Saladin and the Crusades: medieval and modern perspectives
What has been the legacy of the Crusades in Europe and across the Muslim world in modern times? Why is the evolution of the Saladin legend throughout history so remarkable?
Tower Design and the Influence of Mechanical Artillery in the Thirteenth Century
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that lighter traction trebuchets were employed on the tops of certain towers in a defensive role.
Prostrating Wall and Artillery Balls: A Re-evaluation of the 1188 siege of Sahyun / Saone
The power of medieval artillery is often taken for granted and historians tend to rely on anecdotal descriptions in the absence of quantifiable evidence. But descriptions of these engines and the damage that they inflicted can be misleading when evaluated out of context. The siege of Saone in 1188 is one such example.
The Development of Mechanical Artillery during the Crusades
The Development of Mechanical Artillery during the Crusades Paper by Michael S. Fulton Given at The Art of Siege Warfare and Military Architecture…
The Two Towers: Crusader Acre and its Defences
The Accursed Tower and Tower of the Flies were the infamous defences of the city of Acre. Strange legends surround both towers, and they would prove to be formidable challenges to besieging armies during the Crusades.
The Fourth Crusade, as told by Robert de Clari
The Fourth Crusade is best known for being the campaign that attacked the Byzantine Empire in 1204. In this episode of The Medieval Podcast, Danièle is joined by Peter Konieczny to talk about Robert de Clari, who wrote one of the accounts of this unusual crusade. What did this French knight say about how the crusaders went from wanting to attack the Holy Land to conquering Constantinople?
Call for Papers: Handbook on the Later Crusades conference
Taking place in Frankfurt, Germany from 13-14 July 2021
The Colonial Fourth Crusade, with George Demacopoulos
Was the Fourth Crusade an act of colonialism? This episode of Byzantium & Friends features an interview with George Demacopoulos, author of Colonizing Christianity: Greek and Latin Religious Identity in the Era of the Fourth Crusade.
Engaging the Crusades
What do the crusades mean today? A new book series entitled Engaging the Crusades takes a look.
Mamluks vs Crusaders
This column will focus on the wars between the Mamluks and the Crusaders / Franks in the Near East. It was a struggle that began in the thirteenth century and would last until the end of the Middle Ages.
The Challenge of State Building in the Twelfth Century: the Crusader States in Palestine and Syria
The crusader states in the twelfth century do not conform to the stereotypical constructs of historians and economists; instead they present a series of paradoxes.
New Medieval Books: The Crusades
Five new publications about the crusades.
Crusaders in the Red Sea: Renaud de Châtillon’s raids of AD 1182–83
This fresh look at Renaud’s exploit is intended to clarify some of the motives, facts and geographical details of the campaign, though much still remains obscure.
The Prussian Uprisings: A Story of Knights, Pagans, Traitors, and Miracles
Before 1242, the Teutonic Order was a rising power in the Baltic. The Knights had conquered most of Prussia, incorporated the Livonian Order, and were pressing into Russia; in a few short years they would be fighting for their very survival.
Evolution of the account of Duke Godfrey’s deed of hewing the enemy through the middle with a single blow during the siege of Antioch by the First Crusade: A source study
The article contains research on the narratives describing the battle of the Bridge Gate (March 6, 1098), which took place during the siege of Antioch by the Crusaders.
Crusaders with Dan Jones
Who were the men and women who took up the cross and journeyed to Holy Lands? Danièle speaks with Dan Jones about his latest book on crusaders and on why it’s important for historians to talk about the crusades today.
‘More of a Burden Rather Than a Benefit’: Perceptions of Crusading Women and How They Developed From the Eleventh to Fourteenth Centuries
Were women only a ‘burden’ to the crusades or did they challenge this perspective and benefit the movement?
Crusader Urban Archaeology in the Kingdom of Jerusalem: Methodologies, Constraints and Possibilities: The Cases of Jerusalem and Acre
I might have called this paper a Tale of Two Cities for that certainly what it is – a tale of two very different cities and how they contribute to our understanding of the Crusader period and the Latin East
Siege Engines during the Crusades
In the Holy Land during the eleventh to fourteenth centuries, it seemed as if one place or another was continually under siege, and armies on both sides of the crusades moved from city to city attempting to dominate each other.
Few people from the British Isles participated in the First Crusade, historian finds
Chroniclers of the First Crusade often noted the diversity of the people who took part in the campaign to capture Jerusalem at the end of the eleventh-century. Among the long lists of groups they mentioned include the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish. However, a new article shows that participation from the British Isles was very slim.
A Transient Pulse of Genetic Admixture from the Crusaders in the Near East Identified from Ancient Genome Sequences
Human migrations, which often accompanied historical battles and invasions, have profoundly reshaped the genetic diversity of local populations in many regions.
Warfare during the Crusades: Usama ibn Munqidh and his Memoirs
Some of the most useful sources on medieval warfare are the ones written by the warriors themselves.
On the Highway to Hell: History, Archaeology and the Crusader Defeat at the Battle of Hattin in 1187
Is there any archaeological evidence for the Battle of Hattin?
Archaeological evidence of the First Crusade discovered
Archaeologists digging along the southern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem on Mount Zion have announced the discovery of a ditch and artefacts that have been linked to siege and conquest of the city in 1099 during the First Crusade.