Issue 40 The Crusades

What's inside

The Crusades: Did You Know?

Little Known Facts about the Crusades.

Caroline T. Marshall

The Crusades: From the Editor — The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Try to understand the crusaders in the context of their times.

Mark Galli

Bloody Pilgrimage

As the crusaders assaulted Jerusalem, the holy and savage joined hands.

Mark Galli

How Could Christians Do This?

Why followers of the Prince of Peace waged war.

Bruce L. Shelley

Why You Should Crusade

The author of On Loving God, also urged Christians to fight for Christ. Here are some excerpts from a letter written in 1147.

Bernard of Clairvaux

Objections to Crusades Answered

An experienced crusade preacher defends holy war

Humbert of Romans

The Crusades: A Gallery of Martial Monks & Holy Kings

The great preachers, planners, and fighters of the Holy Land crusades.

Stephen M. Miller

Christian History Timeline: Major Crusades to the East

Chronology of major events in the crusades.

the Editors

The Children’s Crusade

They innocently headed for the Holy Land, not knowing they would never return.

Steven Runciman

The Muslim Defense

Christians thought they had liberated Jerusalem from infidels. But what did Muslims think?

Hadia Dajani—Shakeel

Puzzling Encounters

Usama ibn Munqidh was emir of Shizar in the twelfth century, when Christians occupied much of the Holy Land. Here are three accounts of his experience with the clash of cultures.

Women of the Cross

The devout, combative, and scandalous women who shared in the Crusades.

Ronald C. Finucane

Long Journey to Jerusalem

Whether by land or sea, a crusade to the East was difficult and dangerous.

the Editors

The Fighting Monks

In the new religious orders, Christians blended poverty, chastity, and military fervor.

Michael Gervers

Holy Violence Then and Now

A historian looks at the causes and lingering effects of Christian warfare.

Jonathan Riley-Smith

The Crusades: Recommended Resources

The last few decades have seen a resurgence of crusades studies. Here are several of the many fine works available.

James M. Powell
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