Issue 40 The Crusades

Little Known Facts about the Crusades.

Try to understand the crusaders in the context of their times.

As the crusaders assaulted Jerusalem, the holy and savage joined hands.

Why followers of the Prince of Peace waged war.

The author of On Loving God, also urged Christians to fight for Christ. Here are some excerpts from a letter written in 1147.

An experienced crusade preacher defends holy war

The great preachers, planners, and fighters of the Holy Land crusades.

Chronology of major events in the crusades.

They innocently headed for the Holy Land, not knowing they would never return.

Christians thought they had liberated Jerusalem from infidels. But what did Muslims think?

Usama ibn Munqidh was emir of Shizar in the twelfth century, when Christians occupied much of the Holy Land. Here are three accounts of his experience with the clash of cultures.

The devout, combative, and scandalous women who shared in the Crusades.

Whether by land or sea, a crusade to the East was difficult and dangerous.

In the new religious orders, Christians blended poverty, chastity, and military fervor.

A historian looks at the causes and lingering effects of Christian warfare.

The last few decades have seen a resurgence of crusades studies. Here are several of the many fine works available.