The Crusades: The Essential Readings (Blackwell Essential Readings in History) [Paperback]

Thomas F. Madden (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631230238 | ISBN-13: 978-0631230236 | Publication Date: July 29, 2002 | Edition: 1

The twelve readings in this volume represent some of the best recent scholarship on the Crusades.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Madden's new book seeks to bridge the gap between popular caricatures of the crusades and the more balanced picture of the movement that historians have been producing for more than a generation. The dozen specimens of lively recent scholarship on the crusades that Madden has assembled here are shrewdly calculated to provoke students into rethinking what they thought they knew about the crusading movement.” James A. Brundage, University of Kansas

From the Back Cover

The twelve complete articles in this volume represent some of the best recent scholarship on the crusades. The collection introduces students to fundamental concepts of crusading, including the nature of the movement, the motivation of the participants, and the impact on the East. The focus is not on individual crusades but on the political, economic, spiritual, and demographic factors behind these medieval holy wars and on their consequences.

A strong editorial structure guides students through the competing perspectives that have dominated scholarly discussion. An opening introduction summarizes relevant historical events and provides an overview of the historiography. Each article is then contextualized by the editor with a discussion of its significance to scholarship.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (July 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631230238
• ISBN-13: 978-0631230236
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas F. Madden is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. He appears frequently in such venues as The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The History Channel.

Awards for his scholarship include the 2005 Otto Grundler Prize, awarded by the Medieval Institute, and the 2007 Charles Homer Haskins Medal, awarded by the Medieval Academy of America.

He is currently writing a new history of Venice to be published by Viking.