S.J. Allen - An Introduction to the Crusades

The word crusade conjures up an array of conflicting images and emotions. Popular impressions of this movement range from that of a chivalric expression of piety to a violent example of human greed and intolerance. Modern curiosity about the Crusades owes much to our post-9/11 world and the current dialogues and tensions surrounding western and Islamic ideologies.

Our early twenty-first century has seen popular interest in the Crusades matched by a corresponding surge of academic research. The ideas put forward by professional historians, however, are often found to be in conflict with the views of the general public. This is perhaps understandable, given the density of current crusade scholarship and the prevalence of romantic or overtly political interpretations of the movement. The Crusades perceived significance to todays society was emphasized in the Preface to The Crusades: A Reader, second edition (which Emilie Amt and I edited): It could be argued that the Crusades, more than any other medieval event, have become inextricably linked to present-day political and religious debates (: xii). Whether popular or academic, it is true to say that never before has this movement received such widespread attention and deliberation.

An Introduction to the Crusades, as part of the Companions to Medieval Studies series, aims to provide students with a concise introduction to the subject and to current discussions and debates within crusade studies. It has been designed as an interactive text, with opportunities to engage with original source material while developing a critical approach to the period and its events. To this end, An Introduction to the Crusades contextualizes many of the primary documents found in the companion sourcebook, The Crusades: A Reader, second edition. Although the Introduction can be read as a stand-alone work, its use with the Reader should lead to a deeper appreciation of the subject and its related issues.

As with any academic study, the Crusades generate intense debate among scholars concerning their origins, development, and import. Therefore, a key objective of this volume is to raise awareness not only of how this history has been constructed, but also of the means by which it continues to be reviewed and evaluated. Efforts have been made to encourage students to assess and reinterpret both primary evidence and secondary research, with the aim of generating a better understanding of the material and the historical problems associated with the topic.