What were the crusades? by Jonathan Riley-Smith - 1977

Dr. Riley-Smith's book is the first in the English language to define what the Crusades were. In this concise introductory text on the crusading experience in the Middle Ages, he elucidates key ideas and institutions which have been neglected in narrative accounts. Original in its conception, the book is a contribution of major importance to Medieval History scholarship and, in its lucid and systematic treatment of the issues, it is an unequalled introduction to the subject for students and for the general reader.