Crusading was one of the most important features of medieval society. From 1095 until the end of the Middle Ages, military expeditions were launched to recover the Holy Land from the Turks. Those who took the cross did so in the expectation of eternal rewards - but also in the hope that they might win glory and perhaps wealth in this world. How did the crusades come about? This book explores how the idea of holy war emerged from the troubled Church of the 11th century, and why Jerusalem and the Holy Land were so important to Europeans. It follows the progress of the major crusading expeditions down to 1336, offers insights into their continuing failure, and charts the development of new attitudes toward Islam and the Muslims. The Crusades brought about the first European settlement in the Near East. In this book the hybrid society created by the Crusades in the East - its art and architecture, legal systems, economy and political institutions - are brought to life. Crusading and the Crusader States uses the most recent research to provide a broad-ranging account of a topic of vital importance for the study of the past and the understanding of the present.Andrew Jotischky is Senior Lecturer, Lancaster University.
His previous publications include 'The Carmelites and Antiquity: Mendicants and their Pasts in the Middle Ages' (2002).