The Crusades

During the Middle Ages, western Christians set out on many military expeditions to free the Holy Land from Muslim control.

The most significant of these crusades took place between 1095 and 1270.

However, the crusading ideal and the clash between Christianity and Islam, continued long afterwards.

Even today, the legacy of these bitter religious wars is still felt.

This book considers the main causes and events of the crusades, as well as their aftermath.

It examines life in the Middle East. It looks too, at the crusaders themselves, from lowly peasants to knights and kings.

Finally, it briefly explores the medieval wars fought by Roman Catholic Christians against non-Muslim enemies such as the Cathars.

This book is one of a series which takes a fresh look at history by using original documents as sthe starting point for studying major events or periods in the past.

Christine Hatt draws on a wide range of sources, from diaries and letters to speeches and legal documents.

Each extract is set in context and is fully annotated.

They have been set in modern type for legibility, but photographs of the original documents are also shown.