This sweeping yet succinct new survey introduces readers to the history of the crusades from the eleventh to the twenty-first century. By synthesizing a variety of historical perspectives, the book deliberately locates crusading in the broader history of the Mediterranean, moving away from approaches focused primarily on narrating the deeds of a small section of the Latin Christian elite to explore the rich and contested complexity of crusade history.

Table of Contents

Introduction: What Were the Crusades?

1) Connections and Conflicts in the Eleventh-Century Mediterranean

2) Constructing the First Crusade: Contexts, Events, and Reactions

3) Shifting Ground: Crusading and the Twelfth-Century Mediterranean

4) Allies and Adversaries: Crusading Culture and Intra-Christian Crusades

5) Changing Circumstances: Crusading in the Thirteenth Century

6) Towards Christian Nationalism: Crusading into the Early Modern Period

7) Conclusion: Have the Crusades Ended?