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The Crusader States Kindle Edition

by Malcolm Barber (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 45 ratings
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“An enriching account of the expansion of the political and cultural frontiers of the Latin West in the central Middle Ages.”—History Today
 
When the armies of the First Crusade wrested Jerusalem from control of the Fatimids of Egypt in 1099, they believed their victory was an evident sign of God’s favor. It was, therefore, incumbent upon them to fulfill what they understood to be God’s plan: to re-establish Christian control of Syria and Palestine. This book is devoted to the resulting settlements, the crusader states, that developed around the eastern shores of the Mediterranean and survived until Richard the Lionheart’s departure in 1192. Focusing on Jerusalem, Antioch, Tripoli, and Edessa, Malcolm Barber vividly reconstructs the crusaders’ arduous process of establishing and protecting their settlements, and the simultaneous struggle of vanquished inhabitants to adapt to life alongside their conquerors. 
 
Rich with colorful accounts of major military campaigns, the book goes much deeper, exploring in detail the culture of the crusader states—the complex indigenous inheritance, the architecture, the political, legal, and economic institutions, the ecclesiastical framework through which the crusaders perceived the world, the origins of the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers, and more. With the zest of a scholar pursuing a life-long interest, Barber presents a complete narrative and cultural history of the crusader states while setting a new standard for the term “total history.”
 
A Choice Outstanding Academic Title in the Western Europe Category
 
“Barber is a highly distinguished scholar, whose touch is continually deft, and he navigates the basis of the main narrative histories with care . . . a delight to read.”—Literary Review
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  1. Print length
    768 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Yale University Press
  5. Publication date
    August 2, 2012
  6. File size
    3566 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"With its highly readable prose, numerous maps, plans and illustrations of objects and places, Malcolm Barber’s study of the crusader states is an enriching account of the expansion of the political and cultural frontiers of the Latin West in the central Middle Ages. It will doubtless be of value to scholars, students and a much wider audience, intrigued by the challenges and possibilities of state building in the medieval world."—William Purkis, History Today -- William Purkis ― History Today Published On: 2013-01-01

Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 in the Western Europe Category. -- Outstanding Academic Title ― Choice Published On: 2014-01-21

‘Full of insights drawn from close engagement with the primary sources, Malcolm Barber weaves together complex narrative with sharp analysis to provide a vivid and compelling account of the nature, variety, opportunities and challenges of what proved to be a doomed society. Free from the determinism of hindsight and written with customary control and clarity, this fresh account deserves a wide audience.' - Christopher Tyerman, author of God's War: A New History of the Crusades -- Christopher Tyerman

'A finely judged blend of narrative and analysis draws upon the latest scholarship to deftly guide the reader through the complexities and contradictions of the history of the crusader states. Barber provides a convincing and engaging picture of the Franks' efforts to meet the enormous challenges in trying to establish their rule over an area of extraordinary religious, cultural and economic diversity.'—Jonathan Phillips, author of Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades -- Jonathan Phillips

"Barber is a highly distinguished scholar, whose touch is continually deft, and he navigates the basis of the main narrative histories with care, never prepared to take allegations and accusations at face value. The result is both genuinely illuminating and highly enjoyable… A fine book, told by a historian whose handling of the ups and downs of the Latin East is a delight to read."—Peter Frankopan, LiteraryReview -- Peter Frankopan ― Literary Review Published On: 2012-12-01

About the Author

Malcolm Barber is emeritus professor of history, University of Reading. He lives in Reading, UK.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008RX59SU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; Illustrated edition (August 2, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 2, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3566 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 768 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

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Malcolm Barber

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
45 global ratings
A clear, concise telling of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
5 Stars
A clear, concise telling of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
I write historical fiction and I need reference books that give me minute detail while also setting the mood of the time. Barber's Crusader States does both. I cannot say enough about his clear prose and direct way of writing. He doesn't go off into tangents, like many academics do, and keeps the focus of his chapters clear and linear. A good read if you want to learn about Outremer.
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Top reviews from the United States

JGM
5.0 out of 5 stars Easily my favorite book on the Crusades
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2021
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Most books on the Crusades tell the story from the perspective of Europe. This book revolves around the Levant itself, with a focus on the various Latin states that were established during the First Crusade. I find this a much more natural way to understand what happened and why. The book is well organized and clearly written, the maps are excellent, and its discussion of contested historical issues is appropriately nuanced and lays out the contending views for the reader to consider. My only wish is that it didn’t end with the completion of the Third Crusade in 1192, but continued on until the extinction of the Latin states in 1291.
3 people found this helpful
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William Arney
5.0 out of 5 stars The final offering by the world's foremost English language authority on the Templars.
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2019
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The book arrived late to me, but I've glad I have it. Barber is the foremost English language authority of the Templars, and this is his final book. Any serious student of the Crusades or the High Middle Ages should have everything this man ever wrote.
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Mr. Rhys R. Williams
4.0 out of 5 stars ... am a history buff and this is a very good history of the Crusader States
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2014
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I am a history buff and this is a very good history of the Crusader States. There is a lot of detail here and it is not really a "page turner" yet it is a good read. One can figure out what went on during the Crusades with this book. There are A LOT of notes and many are worth reading and exploring the references contained therein.
Rhys Williams
4 people found this helpful
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Jason Henry Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars A clear, concise telling of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
I write historical fiction and I need reference books that give me minute detail while also setting the mood of the time. Barber's Crusader States does both. I cannot say enough about his clear prose and direct way of writing. He doesn't go off into tangents, like many academics do, and keeps the focus of his chapters clear and linear. A good read if you want to learn about Outremer.
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Jason Henry Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars A clear, concise telling of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2016
I write historical fiction and I need reference books that give me minute detail while also setting the mood of the time. Barber's Crusader States does both. I cannot say enough about his clear prose and direct way of writing. He doesn't go off into tangents, like many academics do, and keeps the focus of his chapters clear and linear. A good read if you want to learn about Outremer.
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4 people found this helpful
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Monsignor de Beaumanoir
5.0 out of 5 stars Outremer
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2013
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This is a great book on the history of the development of the Crusader States. The characters that took part are well represented in this account. A good addition to any medieval/Crusades library.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2017
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Great book, well written, and covers a more political angle than others on the Crusades.
One person found this helpful
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historian
4.0 out of 5 stars Indespensible Reference and Research Resource -- Not a Light Read
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2014
Far more has been written about the crusades than the states they established and supported. Yet it was the threat to the Christian states that justified every crusade after the First. Furthermore, the crusader states were catalysts for a number of key developments in Western Europe from dramatic improvements in shipping to the exchange of goods, technology and ideas with Constantinople and the Arab/Turkish world. Indeed, historian Claude Reignier Condor wrote at the end of the 19th Century that: “…the result of the Crusades was the Renaissance.” (The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem 1099 to 1291 AD, The Committee of Palestine Exploration Fund, 1897, p. 163.)

Professor Malcolm Barber, a distinguished scholar who has already produced seminal works about the Templars and Cathers, has produced a long overdue work that provides a comprehensive history of the crusader states rather than the sporadic crusades. It is meticulously researched and documented, as one would expect from a professor of history, and as such is an invaluable reference work for anyone interested in the period and indeed in the West’s presence in the Near East.

Whereas histories of the crusades invariably focus on military campaigns and so on “aggression,” Barber reminds us that the crusader states themselves were builders rather than destroyers. Barber concludes his comprehensive history by noting that: the crusaders “pragmatic approach to the challenge of providing for defense, administration and economic development produced political entities which resist stereotyping…and predetermined models.” He furthermore stresses that their accomplishments cannot be reduced to military conquests but also “entailed the rebuilding and embellishment of the holy shrines” and notes that they “ultimately produced their own independent and vibrant culture.”

Barber draws on a wide range of primary and secondary sources in Latin, Arabic, French, and German, and his bibliography alone is a treasure trove for the historian. However, the very detail of his account tends to slow the pace and complicate the flow of the narrative. This is more a reference or a research resource than a good read.
5 people found this helpful
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J Pearson
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece... Probably the standard.
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2015
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A masterpiece ... Probably the standard.
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Top reviews from other countries

Leo
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and well writte
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2021
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Interesting and well written account of the Crusader State of the Latin East, providing a fascinating narrative not only of the military actions but also of society, architecture, art and achievements of the Latins in the East
2 people found this helpful
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Trevor
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic study.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2013
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This is a classic study by one of the subject's leading scholars.

Malcolm Barber's contribution to crusaderr history has been prodigeous.

This is his latest work and one that should have a place on the bookshelf of any serious student of the subject.
2 people found this helpful
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marc webb
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2014
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An excellent and scholarly account
2 people found this helpful
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James
5.0 out of 5 stars yassss
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2017
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Get it, very good, lovely yass lovely, nice very good you will enjoy it hehe, get it now buy it
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I. D. Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2019
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Great book
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