| Simo Hayha | 17 Mar 2019 8:54 p.m. PST |
what are the best military history books on the crusades (early middle east) |
| Asteroid X | 17 Mar 2019 11:19 p.m. PST |
'Chronicles of the Crusades' published by Penguin Classics. It is the writings of two chroniclers who were there: Jean de Joinville, who was a thirteenth-century medieval French chronicler. His most famous work is Life of St. Louis, a biography of Louis IX of France that chronicled the Seventh Crusade. As well as, Geoffrey de Villehardouin, who was a soldier and historian who took part in, and wrote extensively on, the Fourth Crusade. His eyewitness account of the 1204 conquest of Constantinople is the earliest surviving French historical narrative. There is also the outstanding work, 'The Crusades', by Hillaire Belloc. Belloc shows that the Crusades were a titanic struggle between Christian civilization and Islam. He explains the practical reasons why the Crusaders initially succeeded and why they ultimately failed. Belloc makes history come alive like no other! |
| GurKhan | 18 Mar 2019 1:46 a.m. PST |
RC Smail, "Crusading Warfare 1097-1193" – link Christopher Marshall, "Warfare in the Latin East 1192-1291" – link |
| advocate | 18 Mar 2019 2:11 a.m. PST |
Smail is really good, if slightly old (I read it 40 years ago). There might be newer books, but they will all owe a large debt to "Crusading Warfare".
Of course Joinville and Villehardouin are even older, but again, well worth a read. |
| Florida Tory | 18 Mar 2019 9:28 a.m. PST |
Sir Steven Runciman's A History of the Crusades consists of 3 volumes giving a comprehensive and readable insight into the politics and military action. I found his survey of mid-eastern history from the hegira to the first crusade especially worthwhile, as well as his dicussion of how and why the Mongols ended up adopting Islam rather than Christianity in the region. Rick |
| Asteroid X | 18 Mar 2019 4:17 p.m. PST |
It would be interesting to compare Runciman's conclusions with Belloc's. |
| coopman | 19 Mar 2019 4:50 a.m. PST |
I just finished this one volume short history and thought that it was well done:
"In Distant Lands" by Lars Brownworth |
| 2REPSPW | 19 Mar 2019 9:55 a.m. PST |
I found The Crusades through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf a very good account of the crusades from 'the other side of the hill' |
| Berthier2 | 22 Mar 2019 6:45 p.m. PST |
I have been working on a war-game campaign set in the Crusades off and on for several years. Here is the link to the campaign page on my blog: link About a 3rd of the way down you will find a link to the reference material I have in my collection that covers the Crusades. |
| Sandinista | 24 Mar 2019 10:08 p.m. PST |
The Crusades through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf is very good. I would recommend it to anyone to read. |
