The Crusades: A History From Beginning to End

Historians have spent centuries debating the Crusades, and public talk about them often turns into a verdict on the West. This book sets out to look at what actually happened. It follows the series of campaigns launched from the late eleventh century, when Byzantine emperors asked for help and Pope Urban II called Christians to take up arms. It covers the conquest of Jerusalem, the kingdoms the crusaders built in the Levant, the struggles against Saladin and other Muslim leaders, and the later expeditions that failed or drifted far from their original aims. The final chapters look at how the movement faded and what legacy it left for later relations between Europe and the Islamic world.