Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Ballantine (1967), Mass Market Paperback, 762 pages
Description
A new edition of Zoe Oldenbourg's substantial and scholarly history of the first three Crusades and the Frankish Kingdom of Jerusalem until its conquest by Saladin. Following an overview of life, warfare and feudalism in the the Latin West and Byzantium during the 12th century, Oldenbourg examines the main events and personalities which shaped this great adventure.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Lunar
I remember reading Oldenbourg's "The Crusades" for a tenth grade history presentation (late 1990s) and was quickly drawn into the socio-political portrait created by the author, the first history book to have ever interested me so thoroughly. Having forgotten the author's name (and with the
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plethora of other works with similar titles) I was unable to relocate it for years despite scouring the internet. It was only through LibraryThing that I was able to find it again by recognizing the original book cover design from the 1966 edition. Here, Oldenbourg is a very accessible writer. Some of the events described, such as the Children's Crusade, might be out of date in the face of more recent research. But on the whole, this account of the crusades manages to weave together various figures, their personal backgrounds and motivations, and how they fit into the overall history of the period. To this day I can vividly recall the imagery the author invoked when describing Emperor Alexius looking out upon the host of the western european forces arriving at Constantinople and realizing by their numbers that his request for aid against the border incursions of the Seljuk Turks had been used as a pretext to advance through his territory and to conquer Jerusalem. This is one of the most engaging historical texts I have read. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Notable Books List (1966)
Language
Original language
French
Original publication date
1965
ISBN
none