Crusades in 100 Objects: The Great Campaigns of the Medieval World

The Catholic church sanctioned military campaigns against its enemies for half a millennium, resulting in the first of nine military campaigns. These campaigns led to the re-conquest of Spain from the Muslim Moors, the advance of the Ottomans into the Balkans, and the Christianization of northern and north-eastern Europe. A collection of artefacts and structures, illustrated and written by James Waterson, tells the story of these conflicts and their impact on the Western World.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 16 November 2021
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

For over five centuries, spanning nearly the entire medieval era, the Catholic Church sanctioned military campaigns against what it perceived as its adversaries. The emergence of Islam and its expansive territorial conquests across vast regions of the Middle East, Asia, North Africa, and even the fringes of Europe, witnessed Muslim warriors seize the Holy Land, occupy Jerusalem, and pose a threat to Constantinople. In response, Pope Urban II called for a crusade to reclaim the Holy Land, marking the first of nine military expeditions that would span over two centuries. Subsequently, lesser-known crusades were organized to Christianize the more remote territories of northern and northeastern Europe, as well as to combat the Cathars in southern France. The expansion of the Ottomans into the Balkans led to additional crusades aimed at halting the Muslims in Bosnia and Serbia and the reconquest of Spain from the Muslim Moors. These diverse battlegrounds have left behind a remarkable array of relics, scattered across numerous countries. These artifacts and structures, ranging from majestic castles, ornate swords, powerful artillery, and intricately designed coats of arms, to Crusader-struck coins and even the brass pen box used by Muslim writers to propagate the teachings of Islam, serve as a testament to the conflicts that profoundly shaped the nature of the Western world as we know it today, encompassing both spiritual and geographical dimensions. Beautifully illustrated and authored by renowned period expert James Waterson, "The Crusades in 100 Objects" offers a unique perspective on the past, unveiling a historical narrative that has largely been overlooked.

Weight: 838g
Dimension: 180 x 254 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781526795304