The Illustrated History of the First Crusades

In 1096 five great armies left Europe, bound for Jerusalem. The campaign, later called the First Crusade, triumphed after gruelling marches and battles with the capture of the Holy City in July 1099. The Second Crusade (1147-49), and the third (1189-92) ended in negotiated settlements instead of the hoped-for recapture of Jerusalem, but these three crusading campaigns still hold some of the most extraordinary moments in the military, religious and political history of the period. This book gives a vivid account of the journeys, battles, sieges, triumphs and failures of these campaigns and evokes the spirit of the time, bringing to life a turbulent period of history, and examining the religious commitment, motivations and ambitions of the crusading knights and their followers.