Jaspert - The Crusades

NEW YORK AND LONDON

The Crusades first published in 2003 in German as Die Kreuzzge
by Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Hindenburgstrae 40, D-64295 Darmstadt, Germany

English translation as The Crusades first published 2006 in the USA and Canada by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016

Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
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Die Kreuzzge 2003 by Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt The Crusades English translation 2006 Routledge

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized 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.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Jaspert, Nikolas.
[Kreuzzge. English]
The crusades / Nikolas Jaspert; translated by Phyllis Jestice.
p. cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Crusades. I. Title.
D157.J37 2006
909.07 dc22
2006006741

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN13: 978-1-134-24041-8 ePub ISBN

ISBN10: 0-415-35967-8 (hbk)

ISBN10: 0-415-35968-6 (pbk)

ISBN10: 0-203-00757-3 (ebk)

ISBN13: 978-0-415-35967-2 (hbk)

ISBN13: 978-0-415-35968-9 (pbk)

ISBN13: 978-0-203-00757-0 (ebk)

The crusadesor, more properly, what has been associated with them whether justly or unjustlyhave again become a central issue in recent years. The term crusade is threatened with loss of clear definition in public discourse, which is reason enough to issue a survey of the crusades. Not that there arent already rigorously scholarly presentations. But for a long time there has been no short, scholarly handbook in the German language. The work that lies before you differs in approach from some earlier studies. It approaches the theme systematically as well as chronologically and also gives considerable emphasis to placing the phenomenon in the context of the history of ideas. In each chapter a primary source is showcased that elucidates the essential features of the section and invites the reader to deeper exploration of the text.

This book lays no claim to be an original contribution to the decades-long debate over what constitutes a crusade. For a long time there have been two schools of thought on this question: the first regards only expeditions to the Near East as crusades, while the second advocates a broader definition that also encompasses other regions. This volume follows a middle path. Crusades are understood to be all campaigns against enemies of the faith and the Church that were called by popes and included the promise of an indulgence. Thus the book includes expeditions against heretics, Muslims on the Iberian Peninsula, and the pagans of the Baltic region. But it also takes into account the fact that contemporaries regarded campaigns in the Near East as superior in importance, and it was these expeditions that had the power to mobilize people to the greatest degree. For that reason, the Near Eastern crusades receive special emphasis in this overview.

Besides the scholars whose research findings have been brought together into this synthesis, many others have contributed to the creation of this volume. Dr Nikolaus Btcher, Professor Marie-Luise Favreau-Lilie, Matthias Maser, Dr Johannes Pahlitzsch, Dr Andreas Rther, and Professor Dieter Wei read all or parts of the manuscript. Their suggestions improved the work immeasurably, for which I give sincere thanks to them all. I am also indebted to Mr Ren Hurtienne for his help in producing the maps as well as Ms Gabriele Gumbel and Verena Artz for their painstaking editorial work. Special thanks are due to my students at Erlangen, who tested out the books suitability for university use and, with their suggestions for cuts, helped with the most difficult task of allstaying within the prescribed bounds of 160 printed pages. The books shortcomings remainas alwaysthe authors responsibility. This volume is dedicated to my wife Montse and our sons David, Lucas, and Theo.

Nikolas Jaspert
Erlangen
Fall, 2002