Joshua Yates
CHHI 520 S03 TD 200720

The Crusades: A History
Joshua Yates

Riley-Smith, Jonathan.  The Crusades: A History, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2005.

            Dr. Jonathan Riley-Smith, the author of The Crusades: A History (Yale University Press, 2005), was born on June 27, 1938 and is married today with three children.  Riley-Smith received his bachelor’s (1960), M.A. (1964), PhD (1964) and LittD (2001) all from Trinity College in Cambridge.  He was a lecturer of Medieval History at the University of St. Andrews from 1964-1972 and has had numerous positions at the University of Cambridge, where he is still employed today.  He is a founding member of the Society for the Study of Crusades in the Latin East and served as its president from 1987-1995.[1]

            The Crusades: A History (2005) is a revision of the first publishing in 1987.  Riley-Smith felt the need to revise the first edition since historians views regarding the crusades had changed over almost 20 years.  Many of the controversies that he had written about previously are now coming to an end.  Traditionalists treat the crusades as only the campaigns that were focused on recapturing or defending the Holy Land, specifically the city of Jerusalem from the Muslims.  “For them, therefore, crusading is essentially to be seen in the context of the warfare between Christianity and Islam which has been endemic since the seventh century.”[2]  Pluralists focus on every campaign that was called for by the Pope during  the period of time from c. AD 1095 to c. AD 1798.  “Pluralists, on the other hand, follow the medieval popes in maintaining that an array of campaigns…were as authentic as those to or in aid of Jerusalem…”[3] Pluralism has come to the forefront of crusade historical study.  The reasons for the crusades have now come more into focus.  Greed was not the main reason for the crusades; it has been found that most people crusaded for penitential reasons.

            The book moves along a timeline of the history of the crusading movement while the writing is VERY comprehensive and well researched.  The bibliography itself takes nineteen pages.  Great detail is given to the different periods of crusading.  The participants of each crusade (the Pope that called for the crusade as well as the leader of the crusade) are named for each wave of crusaders.  The makeup of the general army of crusaders is given to make the reader aware of who is fighting this battle.  Are they trained knights or soldiers, or are they the common people that have taken the cross?  The author does not seem to give his opinion; however, it is immediately apparent that he is a pluralist and has taken painstaking steps to give the most intricate details of the events surrounding each crusade and the crusades themselves.

Riley-Smith’s treatment of the crusaders themselves was a tribute to them.  Many of the crusader’s intentions were not for money or wealth, but for the forgiveness of sin.  In the past, many historians seemed to feel as though most crusading was done to expand lands and gain wealth.[4]  Numerous calls for crusades were issued by various Popes, all declaring that once a crusader’s vows were fulfilled or upon an individual’s death while crusading, his sin would be forgiven.  “Later that year, at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II called upon all Christians to join a war against the Turks, promising those who died in the endeavor immediate remission of their sins.”[5]   There were definitely those who desired wealth rather than an indulgence; however, most crusaders were poor peasants that desired nothing more than a restored relationship with God. 

            Overall, Riley-Smith does a good job giving details about the events causing the crusades and the people behind them.  However, the book presupposes a general knowledge of medieval societal structure, society and of the medieval church.  As already stated, the author gives painstaking detail to each crusade which can add to the confusion of the reader.  Many of the terms and concepts in the book are not explained which make it very difficult to read for someone that has limited knowledge of medieval times and the society in which the crusades took place. It is well-suited as a resource for those that have studied the crusades but is not written for a general reader.  Many topics in the book go into such detail that it is easy for the reader to get lost.  Much can be learned from this book; however, one must take into account the knowledge that it will require if it is to be fully understood and easily read.