 24, 2020

Reviews

[Gabriel Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant

It is rare to find a book, on a topic where you already consider yourself knowledgeable, which adds so much to your knowledge and challenges what you think you have. This, however, is one such book. To mention just two points that the author discusses and which give food for thought, why did the Second Crusade fail; and the discussion about the size of the Crusader armies, which shows that the Eastern Franks regularly mobilised armies larger than anyone in Western Europe was able to do.

Read this!