Medieval Myths- the Crusades

Sif

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Thanks for the references.

Some other books you my find of interest of by Roger Crowley. He is an excellent historical writer.
His first book, 1453, details the siege of Constantinople by Mehmed II. He has another, Empires of the Sea, the details the 16th century siege of Malta and the Battle of Lepanto. His book City of Fortune, tells the history of Venice. He has one that just come out, The Accursed Tower, the tells the story of the Fall of Acre. I've not read that one yet.
 
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Ophiolite

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@Tolkien R.R.J and @JohnAshton

My interest in history, intended to encompass all recorded history, has only - barely - taken me back to the final years of the 18th century. I hoped a thread such as this might supplement a very sketchy exposure to the history of the Crusades, correcting misunderstandings and providing linkages between the few scattered impressions I had. Perhaps you can both help me with realising that hope.

R.R.J., you offer several detailed quotations from the work of scholars I am unfamiliar with that present a coherent picture of the Crusades. Since I am unfamiliar with them I cannot readily assess to what extent they represent mainline historical thought on the topic. In a similar vein, I am unaware of your own qualifications to accurately select representative portions of their writing.

Consequently, I would find it very helpful if you could address those points for me. Thank you in advance.

John, the very limited knowledge I have on the Crusades and the more extensive general historical knowledge I have, coupled with some exposure to psychology, anthropology, etc, make me lean quite strongly to your own stated conclusions that both sides were brutal to each other on multiple occasions. However, your claim to have supported your case does not stand up to even cursory examination. I would greatly appreciate if you could offer some further, substantial studies in support of your position. Thank you in advance.
 
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Tolkien R.R.J

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@Tolkien R.R.J and @JohnAshton

My interest in history, intended to encompass all recorded history, has only - barely - taken me back to the final years of the 18th century. I hoped a thread such as this might supplement a very sketchy exposure to the history of the Crusades, correcting misunderstandings and providing linkages between the few scattered impressions I had. Perhaps you can both help me with realising that hope.

R.R.J., you offer several detailed quotations from the work of scholars I am unfamiliar with that present a coherent picture of the Crusades. Since I am unfamiliar with them I cannot readily assess to what extent they represent mainline historical thought on the topic. In a similar vein, I am unaware of your own qualifications to accurately select representative portions of their writing.

Consequently, I would find it very helpful if you could address those points for me. Thank you in advance.

That is a major undertaking sir. I keep my interest to a few major subjects as they alone keep expanding out more than I would like. As to your question, I would say yes they are mainstream crusade scholarship. I have indeed quoted some apologetic works but I am confident any mainline scholar would give you the same sort of information. I am starting a deep study into the medieval time period and over and over they are correcting common misconceptions, not just of the crusades, but of the entire time period.

I would, in this case, suggest you do not trust me on this issue. I think that is the best thing for you to do. I strongly suggest you dig into the material for yourself. I would love to help or give suggestions. Original sources can be hard to find in this time period but they are out there. As are great works by scholars. What specifically is your interest? is it the crusades alone? are you looking for a large single volume or multiple authors?
 
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