An illustrated history of the Crusades and the crusader knights

The Crusades conjure up a host of conflicting images. On the one hand, there’s the notion of heroic knights charging into battle; on the other, a grim view of the era as one of unremitting brutality. How does the reality stack up against the popular imagination? Seeking to lend authenticity to this controversial period, An Illustrated History of the Crusades and the Crusader Knights takes a stunning visual look at a movement that reestablished trade between the East and the West, reformed the social structure of medieval Europe and brought Arabic learning to the wider world. Packed with more than 400 images of battles, fortresses, triumphs and defeats, this volume captures with immediacy the world of the crusading knight: the lands they lost and won, the religious fervor that inspired them and the controversies that surrounded them. With a rich text that puts the Crusades into context, maps that show the paths the Crusaders took and a cast of larger-than-life characters - including Bohemond of Taranto, Godfrey of Bouillon,Tancred and Balian, and the order of the Templars and Hospitaliers - An Illustrated History of the Crusades and the Crusader Knights brings a vanished world to life.