The Crusades: A History

Exhaustive as it is exhausting. Short it may be but long on details. More of a reference book than a narrative, trying to read it straight through is confusing but never dull. Chapters are more like articles than chronologies.

Covers all crusades, not just the holy land crusades that most books focus on or readers think of as “The Crusades.” Ever heard of the crusade against the Wents? You understand what I mean then.

No footnotes and the unnecessary constant reference to “more on this below” loses a star combined. Otherwise, everything you need to know is concisely here.

“The aim of Christianity is not to fill the earth, but to fill heaven. Why should one worry if the number of Christians is lessened in the world by deaths show more endured for God? By this kind of death people make their way to heaven who perhaps would never reach it by another road.” - Humbert of Romans show less

I’m not 100% sure about this book. I enjoyed it, but coming off of Dan Jones’ two books about the topic - [b:The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors|34312336|The Templars The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors|Dan Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487152697l/34312336._SY75_.jpg|55368486] and [b:Crusaders: The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands|43899574|Crusaders The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands|Dan Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550227193l/43899574._SY75_.jpg|68307257] - made a lot of this information felt reiterated. I hate comparing one book to other books about the topic, but show more Dan Jones’ books are more recent and take a unique outlook on the topic. I really do enjoy the topic, but this book didn’t vibe with me. I feel this way mainly because Riley-Smith didn’t seem to focus on one thing, yet the Crusades are too big a topic to compile in a 300-ish page book. show less

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 show more الذهنية الغربية واستدعاءاتها الجديدة في العصر الحديث
والكتاب قيم وممتع وغني بالصور واللوحات التوضيحية
show less

This is a survey history of the European crusading movement in the middle ages. Riley-Smith goes a step beyond a history of the 1st-4th crusades, and instead creates a more complex picture of this social, political and military phenomenon. Further Riley looks at crusading movements beyond those in the Eastern Mediterranean--in Spain, and Eastern Europe.

This can be tough sledding if the reader has slight knowledge of the Crusades. Some knowledge of he period is helpful. This is not an in-depth look at the Battle of Hattin or the siege of Ascalon. Rather it is a broad examination of the crusading phenomenon over hundreds of years.

A solid primer on all the crusades.

As cruzadas: uma história é o retrato definitivo de um assunto fundamental na história medieval. Autoridade na matéria, Jonathan Riley-Smith explora os antecedentes das cruzadas, seus principais agentes e as suas experiências no conflito, produzindo assim um texto acessível e ao mesmo tempo abrangente. Esta edição apresenta: Vasto material historiográfico, inclusive traduções de textos da época; Escopo ampliado, que se estende até o século XIX; Aspectos pedagógicos de grande utilidade, como bibliografia comentada, mapas, figuras e uma cronologia inédita. Esta é uma leitura imprescindível para todo e qualquer estudante ou estudioso a fim de entender as cruzadas e o seu significado no curso da história mundial.