Theatres of War: Crusade, Colonialism and Chivalry in the Middle Ages
Lecture by Nicholas Paul
Given online by Gresham College on June 3, 2021
Excerpt: Nearly five centuries of conflict in the eastern Mediterranean, arguably the most central theatre of crusading warfare, produced no lasting territorial conquests and resulted in countless deaths and enormous expenditure. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that one of the defining questions that has been asked for centuries about the crusades is expressed as a question of value: what was it worth? What attracted so many individuals, communities, and institutions, over such a sustained period of time, to involve themselves in these costly, dangerous, and frustrating endeavours?
Theatres of War: Crusade, Colonialism and Chivalry in the Middle Ages
Lecture by Nicholas Paul
Given online by Gresham College on June 3, 2021
Excerpt: Nearly five centuries of conflict in the eastern Mediterranean, arguably the most central theatre of crusading warfare, produced no lasting territorial conquests and resulted in countless deaths and enormous expenditure. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that one of the defining questions that has been asked for centuries about the crusades is expressed as a question of value: what was it worth? What attracted so many individuals, communities, and institutions, over such a sustained period of time, to involve themselves in these costly, dangerous, and frustrating endeavours?
Nicholas Paul is Associate Professor of History at Fordham University. He is the author of To Follow in Their Footsteps: The Crusades and Family Memory in the High Middle Ages. You can see his research on Academia.edu or follow Nicholas on Twitter @ProfNickPaul
You can get the slides and transcript of this lecture from the Gresham College website.
Top Image: Bibliothéque nationale de France MS Fr. 844, fol. 5r
Related Posts
Subscribe to Medievalverse