The Crusades, Ess1

Get The Crusades, Ess1

The Crusades
(Essential Stories 1)

Author: David Nicolle

Paperback; January 2001; 96 pages

About this book:
Born amid immense suffering and bloodshed, the Kingdom of Jerusalem remained a battleground for almost 200 years. The Crusades gave rise to the military orders of the Templars and Hospitallers and were the backdrop for the careers of some of history's most famous leaders, including Richard "the Lionheart" and Saladin. At times, the Crusaders' savagery left their opponents reeling, creating friction that survived for more than 700 years. At the same time, as this book so richly illustrates, art, architecture, and learning benefited from the new knowledge the Crusaders brought with them from the East.

David Nicole:
Born in 1944, David Nicolle worked for the BBC's Arabic Service for several years before earning an MA from the London School of Oriental and African Studies and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. He has written numerous books and articles on medieval and Islamic warfare and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years.

Content:
# Introduction
# Chronology
# Background to the War: Christianity and Islam in the 11th Century
# Warring parties: Byzantines, Turks, Crusaders, and Saracens
# Outbreak: The First Crusade
# The fighting: crusade and jihad
# Portrait of a Soldier: Brothers in Arms - Two Crusaders - Two Fursan
# The world around the war: the impact of the Crusades in the Mediterranean and beyond
# Portrait of a Civilian: A Saint, a Lady, a Rabbi and a Scholar
# How the War Ended: The Rise of the Mamluks and the Fall of the Crusader State
# Conclusion and consequences: the failure of an idea and the revival of Islamic expansion