The Crusades - Idea and Reality 1095-1274 - Documents of Medieval History 4

Edward Arnold Publishers, 1981

The crusading movement has a long history, Its longevity reflects well the endurance of the crusading ideal, which achieved its classic formulation in 1095-1274, the period covered by this collection of documents. Crusading was a genuinely popular devotional activity, an expression of lay piety, and there is an emphasis in this collection on the theological and devotional aspects of the movement, which the editors maintain were of great importance to many crusaders. Some of the documents are familiar, others little known. Together they form the largest collection on crusading in translation; indeed, two-thirds have never before been translated into any modern language. In presenting them, the editors have used an analytical rather than chronological approach, incluyding material illustrating crusades in Spain, along the Baltic shore, and within western Europe, as well as those to the East...