The First Crusade : origins and impact

The First Crusade (1095-99) was one of the most remarkable episodes in medieval history.

A mass movement of armed pilgrims set out to march 4000 kilometres to the Holy Land and conquer Jerusalem. Essays from nine leading academics offer new perspectives on two main themes: a fundamental reconsideration of much of the evidence available to historians, and a wider appreciation of the impact of the First Crusade on the people of the eastern Mediterranean. In recent years the most important development in the study of the crusades has been the use of contemporary charters.

A clear explanation of problems and advantages of this information is offered in one contribution to this volume. Much existing research has been based on narrative accounts of the crusade.

Some of the material has been under-used, some of it overvalued; essays here set the record straight concerning, for example, the German involvement in the First Crusade. While most studies of the First Crusade approach the subject from latin christian perspective this collection offers a fresh assessment into the thinking of the Byzantine emperor and the reaction of the muslim world to the arrival of the christendom's holy warriors.