The Crusades were among the most astonishing historical events that took place during the Middle Ages. After centuries of relative isolation following the fall of the Roman Empire, Western Europe looked again towards the Middle East in search of lands to conquer. Incited by the Church to believe that the Holy Land must be ‘liberated’ from its Muslim rulers (who had by then occupied it for centuries), and that to do so would bring spiritual salvation, many thousands from all over Christian Europe ‘took the cross’ and joined the Crusades. Led by some of the most illustrious personalities of the age, such as Richard the Lionheart and Frederick Barbarossa, they fought numerous campaigns and even founded new ‘Crusader states’, some of which lasted for almost two centuries. Gabriele Esposito gives an overview of the key events of these campaigns, from the First Crusade in 1096 to the fall of Acre, the last Christian stronghold in the Holy Land, in 1291. He analyzes the various contingents that made up the Crusader forces, describing their equipment and tactics and showing how they attempted to adapt to unfamiliar terrain and enemies. Included, of course, are the military orders (the Templar, Hospitaller and Teutonic knights) who combined the religious fervour of a monastic brotherhood with martial prowess, forming an elite core to the Christian forces. As usual, the informative text is lavishly illustrated with color photos depicting replica weapons and equipment in use.

Claiming that many in the West lack a thorough understanding of crusading, Jonathan Riley-Smith explains why and where the Crusades were fought, identifies their architects, and shows how deeply their language and imagery were embedded in popular Catholic thought and devotional life.

The second millennium of mankind has been characterised by almost incessant warfare somewhere on the face of the globe. The Art of War in Twenty Battles serves as a snapshot of the development of warfare over the past 1,000 years, illustrating the bravery and suffering mankind has inflicted upon itself in developing what we call the 'Art of War'. Here military historian Anthony Tucker-Jones selects twenty battles that illustrate the changing face of warfare over the past thousand years – from the Viking shield wall to long bows and knights, the emergence of gunpowder and finally the long-range faceless warfare of today. This is a look at the killing game and its devastating impact.

Osprey's study of the battle at Acre, one of the last campaigns of the Crusages (1095-1291). In April 1291, a Mamluk army laid siege to Acre, the last great Crusader fortress in the Holy Land. For six weeks, the siege dragged on until the Mamluks took the outer wall, which had been breached in several places. The Military Orders drove back the Mamluks temporarily, but three days later the inner wall was breached. King Henry escaped, but the bulk of the defenders and most of the citizens perished in the fighting or were sold into slavery. The surviving knights fell back to their fortress, resisting for ten days, until the Mamluks broke through. This book depicts the dramatic collapse of this great fortress, whose demise marked the end of the Crusades in the Holy Land.

Re-fight some of the bloodiest battles of the ancient and medieval worlds! Seasoned wargamer and author Neil Thomas brings historical perspective to the hobby with a description and interpretation of significant military developments from 3,000BC to AD1500. Wargaming is the simulation of accurate historical battles using miniature figures to fight over three dimensional terrain, their movement and combat being regulated by clearly defined rules. Neil Thomas' new book provides specific coverage of ancient and medieval wargaming, thanks to its division into biblical, classical, Dark Age and medieval sections. Each section has its own set of rules and much expanded army lists. The wargamer gains additional perspective from data panels containing facts about weaponry, personalities and chroniclers, and quotations from original document sources. Useful suggestions for further reading are also included, while battle reports in each section provide tactical insights for both novice and veteran wargamers.

Armies of the Dark Ages spans the period from 600 AD to 1066 and describes Byzantine, Sub-Roman, Pictish, Irish, Visigothic, Lombard, Merovingian, Carolingian, Ottonian, Viking, Russian, Slav, Avar, Khazar, Magyar, Bulgar, Pecheneg, Ghuzz, Alan, Armenian, Sassanid, Arab, Andalusian, Near Eastern, Saxon, Norman, Italian and Spanish armies. It examines tactics and strategy, organisation and formations as well as providing a detailed guide to the dress and equipment of the armies of the period. Comprehensive illustrations complement the text and the result is a wealth of information for anyone interested in the warfare of the time. Long out of print, the book has been a source of inspiration to wargamers and academic historians alike. It is reprinted here in its complete 1980 second edition with an updated bibliography.

Proceedings of a conference on a theme, the 34 essays by specialists from 15 countries prevent various facets of the struggles waged for the possession of the Holy Land between the 10th and 13th centuries, and of the activities of the military orders elsewhere in Europe.

The first edition of this book was published in 1978 and proved a valuable addition to our collection of Army books. Sadly it has been out-of-print for many years. Now WRG is happy to produce this revised second edition and make it available to wargamers once again. As usual it contains information on the organisation of the various armies, descriptions of the major battles of the period and information on the dress and equipment of the armies illustrated by the usual line drawings. It contains information about the Franks, Hospitallers, Templars, Armenians, Syrians, Seljuks, Fatamids, Ayyubids, Mamluks, Assassins, Byzantines, Georgians, Mongols and Ilkhanids.

Long one of the foremost proponents of a maximalist view of crusading, Norman Housley here turns his attention to the more traditionally studied crusades to the Holy Land itself. This is not a narrative history, like so many before it, but a thematic look at the actual experience of crusading.

In 1213, Pope Innocent III issued his letter Vineam Domini, thundering against the enemies of Christendom—the "beasts of many kinds that are attempting to destroy the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth"—and announcing a General Council of the Latin Church as redress. The Fourth Lateran Council, which convened in 1215, was unprecedented in its scope and impact, and it called for the Fifth Crusade as what its participants hoped would be the final defense of Christendom. For the first time, a collection of extensively annotated and translated documents illustrates the transformation of the crusade movement. Crusade and Christendom explores the way in which the crusade was used to define and extend the intellectual, religious, and political boundaries of Latin Christendom. It also illustrates how the very concept of the crusade was shaped by the urge to define and reform communities of practice and belief within Latin Christendom and by Latin Christendom's relationship with other communities, including dissenting political powers and heretical groups, the Moors in Spain, the Mongols, and eastern Christians. The relationship of the crusade to reform and missionary movements is also explored, as is its impact on individual lives and devotion. The selection of documents and bibliography incorporates and brings to life recent developments in crusade scholarship concerning military logistics and travel in the medieval period, popular and elite participation, the role of women, liturgy and preaching, and the impact of the crusade on western society and its relationship with other cultures and religions. Intended for the undergraduate yet also invaluable for teachers and scholars, this book illustrates how the crusades became crucial for defining and promoting the very concept and boundaries of Latin Christendom. It provides translations of and commentaries on key original sources and up-to-date bibliographic materials.