Review: "The Crusades"

One of the books I read for teaching on the Crusades was Hans Eberhard Mayer’s The Crusades. This book was recommended on Ligonier.org.

Unlike other volumes I looked at for this series, Mayer does not “simply” present the Crusades as successive wars, but he divides his chapters, beginning after the Third Crusade, alternating back and forth between the Crusade – that is the battle – and the Crusader States (etc.) – in these chapters, he looks at what happened in the areas conquered and lost between the actual battles. This added a clarity and interesting understanding that I have not found in other volumes.

Mayer also presents the good and the bad about all sides in the Crusades. He shows the reasoning – or lack of reasoning – behind each Crusade, and the reasoning for the responses that were generated. This proves to be a superior look at the Crusades rather than the oft “bad Christians” or “evil Muslims” perspective.

Mayer’s work is scholarly, but not overwhelming; detailed, yet very readable. He includes maps, and an extensive bibliography of scholarly sources, as well as extensive notes. This is an excellent work to help one begin to understand a very difficult and confusing period of time, both in history and in the Church.