Historical Atlas of the Crusades
In November 1095, Pope Urban II called on the Christian rulers and knights of Europe to drive the Muslims from the Holy Land and claim Jerusalem back for Christendom. Any Crusader who died in the attempt would be rewarded in Heaven. The response was overwhelming and launched a religious conflict that would last for over three centuries. The Crusades marked a turning point in European history, where the ‘primitive’ Frankish states of Western Europe first encountered the ‘civilized’ cultures of...
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This book chronicles the Crusading era, examines its cause, its development, and the people who fought for their faith and for themselves. School Library Journal Adult/High School-Between the years 1095 and 1291, much of the attention of the rulers of Western Europe was focused on what they believed was their moral and religious duty-to bring the land that was the birthplace of Christianity back under Christian rule. To do this, they launched military campaigns that established a Christian stronghold in Palestine for 200 years. During that time, the European armies and their Muslim foes were locked in brutal combat. Mercy was seldom asked for and rarely given. Although this volume is primarily an atlas, Konstam uses many contemporary Western and Arab sources to provide a concise history of the six different crusades. For each one, he provides political and economic background to the events that led up to its execution, its objectives, a description of the personages involved, the military forces of the opponents, the campaigns and battles, and the final outcome. The book is lavishly illustrated with color illustrations on every page and more than 40 maps, many of which cover two pages. All of them are well drawn, easy to read, appropriately placed with the text, and detailed enough to provide relevant information, but not so busy that readers get bogged down in minutiae. This atlas is perfect for world-history courses.-Robert Burnham, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Introduction - The Emotive Legacy6Ch. 1Jerusalem the Holy: Background to the Crusades10Ch. 2All the Powers in Christendom: The Crusaders' World26Ch. 3God Wills It: The First Crusade48Ch. 4Outremer: Holy Kingdom80Ch. 5Jihad: The Islamic Response92Ch. 6Richard and Saladin: The Third Crusade110Ch. 7The Sword and the Scimitar: Crusading Warfare130Ch. 8The Fourth Crusade152Ch. 9The Last Crusaders166The Crusading Aftermath184Crusades Chronology186Glossary and Genealogy Tables188Index191
\ School Library JournalAdult/High School-Between the years 1095 and 1291, much of the attention of the rulers of Western Europe was focused on what they believed was their moral and religious duty-to bring the land that was the birthplace of Christianity back under Christian rule. To do this, they launched military campaigns that established a Christian stronghold in Palestine for 200 years. During that time, the European armies and their Muslim foes were locked in brutal combat. Mercy was seldom asked for and rarely given. Although this volume is primarily an atlas, Konstam uses many contemporary Western and Arab sources to provide a concise history of the six different crusades. For each one, he provides political and economic background to the events that led up to its execution, its objectives, a description of the personages involved, the military forces of the opponents, the campaigns and battles, and the final outcome. The book is lavishly illustrated with color illustrations on every page and more than 40 maps, many of which cover two pages. All of them are well drawn, easy to read, appropriately placed with the text, and detailed enough to provide relevant information, but not so busy that readers get bogged down in minutiae. This atlas is perfect for world-history courses.-Robert Burnham, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA\ \ \ \ \ BooknewsKonstam (an independent scholar who has written several medieval atlases) relates with great competence the complex history of the crusades. Focusing strictly on the crusades to the Holy Land, this well-illustrated atlas is divided into digestible chapters that chronicle figures, events, themes, architecture, and places. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
