Niall Christie - Muslims and Crusaders: Christianitys Wars in the Middle East, 1095-1382, from the Islamic Sources

The topic of the Muslim responses to the Crusades is a dense and complex field. Niall Christies textbook, now in its expanded second edition, simplifies the subject and presents it in an engaging, succinct, but also thorough manner. I highly recommend this textbook for all university courses on the field of the Islamic World and the Crusades.

Fadi Ragheb, Assistant Professor, Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto, Canada

In the twenty-first century, it is increasingly imperative that we teach the history of the crusades comparatively and critically, with attention to historical methods, contexts, and contingencies. Dr. Christies groundbreaking textbook empowers instructors and students to do this, even if they are encountering Islamic history for the first time. Christie introduces key terms and concepts, rigorously contextualizes his sources, and thoughtfully considers historiographical debates. He accomplishes this concisely and in clear, student-friendly prose, while also providing a full range of teaching aids, including sometimes otherwise unavailable primary sources in translation. This book is absolutely essential for anyone teaching the history of the crusades.

Susanna A. Throop, Associate Professor, Ursinus College, USA

Muslims and Crusaders combines chronological narrative, discussion of important areas of scholarly enquiry and evidence from Islamic primary sources to give a well-rounded survey of Christianitys wars in the Middle East, 10951382.

Revised, expanded, and updated to take account of the most recent scholarship, this second edition enables readers to achieve a broader and more complete perspective on the crusading period by presenting the crusades from the viewpoints of those against whom they were waged, the Muslim peoples of the Levant. The book introduces the reader to the most significant issues that affected Muslim responses to the European crusaders and their descendants who would go on to live in the Latin Christian states that were created in the region. It considers not only the military encounters between Muslims and crusaders, but also the personal, political, diplomatic, and trade interactions that took place between the Muslims and Franks away from the battlefield.

Engaging with a wide range of translated primary source documents, including chronicles, dynastic histories, religious and legal texts, and poetry, Muslims and Crusaders is ideal for students and historians of the crusades.

Niall Christie in an instructor in history at Langara College in Vancouver, Canada, where he teaches the history of Europe and the Muslim world. He is also an adjunct professor of medieval studies at the University of Victoria. His research focuses on the Muslim response to the crusades. He is the author of numerous articles and The Book of the Jihad of Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami (d. 1106): Text, Translation and Commentary (2015).

History is the narrative constructed by historians from traces left by the past. Historical enquiry is often driven by contemporary issues and, in consequence, historical narratives are constantly reconsidered, reconstructed and reshaped. The fact that different historians have different perspectives on issues means that there is often controversy and no universally agreed version of past events. Seminar Studies was designed to bridge the gap between current research and debate, and the broad, popular general surveys that often date rapidly.

The volumes in the series are written by historians who are not only familiar with the latest research and current debates concerning their topic, but who have themselves contributed to our understanding of the subject. The books are intended to provide the reader with a clear introduction to a major topic in history. They provide both a narrative of events and a critical analysis of contemporary interpretations. They include the kinds of tools generally omitted from specialist monographs: a chronology of events, a glossary of terms and brief biographies of whos who. They also include bibliographical essays in order to guide students to the literature on various aspects of the subject. Students and teachers alike will find that the selection of documents will stimulate the discussion and offer insight into the raw materials used by historians in their attempt to understand the past.

Clive Emsley and Gordon Martel
Series Editors

Second Edition

Second edition published 2020

by Routledge

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2020 Niall Christie

The right of Niall Christie to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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First edition published by Routledge 2014

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Christie, Niall, author.

Title: Muslims and crusaders: Christianitys wars in the Middle East, 10951382, from the Islamic sources/Niall Christie.

Description: Second edition. | Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019047484 (print) | LCCN 2019047485 (ebook) | ISBN 9781138543102 (hardback) | ISBN 9781138543119 (paperback) | ISBN 9781351007368 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Crusades. | IslamRelationsChristianityHistoryTo 1500. | Christianity and other religionsIslamHistoryTo 1500. | MuslimsMiddle EastHistoryTo 1500. | CrusadesSources. | IslamRelationsChristianityHistoryTo 1500Sources. | Christianity and other religionsIslamHistoryTo 1500Sources. | MuslimsMiddle EastHistoryTo 1500Sources.

Classification: LCC D157. C474 2020 (print) | LCC D157 (ebook) | DDC 909.07dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019047484

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019047485

ISBN: 978-1-138-54310-2 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-138-54311-9 (pbk)