Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0192854283, Paperback)
In
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades, the story of the Crusades is told as never before in an engrossing, authoritative, and comprehensive history that ranges from the preaching of the First Crusade in 1095 to the legacy of the 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 authors describe the elaborate social and civic systems that arose to support the Crusades--taxation, for example, was formalized by the Church and monarchs to raise enormous funds needed to wage war on this scale. And here are vivid descriptions of the battles themselves, frightening, disorienting, and dangerous affairs, with keen and insightful commentary on the reactions of the Muslims to a Christian holy war. Extensively illustrated with hundreds of photographs, paintings, drawings, maps, chronologies, and a guide to further reading,
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades even includes coverage of crusades outside the eastern Mediterranean region and post-medieval crusades.
From descriptions of the battles and homefront conditions, to a thorough evaluation of the clash (and coalescence) of cultures, to the legacy of the crusading movement that continues into our conflict-torn twentieth-century, to the enduring artistic and social changes that the Crusades wrought,
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades offers an informative, engaging, and unsurpassed panorama of one of the great movements in western history.
(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:27:52 -0500)
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Wikipedia in English (3)
When Pope Urban II made his famous speech in 1095 launching the First Crusade, he set in motion a movement that would involve every country in Europe, touch almost every aspect of life, the economy, and society, and have an enduring influence on the history of the Islamic world and the Baltic region. It is a story of popes and peasants, holy wars and barbarian invasions, sieges and slaughters, warriors whose names - Saladin, Richard the Lionheart - have entered the realm of legend.
This richly illustrated book presents a readable, authoritative, and comprehensive history of the Crusades, from the preaching of the First Crusade in 1095 to the legacy of crusading ideals and imagery today. Written by a team of leading Crusade scholars, it covers crusading in many different theatres of war. The ideas of apologists, propagandists and poets, and the perceptions and motives of the crusaders themselves are described, as are the reactions of the Muslims to Christian holy war. The
book highlights the remarkable art and architecture associated with the Crusades, and offers fascinating insights into the history of knightly orders, such as the Knights Templar and the Knights of St John.
Including detailed reference material - maps, chronology, a guide to further reading, and a full index - this volume will be welcomed by anyone interested in the ideals and history of the Crusades.
Contributors: Jonathan Riley-Smith; Marcus Bull; Simon Lloyd; Michael Routledge; Jonathan Phillips; Jaroslav Folda; Denys Pringle; Alan Forey; Robert Irwin; Norman Housley; Peter Edbury; Anthony Luttrell; Elizabeth Siberry.