CONTENTS

1. Acknowledgements - pag. vii
2. List of Illustrations - pag. ix
3. Maps - pag. xi
4. Chronology of Jihad and Crusade - pag. xv

1. Introduction: What;s in a Name ? - pag. 1
2. Beginnings 632 - 1095 - pag. 9
3. The First Crusade 1095 - 1099 - pag. 25
4. Life and Politics in a Multicultural World - pag. 51
5. The Second Crisade: Disaster on the Road to Damascus - pag. 71
6. Turk and Kurd: Heroes of Islam - pag. 87
7. Women and an Alternative FEudalism - pag. 107
8. Loss of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade 1187 - 1192 - pag. 121
9. The Fourth Crusade: The Latin Conquest of Constantinople and the Scandal od Christemdom - pag. 143
10. Heathen, Heretics and Children - pag. 159
11. Triumphs of an Excommunicated Emperor - pag. 177
12. The Failures of a Saint - pag. 195
13. Acre and After - pag. 209
14. Chivalry Decline of a Flawed Ideal - pag. 225
15. The Lingering Decline of a Flawed Ideal - pag. 237
16. Epilogue: The Aftermath - pag. 255

Appendix I: The Popes, from Gregory VII to Sixtus V - pag. 261
Appendix II: Rulerl of The Kingdom of Jerusalem - pag. 267
Appendix III: Ayyubid Dynasty - Rulers of Egypt - pag. 270
Appendix IV: Byzantine Emperors at the Time od the Firts Crusades - pag. 272
Appendix V: Ottoman Prices and Sultanes 1300 - 1566 - pag. 274
Appendix VI: Western Emperors 1056 - 1555 - pag. 276

Notes - pag. 281
Select Bibliography - pag. 288
Index - pag. 292

Pros: excellent overview, covers all the crusades, good supplementary material

Cons: superficial coverage can leave gaps in knowledge

This is a short but comprehensive record of the crusades, from what led up to the calling of the first crusade, to how modern nations have looked back on them. In addition to dealing with each crusade and what happened between them, the book also has an excellent chronology, a few maps, and appendices of the various popes and secular rulers of some of the principle nations involved. There are 14 chapters, with an additional introduction explaining what the crusades were and an epilogue. While there are scant details of each crusade, the author is careful to note the various horrors each side perpetuated and how each side was impacted by the crusades (so you get some idea of how Jews, heretics, Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Catholic Christians, etc. reacted. The one group that got very little input were the Eastern European pagans, who are mentioned in later chapters but there isn’t much information about how they reacted to the crusades beyond what battles they were involved in).

There isn’t much detail for each crusade, the length of the book necessarily forcing the author to cover each one briefly, but the author does an excellent job of covering the basics and more. In some cases it’s easy to skip over some of the more horrible aspects, as they could get a single line - like the fact that some crusaders resorted to cannibalism to survive the first crusade. Having said that, I was impressed by how much information was crammed in. The book provides an excellent overview of the crusades as a whole after which you can easily pick up a book on a specific crusade/period to get more in depth information, knowing the broad strokes of the movement.

If you’re interested in the crusades and want a book that covers it all, this is a good one. ( )

In this book, Geoffrey Hindley provides an overview of four crusades, covering the period from 635 to 1588. I thought the writing of the actual crusades themselves was a bit dry -- lots of names and less of a narrative arc than I would like. However, the book is more than redeemed by the other aspects presented by the author. He talks about multiculturalism during the crusade period, the role of women, religious reformers/heretics, children, and the lingering effects of the crusades and that mentality. Those parts were very interesting and put this period of history in a broader context that helps the reader to understand its implications for us today. ( )

Obra interesante. Se queda corta lógicamente en cuanto a profundidad debido a la tremenda extensión de tiempo y espacio cubierta, nada menos que cinco siglos europeos y mediterráneos. Pero de todas formas representa una base excelente para ser completada con bibliografía de la que hay en abundancia; el autor ofrece una buena lista. Está muy bien contada y expuesta de forma ordenada. Recomendable para hacerse una idea general de las Cruzadas, de cómo fueron promovidas, de los sempiternos intereses económico-religiosos y de las intrincadas relaciones dinásticas de la nobleza. ( )

I knew nothing about this period before reading this book. It s an excellent introductory text (and interesting I suspect for those with some starting knowledge as well).

It gives a view of the historical course of the crusades, and of the crusading kingdoms, and tells the story from both sides.

It also gives a good description of life and social mores over the period, and is in no way just an account of kings and battles.

An informative and enjoyable read - but don't imagine this period is a precursor to current (nonsense) talk of a clash of civilisations. Medieval Christian Europe is an extremely alien culture, possibly more so than the medieval Arab world. ( )