The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades

The authors describe the elaborate social and civic systems that arose to support the Crusades—taxation, for example, was formalized by the Church and monarchs to raise enormous funds needed to wage war on this scale. And here are vivid descriptions of the battles themselves, frightening, disorienting, and dangerous affairs, with keen and insightful commentary on the reactions of the Muslims to a Christian holy war. Extensively illustrated with hundreds of photographs, paintings, drawings, maps, chronologies, and a guide to further reading, The Oxford Illustrated History of theCrusadeseven includes coverage of crusades outside the eastern Mediterranean region and post-medieval crusades.

From descriptions of the battles and homefront conditions, to a thorough evaluation of the clash (and coalescence) of cultures, to the legacy of the crusading movement that continues into our conflict-torn twentieth-century, to the enduring artistic and social changes that the Crusades wrought, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusadesoffers an informative, engaging, and unsurpassed panorama of one of the great movements in western history.