Description

This book looks at the conduct of war in the crusaders' kingdom from the end of the Third Crusade to the final demise of the Latin Kingdom in 1291. Among the many fascinating subjects covered by Christopher Marshall are the military impact of the crusades, the make-up of the Christian and Muslim armies, the structure and organization of castles and other strongpoints such as fortified towns, battles, raiding expeditions, and sieges. During this period the Christians struggled to defend their kingdom as the threat from their Muslim neighbors grew ever stronger. He concludes that the Christians simply did not have the manpower to defend their strongpoints and thus, without adequate support from the west, finally lost their kingdom in 1291. This book provides a fitting companion to the classic study Crusading Warfare, 1097-1193 by R.C. Smail. Like its distinguished predecessor, this new work will appeal to a wide range of medievalists and to all those interested in the crusades and in medieval warfare in general.