Scholars studying texts, works of art, and other material belonging to Christian and Muslim, eastern and western communities affected by the crusader phenomenon share findings and views. A dozen papers present perspectives of the western Latin community, various indigenous Christian communities, travel reports characterized by strong personal and even intimate observations, and crafts and arts. Distributed by The David Brown Book Company. Annotation : 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

The meeting of East and West in the Crusader States was the theme of a symposium held at Hernen Castle in 1997. It was the continuation of a similar symposium which has been published in the Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 75. Various communities (Arabs, Armenians, Ethiopians, Greeks, Syrians and Latins) and various religions (the Church of Rome, the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, the Jacobites, the Muslims and others) play their part in the various Crusader States, sometimes in the effort to ecumenism, sometimes in the form of confrontations. Coins and seals in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem betray Eastern and Western influences. Daily life is reflected in historical texts, and in exempla and miracula. The fall of Edessa is described in the Lament of Edessa by Nerses Snorhali, which is here for the first time translated into English. Even icon-painting in Egypt reflects crusader influence.

This work, the Acta of the colloquium of the same name held in Hernen (Netherlands), is a collection of essays dealing with the relations between East and West in the context of the Crusader States. In this connection "East" refers in particular to the non-Byzantine Oriental Christians, Muslims and Jews who set the tone for daily life in "Outremer" to a great extent. Attention is focused upon the relations between the various communities, the social position of the minorities, and religious and cultural, especially literary, contacts and influences.

“An enriching account of the expansion of the political and cultural frontiers of the Latin West in the central Middle Ages.”—History Today When the armies of the First Crusade wrested Jerusalem from control of the Fatimids of Egypt in 1099, they believed their victory was an evident sign of God’s favor. It was, therefore, incumbent upon them to fulfill what they understood to be God’s plan: to re-establish Christian control of Syria and Palestine. This book is devoted to the resulting settlements, the crusader states, that developed around the eastern shores of the Mediterranean and survived until Richard the Lionheart’s departure in 1192. Focusing on Jerusalem, Antioch, Tripoli, and Edessa, Malcolm Barber vividly reconstructs the crusaders’ arduous process of establishing and protecting their settlements, and the simultaneous struggle of vanquished inhabitants to adapt to life alongside their conquerors. Rich with colorful accounts of major military campaigns, the book goes much deeper, exploring in detail the culture of the crusader states—the complex indigenous inheritance, the architecture, the political, legal, and economic institutions, the ecclesiastical framework through which the crusaders perceived the world, the origins of the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers, and more. With the zest of a scholar pursuing a life-long interest, Barber presents a complete narrative and cultural history of the crusader states while setting a new standard for the term “total history.” A Choice Outstanding Academic Title in the Western Europe Category “Barber is a highly distinguished scholar, whose touch is continually deft, and he navigates the basis of the main narrative histories with care . . . a delight to read.”—Literary Review

Crusading as a subject has expanded in recent years to include new fields of enquiry. This book examines how crusading historiography includes new areas and new definitions, focusing on two fundamental issues in current writing: why people went on crusades and what forms the western settlement in the Near East took. Crusading and the Crusader States explains how the idea of holy wars came into being and why they took the form that they did - a clash between western and Islamic societies that dominated the Middle Ages.

He traces the actions of Byzantium Emperors in the twelfth century as they sought to keep control of the crusading armies within their territories and to maintain their positions with respect to the west, and shows how mutual suspicion and attempts at co-operation ended in downright emnity.

Monasticism was the dominant form of religious life both in the medieval West and in the Byzantine world. Latin and Greek Monasticism in the Crusader States explores the parallel histories of monasticism in western and Byzantine traditions in the Near East in the period c.1050-1300. Bernard Hamilton and Andrew Jotischky follow the parallel histories of new Latin foundations alongside the survival and revival of Greek Orthodox monastic life under Crusader rule. Examining the involvement of monasteries in the newly founded Crusader States, the institutional organization of monasteries, the role of monastic life in shaping expressions of piety, and the literary and cultural products of monasteries, this meticulously researched survey will facilitate a new understanding of indigenous religious institutions and culture in the Crusader states.

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.

A fully updated and comprehensive companion to Romanesque and Gothic art history This definitive reference brings together cutting-edge scholarship devoted to the Romanesque and Gothic traditions in Northern Europe and provides a clear analytical survey of what is happening in this major area of Western art history. The volume comprises original theoretical, historical, and historiographic essays written by renowned and emergent scholars who discuss the vibrancy of medieval art from both thematic and sub-disciplinary perspectives. Part of the Blackwell Companions to Art History, A Companion to Medieval Art, Second Edition features an international and ambitious range of contributions covering reception, formalism, Gregory the Great, pilgrimage art, gender, patronage, marginalized images, the concept of spolia, manuscript illumination, stained glass, Cistercian architecture, art of the crusader states, and more. Newly revised edition of a highly successful companion, including 11 new articles Comprehensive coverage ranging from vision, materiality, and the artist through to architecture, sculpture, and painting Contains full-color illustrations throughout, plus notes on the book’s many distinguished contributors A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe, Second Edition is an exciting and varied study that provides essential reading for students and teachers of Medieval art.

In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression. Stark reviews the history of the seven major Crusades from 1095 to 1291, demonstrating that the Crusades were precipitated by Islamic provocations, centuries of bloody attempts to colonize the West, and sudden attacks on Christian pilgrims and holy places. Although the Crusades were initiated by a plea from the pope, Stark argues that this had nothing to do with any elaborate design of the Christian world to convert all Muslims to Christianity by force of arms. Given current tensions in the Middle East and terrorist attacks around the world, Stark's views are a thought-provoking contribution to our understanding and are sure to spark debate.