Crusades

Monsters and Christian Enemies

Debra Higgs Strickland examines the extraordinary demonology of medieval Christendom and the way it endowed strangers and enemies with monstrous qualities.

The Discovery of the Holy Lance

On June 15th, 1098, the army of the First Crusade discovered the Holy Lance – the very spear that had pierced Christ’s side on the cross - in the city of Antioch.

How The West Saw Medieval Islam

Casting Islam and Muslims as the enemy was crucial in the Crusades, and the context of conflict has colored Christian-Islamic relations since.

Mapping a Crusade

Oswald and Margaret Dilke discuss the work of the cartographer-cum-Crusade-propagandist Marin Sanudo, who used his work to urge on a 14th-century initiative to recover Palestine from the infidel.

Krak of the Knights

Robin Fedden pays a historical visit to the monumental Frankish fortress, symbol of Christian dominance in the Holy Land for over a century.