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A History of the Crusades #2
A History of the Crusades, Vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187
Sir Steven Runciman's three volume A History of the Crusades, one of the great classics of English historical writing, is now being reissued. This volume describes the Frankish states of Outremer from the accession of King Baldwin I to the re-conquest of Jerusalem by Saladin. As Runciman says in his preface, 'The politics of the Moslem world in the early twelfth-century defy straightforward analysis, but they must be understood if we are to understand the establishment of the Crusader states and the later causes of the recovery of Islam … The main theme in this volume is warfare … I have followed the example of the old chroniclers, who knew their business; for war was the background to life in Outremer and the hazards of the battlefield often decided its destiny.'
538 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
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2079 people want to read
About the author
Steven Runciman
43 books235 followersA King's Scholar at Eton College, he was an exact contemporary and close friend of George Orwell. While there, they both studied French under Aldous Huxley. In 1921 he entered Trinity College, Cambridge as a history scholar and studied under J.B. Bury, becoming, as Runciman later commented, "his first, and only, student." At first the reclusive Bury tried to brush him off; then, when Runciman mentioned that he could read Russian, Bury gave him a stack of Bulgarian articles to edit, and so their relationship began. His work on the Byzantine Empire earned him a fellowship at Trinity in 1927.
After receiving a large inheritance from his grandfather, Runciman resigned his fellowship in 1938 and began travelling widely. From 1942 to 1945 he was Professor of Byzantine Art and History at Istanbul University, in Turkey, where he began the research on the Crusades which would lead to his best known work, the History of the Crusades (three volumes appearing in 1951, 1952, and 1954).
Most of Runciman's historical works deal with Byzantium and her medieval neighbours between Sicily and Syria; one exception is The White Rajahs, published in 1960, which tells the story of Sarawak, an independent nation founded on the northern coast of Borneo in 1841 by the Englishman James Brooke, and ruled by the Brooke family for more than a century.
After receiving a large inheritance from his grandfather, Runciman resigned his fellowship in 1938 and began travelling widely. From 1942 to 1945 he was Professor of Byzantine Art and History at Istanbul University, in Turkey, where he began the research on the Crusades which would lead to his best known work, the History of the Crusades (three volumes appearing in 1951, 1952, and 1954).
Most of Runciman's historical works deal with Byzantium and her medieval neighbours between Sicily and Syria; one exception is The White Rajahs, published in 1960, which tells the story of Sarawak, an independent nation founded on the northern coast of Borneo in 1841 by the Englishman James Brooke, and ruled by the Brooke family for more than a century.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 17, 2016
He may be the comfy old cardigan of Crusader studies now, but I’ve just read this Vol II in conjunction with Christopher Tyerman over these events, and Sir Steven, humane-minded, joying in the plural cultures that were the Holy Land, was rightly knighted, I say.
July 23, 2022
The Kingdom of Jerusalem (1952) is volume 2 in the trilogy A History of the Crusades by British historian Steven Runciman. In this excellent work Runciman covers the period from the establishment of the kingdom in 1100 up to its fall at the hands of muslim warrior Saladin in the late 1180s.
During this time, we see a Frankish nobility establishing itself as overlords in the Palestinian and Syrian deserts, never really interested in political stability or the building of a durable empire. Instead we see families vying for power, using marriages to force their way to the throne, making and breaking oaths, assassinations of political rivals, military failures at the hands of incompetent or rash knights, etc. etc.
To be fair, there were a couple of competent rulers, Baldwin I and Baldwin II for example, who brought stability and were able to rise above the pettiness of their peers and look for long term viable geopolitical strategies. But due to genetic weaknesses, a territory full of disease, a harsh climate and endless military conflicts, most rulers saw their lives cut short and the average lifespan for males was drastically lower than their counterparts in Europe. At some points in time there wasn't even a male relative to succeed a deceased one in their position.
Also, after the First Crusade (1095-1100) the willingness for European lords to join in an adventure disappeared, while European monarchs were so busy with fighting their own petty conflicts that they could not and would not spare the men for a holy war. And let's be honest, by now there was nothing holy about this war in the East to begin with. What started as a rallying call against Islam had turned into a pet project of some Frankish nobility with ego's that were too big for their own good.
While all these events took place, the Byzantine Empire slowly collapsed until it lost its entire army in 1176 in a campaign against the Turks, and stopped being a factor of power in the region. At the same time, a lucky and competent Saracen commander, Saladin, achieved the unification of the northern and southern Muslim empires by playing his enemies off against each other and conquering them one by one. The Franks were reduced to Antioch and the petty Muslim states in Syria and Lebanon were all mopped up. With Egypt, Syria, key cities like Damascus and Aleppo, and most of the key transport networks in his possession, he turned his army against Jerusalem.
In short: the Kingdom of Jerusalem was, militarily speaking, continuously understaffed, incompetently ruled and in the midst of geopolitical ruptures beyond their own control. A recipe for disaster.
Runciman tells of all these events and their key players in a very accessible and enjoyable way. Compared to Vol 1, this book is 100 pages longer, while the subject matter really isn't all that different. Of course, there's so much ground to cover that these additional pages can be justified, but the reader ends up with endless accounts of battles, political intrigues, negations, etc. Now, after having read already 650 pages on these subjects, Runciman's style cannot compensate anymore for the growing tediousness and repetition of the subject matter - and there's still 400 pages of Vol 3 to cover...
Also, besides the repetitiveness, Runciman chooses to focus solely on geopolitical, mostly military, developments. Of course this is inevitable when dealing with a time and place in which war, raids and plunder were of existential importance for all parties involved. But one wishes Runciman had offered more insights into the cultures, economic structures, etc. of the region and the era. Unfortunately, in Vol 1 there was no such information while in Vol 2 there's only one chapter dedicated to these subjects.
During this time, we see a Frankish nobility establishing itself as overlords in the Palestinian and Syrian deserts, never really interested in political stability or the building of a durable empire. Instead we see families vying for power, using marriages to force their way to the throne, making and breaking oaths, assassinations of political rivals, military failures at the hands of incompetent or rash knights, etc. etc.
To be fair, there were a couple of competent rulers, Baldwin I and Baldwin II for example, who brought stability and were able to rise above the pettiness of their peers and look for long term viable geopolitical strategies. But due to genetic weaknesses, a territory full of disease, a harsh climate and endless military conflicts, most rulers saw their lives cut short and the average lifespan for males was drastically lower than their counterparts in Europe. At some points in time there wasn't even a male relative to succeed a deceased one in their position.
Also, after the First Crusade (1095-1100) the willingness for European lords to join in an adventure disappeared, while European monarchs were so busy with fighting their own petty conflicts that they could not and would not spare the men for a holy war. And let's be honest, by now there was nothing holy about this war in the East to begin with. What started as a rallying call against Islam had turned into a pet project of some Frankish nobility with ego's that were too big for their own good.
While all these events took place, the Byzantine Empire slowly collapsed until it lost its entire army in 1176 in a campaign against the Turks, and stopped being a factor of power in the region. At the same time, a lucky and competent Saracen commander, Saladin, achieved the unification of the northern and southern Muslim empires by playing his enemies off against each other and conquering them one by one. The Franks were reduced to Antioch and the petty Muslim states in Syria and Lebanon were all mopped up. With Egypt, Syria, key cities like Damascus and Aleppo, and most of the key transport networks in his possession, he turned his army against Jerusalem.
In short: the Kingdom of Jerusalem was, militarily speaking, continuously understaffed, incompetently ruled and in the midst of geopolitical ruptures beyond their own control. A recipe for disaster.
Runciman tells of all these events and their key players in a very accessible and enjoyable way. Compared to Vol 1, this book is 100 pages longer, while the subject matter really isn't all that different. Of course, there's so much ground to cover that these additional pages can be justified, but the reader ends up with endless accounts of battles, political intrigues, negations, etc. Now, after having read already 650 pages on these subjects, Runciman's style cannot compensate anymore for the growing tediousness and repetition of the subject matter - and there's still 400 pages of Vol 3 to cover...
Also, besides the repetitiveness, Runciman chooses to focus solely on geopolitical, mostly military, developments. Of course this is inevitable when dealing with a time and place in which war, raids and plunder were of existential importance for all parties involved. But one wishes Runciman had offered more insights into the cultures, economic structures, etc. of the region and the era. Unfortunately, in Vol 1 there was no such information while in Vol 2 there's only one chapter dedicated to these subjects.
March 19, 2013
-Erudición y entretenimiento no tienen que enfrentarse, al menos no necesariamente-.
Género. Historia.
Lo que nos cuenta. Desde la Primera Cruzada, con una mirada hacia atrás para entender el sustrato del Imperio Romano y su herencia, hasta la caída de San Juan de Acre, con una mirada hacia delante hasta Pio II para entender sus estertores, retrato pormenorizado y cronológico de los hechos, personajes y acontecimientos que construyeron el fenómeno conocido como Las Cruzadas.
¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Historia.
Lo que nos cuenta. Desde la Primera Cruzada, con una mirada hacia atrás para entender el sustrato del Imperio Romano y su herencia, hasta la caída de San Juan de Acre, con una mirada hacia delante hasta Pio II para entender sus estertores, retrato pormenorizado y cronológico de los hechos, personajes y acontecimientos que construyeron el fenómeno conocido como Las Cruzadas.
¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
February 19, 2017
The second volume: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East; tells us the history of the princedoms, until the Battle of the Horns of Hattin and the defeat of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the reconquest by Saladyn.
An excellent narrative, and a masterpiece of scholarship accuracy and detail. The history of golden age of the Kingdom and Saladyn's rise to power and the complex interactions of the leaders. From the great statesman King Baldwin and the conflictman Reynald de Chatillon.
Finally I can say Runciman makes a comprensive and detailed book about the crusades. I recommend this book.
An excellent narrative, and a masterpiece of scholarship accuracy and detail. The history of golden age of the Kingdom and Saladyn's rise to power and the complex interactions of the leaders. From the great statesman King Baldwin and the conflictman Reynald de Chatillon.
Finally I can say Runciman makes a comprensive and detailed book about the crusades. I recommend this book.
December 21, 2012
The middle volume of Professor Runciman's meticulously researched history, dealing with the periods leading up to, and following, the abysmal Second Crusade. A challenging and difficult read, with character names among the Franks, the Byzantines, the Armenians, and the Arabs (among many others) that may seem to repeat and confuse, and many locations largely unknown to the modern western reader. The author's account is not always linear, moving back and forth in time as he recounts details of different actors going through the same events. The reader with awareness of the future short remaining history of Byzantium will be struck with alarm and sadness as the events leading up to the empire's ultimate annihilation are made clear. One is astonished by the revelations of infamous brutality and cruelty among the Franks, in contrast to a commensurate measure of mercy and kindness practiced by certain of the great Arabic leaders. Our western view of knighthood and chivalry is sorely tested by the episodes retold in this book, which are largely based upon first-person accounts copiously cited by the author in comprehensive footnotes and a lengthy bibliography. Not a book I'd recommend to a reader with a casual, passing interest in battles, sieges, and knighthood, but certainly a must-read for those enthralled, as I am, with the history of the place and period, and who have a background in the subjects at hand.
December 5, 2021
Φράγκοι, Βυζαντινοί, Άραβες, Αρμένιοι, πόλεμοι μηχανορραφίες, αιμομιξίες συμμαχίες, προδοσίες, δολοφονίες, λάφυρα, εξαγορες αιχμαλώτων σε ένα ασταμάτητο game of thrones.
April 6, 2018
A fascinating study of the Crusader States and the period between the First and the Third Crusades. Although he does seem generally to hold an overall favorable view of the Byzantines, Steven Runciman resists the effort to engage in hagiography or demonizing, generally letting the facts speaks for themselves and letting the reader decide for themselves on the acts of the protagonists involved.
As in the case with the Volume I of this series, we get a picture of a 12th Century Middle East that is far more complex and nuanced from what most of us were probably taught in grade school and college ---- one where who's the invader and villain or who's the hero or the victim can vary greatly depending on what segment of Middle Eastern history one chooses to use as the vantage point. It's not surprising --- standing at the nexus of the world's three great continents, the Levant is a crossroads for the great peoples of Asia, Europe, and Africa with the tide of history ebbing and flowing in favor of one or the other since time immemorial. Clearly, after reading these two volumes so far, it's very clear the history of the first 80 years of the Crusades are far more complicated than one simply of Christian vs. Muslim. Was it like that? Yes, but there's more. At times, you have Christians battling Christians, and Muslims battling Muslims as well Arabs vs. Turks, and Franks vs. Greeks vs. Armenians. And, yes, you even have alliances of Christians and Muslims battling other Christians and Muslim. Even a case of Christians making common cause with the ISIS of their time --- the Assassins cult. So, in some ways, the Syria and Palestine of the 12th Century resembles the Syria of today ---- a chaotic struggle of shifting alliances that at various times do come down based upon religion, but also come down to a changing kaleidoscope pattern of politics, personal rivalries and ambitions, and ethnicities. Absolutely fascinating.
Reading this does put the present Syrian Civil War and the other Mid East crises in a historical context. Ultimately triumphing at the end of Volume II ---- Saladin. His success in ending much of the chaos and feuding between the various Arab and Turkish emirs, viziers, and warlords and how he achieved this hold lessons even valid today for today's protagonists in the Mid East. The Crusaders, no doubt, had, man for man, probably better weaponry and tremendous valor, but, in the Middle East, but they never were able to unify fully behind an effective leader, nor was there any statesman among them capable of seeing the greater picture if Christendom was to continue to rule the Levant --- and make common cause with the Byzantine Empire and all its assets. With a combination of strategic brilliance, ruthlessness, occasional humanity, and intuition, Saladin was able to unify Syria and Egypt and all of their manpower and resources under his banner. But that alone might not have been enough --- it was Saladin's superior use of intelligence, tactics, and scouting that were well ahead anything that the Crusaders ever even attempted. So lesson learned ---- to whomever has superior intelligence gathering and strategy, that one will likely ultimately prevail in the Middle East, even over foes with better weaponry and a brute force approach to military power. It's a lesson that Israel seems to have, so far, applied successfully in its unlikely survival on the very same real estate that the Crusaders once held.
An outstanding book --- I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about the Crusades or about the history of the Middle East.
As in the case with the Volume I of this series, we get a picture of a 12th Century Middle East that is far more complex and nuanced from what most of us were probably taught in grade school and college ---- one where who's the invader and villain or who's the hero or the victim can vary greatly depending on what segment of Middle Eastern history one chooses to use as the vantage point. It's not surprising --- standing at the nexus of the world's three great continents, the Levant is a crossroads for the great peoples of Asia, Europe, and Africa with the tide of history ebbing and flowing in favor of one or the other since time immemorial. Clearly, after reading these two volumes so far, it's very clear the history of the first 80 years of the Crusades are far more complicated than one simply of Christian vs. Muslim. Was it like that? Yes, but there's more. At times, you have Christians battling Christians, and Muslims battling Muslims as well Arabs vs. Turks, and Franks vs. Greeks vs. Armenians. And, yes, you even have alliances of Christians and Muslims battling other Christians and Muslim. Even a case of Christians making common cause with the ISIS of their time --- the Assassins cult. So, in some ways, the Syria and Palestine of the 12th Century resembles the Syria of today ---- a chaotic struggle of shifting alliances that at various times do come down based upon religion, but also come down to a changing kaleidoscope pattern of politics, personal rivalries and ambitions, and ethnicities. Absolutely fascinating.
Reading this does put the present Syrian Civil War and the other Mid East crises in a historical context. Ultimately triumphing at the end of Volume II ---- Saladin. His success in ending much of the chaos and feuding between the various Arab and Turkish emirs, viziers, and warlords and how he achieved this hold lessons even valid today for today's protagonists in the Mid East. The Crusaders, no doubt, had, man for man, probably better weaponry and tremendous valor, but, in the Middle East, but they never were able to unify fully behind an effective leader, nor was there any statesman among them capable of seeing the greater picture if Christendom was to continue to rule the Levant --- and make common cause with the Byzantine Empire and all its assets. With a combination of strategic brilliance, ruthlessness, occasional humanity, and intuition, Saladin was able to unify Syria and Egypt and all of their manpower and resources under his banner. But that alone might not have been enough --- it was Saladin's superior use of intelligence, tactics, and scouting that were well ahead anything that the Crusaders ever even attempted. So lesson learned ---- to whomever has superior intelligence gathering and strategy, that one will likely ultimately prevail in the Middle East, even over foes with better weaponry and a brute force approach to military power. It's a lesson that Israel seems to have, so far, applied successfully in its unlikely survival on the very same real estate that the Crusaders once held.
An outstanding book --- I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about the Crusades or about the history of the Middle East.
February 24, 2025
الكتاب متوازن جدا من منظور شامل ، وغير متحز لأي طرف.
ينتهي هذا الجزء بلفتة نثرية جميلة ، يقول رانسيمان عن فتح بيت المقدس على يد صلاح الدين :
" كان المنتصر أهل استقامة وإحسان ، وحيث كان الفرنج قبل 88 عاما يخوضون في دماء ضحاياهم ، لم ُينتهب الآن مبنى واحد ولم يصب شخص واحد ، و بأوامر صلاح الدين طاف الحراس في الشوارع والأبواب للحيلولة دون أي اعتداء على المسيحيين .
لقد كانت رحمته وشفقته ناصعة البياض على نحو غريب ، إزاء ما ارتكبه الغزاة المسيحيون في الحملة الصليبية الأولى ، فقد جاء بالبينة التي تدل على قوة الشرق وروحه واظهر كيف يحتفل الشريف بانتصاره " .
ينتهي هذا الجزء بلفتة نثرية جميلة ، يقول رانسيمان عن فتح بيت المقدس على يد صلاح الدين :
" كان المنتصر أهل استقامة وإحسان ، وحيث كان الفرنج قبل 88 عاما يخوضون في دماء ضحاياهم ، لم ُينتهب الآن مبنى واحد ولم يصب شخص واحد ، و بأوامر صلاح الدين طاف الحراس في الشوارع والأبواب للحيلولة دون أي اعتداء على المسيحيين .
لقد كانت رحمته وشفقته ناصعة البياض على نحو غريب ، إزاء ما ارتكبه الغزاة المسيحيون في الحملة الصليبية الأولى ، فقد جاء بالبينة التي تدل على قوة الشرق وروحه واظهر كيف يحتفل الشريف بانتصاره " .
January 21, 2024
Whilst a slower paced narrative than Volume 1, Volume 2 of Runciman’s History of the Crusades is an absolute benchmark work.
An utterly fascinating history! Can’t wait for the third and final volume.
An utterly fascinating history! Can’t wait for the third and final volume.
June 2, 2023
Steven Runciman was uniquely gifted in evoking the past; nobody has ever done it so well. The irresistible lyricism of his prose means he is sometimes dismissed as a historian, which line of argument is, in my opinion, at best nonsense and at worst jealousy from lesser historians whose writing cannot inspire such memorable pictures as his does. Besides, criticism of him as a historian is largely based on an entirely reasonable bias for the Byzantine civilisation. In this second volume of his masterful Crusades series - published in the 50s, still in print - he describes a world of brutal, usually meagre existence where death can come at any moment, with massacres of innocent people a frequent consequence of battles between armies; but this same world also contains unbelievable adventure, human drama and intrigue, as well as a wonderfully rich cultural exchange doomed by the ignorance of newcomers from the West.
September 5, 2020
A little less inspired than first volume, but still fascinating.
September 24, 2024
Volume two of Runciman's history of the Crusades tells the story of Outremer from the accession of King Baldwin I through the reconquest of Jerusalem by Saladin. Baldwin's considerable literary gifts (his familiarity with the source material, engaging prose, and strong sense of the Byzantine perspective on events) continue to shine through in this volume. culminating in a gripping description of King Guy's defeat at the Horns of Hattin.
Compared to volume one, the significantly longer period covered here can cramp Runciman's style a bit, as his narrative gifts sometimes devolve (by necessity, I suppose) into lists of names & places. But Runciman remains a pleasure to read, and there is plenty of general interest here (e.g., the Knights Templar & Knights of the Hospital, the Muslim Assassins, and the impressive Saladin) to entertain any history buff.
4.0 stars, recommended!
Weaknesses
Runciman has real narrative gifts, and the longer timeline he finds himself dealing with in this volume (around 80 years, as opposed to the 5+ years covered at length in volume one) hinders him somewhat. Part of me would have liked to see what Runciman could have done with this book if he had 800 pages to stretch his narrative legs; as it stands, at times this book devolves a bit into lists of names and places. To be clear, this is still a very good work of history, but it’s a notable step down from the magic of volume one, and (mostly) lacks the page-turner quality of its predecessor.
Summary
A very good overview of the period, but a comedown from the high of volume one.
Compared to volume one, the significantly longer period covered here can cramp Runciman's style a bit, as his narrative gifts sometimes devolve (by necessity, I suppose) into lists of names & places. But Runciman remains a pleasure to read, and there is plenty of general interest here (e.g., the Knights Templar & Knights of the Hospital, the Muslim Assassins, and the impressive Saladin) to entertain any history buff.
4.0 stars, recommended!
Weaknesses
Runciman has real narrative gifts, and the longer timeline he finds himself dealing with in this volume (around 80 years, as opposed to the 5+ years covered at length in volume one) hinders him somewhat. Part of me would have liked to see what Runciman could have done with this book if he had 800 pages to stretch his narrative legs; as it stands, at times this book devolves a bit into lists of names and places. To be clear, this is still a very good work of history, but it’s a notable step down from the magic of volume one, and (mostly) lacks the page-turner quality of its predecessor.
Summary
A very good overview of the period, but a comedown from the high of volume one.
January 11, 2025
It’s okay but I’m certain that if you offered the author the choice of £1,000,000,000 or the chance to suck Saladin’s cock he would choose the latter
September 18, 2020
In the second volume of his History of the Crusades, Steven Runciman uses the quote “They have begotten strange children” from Hosea V, 7 to open his chapter dealing with the offspring of the first crusaders. And that is a pretty good hint of how badly the history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem went for the Christian invaders. Few of the heirs of the first crusaders lived up to their parents’ renown and both heirs and heiresses made some pretty terrible choices both on and off the battlefield. The crusading movement across Europe lost its momentum with the capture of Jerusalem and the few people that made it out East were, in a few words, not very nice people. A particular shout out for nastiest crusader goes out to Reynald of Chatillon who eventually got what he had coming to him.
There were a few exceptions to the disastrous later generations such as Raymond of Tripoli who tried at least and Balian of Ibelin who at times felt like the only sane man in the room. Special mention to the ladies of Outremer such as Eschiva of Tripoli who lead the defence of forts when their men were out fighting. As before, I quite enjoyed the fact Runciman also talked about the women that were part of the history of the crusades.
Given these developments, it’s no surprise that the heroes of the second volume are undoubtedly the Muslim princes that rise up to unite Islam and rout out the Christian invaders. From Zengi to Nur ed-Din to its ultimate champion, Saladin, every new prince seemed to learn from the mistakes of his predecessor and improve his tactics and enlarge the number of his conquests. Saladin appears as a particularly endearing leader, both fierce and compassionate and kind to his enemies when they surrendered (let’s not forget how “gracious” the crusaders were when they entered Jerusalem for the first time – wadding through rivers of blood was mentioned in case you were wondering).
As far as readability goes, this second volumes has some pluses and minuses. After reading the first volume, you’re already familiar with the various cities, forts etc. and their geographical locations, but at the same time, as generations succeed one another, the family trees can get a bit muddled due to the many identical names. Steven Runciman does provide some genealogical trees which help when you might feel at a loss. That being said, I’m still massively enjoying this series!
There were a few exceptions to the disastrous later generations such as Raymond of Tripoli who tried at least and Balian of Ibelin who at times felt like the only sane man in the room. Special mention to the ladies of Outremer such as Eschiva of Tripoli who lead the defence of forts when their men were out fighting. As before, I quite enjoyed the fact Runciman also talked about the women that were part of the history of the crusades.
Given these developments, it’s no surprise that the heroes of the second volume are undoubtedly the Muslim princes that rise up to unite Islam and rout out the Christian invaders. From Zengi to Nur ed-Din to its ultimate champion, Saladin, every new prince seemed to learn from the mistakes of his predecessor and improve his tactics and enlarge the number of his conquests. Saladin appears as a particularly endearing leader, both fierce and compassionate and kind to his enemies when they surrendered (let’s not forget how “gracious” the crusaders were when they entered Jerusalem for the first time – wadding through rivers of blood was mentioned in case you were wondering).
As far as readability goes, this second volumes has some pluses and minuses. After reading the first volume, you’re already familiar with the various cities, forts etc. and their geographical locations, but at the same time, as generations succeed one another, the family trees can get a bit muddled due to the many identical names. Steven Runciman does provide some genealogical trees which help when you might feel at a loss. That being said, I’m still massively enjoying this series!
March 13, 2021
My reading of the history of the Crusades continues. This volume is simply action packed. While I still maintain that this is a solid historical work and thus the author retains a dry, scholarly tone for the most part...there is so much happening in this period of history that the drama and pathos cannot be restrained, oh no. Reading through these pages, I now understand why so many epics and songs and tales were written of this period. There is just so much happening. So many wars, so many battles, all the betrayals, the marriages, the raw hatred and sheer ambition and greed, greed, greed. I will not attempt to summarize this volume, but I was almost overwhelmed at times just how much was going on. The different principalities (both Muslim and Christian) constantly vying for supremacy and dominion...and of course some of the later Crusades also had their impact on the region. The Second Crusade was pretty much a miserable failure (from a Christian perspective), and while the Third Crusade wasn't entirely a success either, it did have some epic moments. Finally understanding a bit more who "Richard Coeur de Lion" was and why he was such a dramatic figure (short version? He was an amazing general and warrior and leader of men, kind of a terrible ruler and king and not that nice of a guy either). The Third Crusade in general was most fascinating to read about, just seeing the major heads of state of the West come East for "Christ and glory"...and seeing the different personalities flare and dazzle. And of course in this book was Saladin, one of the most unique and thrilling characters of this period. So multi-faceted, truly one of whom songs and tales are still told to this day, so great was his impact on history. There are so many other personalities I could talk about...so many more battles...so much more drama. But I shall cease. This book is history and so it is about real men and women, real historical events. And at the end of the day, that's the lesson that rings true. These people doing what they thought right, at least as it pertained to them. These people fighting for their own good and glory. These people living in a far ago time...yet they seem not that dissimilar to us now. Fantastic book.
August 2, 2018
The second of Runciman's three-part Crusades history is a stop-gap between the famous first and third Crusades: a history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and its outlying counties from 1100 to its final crushing defeat by Saladin just before 1200.
The second in this excellent trilogy has, to a large extent, all the strengths and weaknesses of its predecessor: It is brilliantly-written, engaging, intricate and detailed, with human touches and elements to bring to life the various characters and minor judgments of their lives which seem professional rather than biased. But again it carries the assumption of at least a passing familiarity with the Holy Land, spewing out places and cities with abandon - and it suffers, as I seem to recall, exactly the same major flaw as its predecessor - all the maps in the book are thrown onto random pages throughout, not really relating to the sections they're in: had the editor put all the maps on the first few pages, for easy reference, the book would be a great deal more palatable for many. Nevertheless by this point the dedicated historian has already studied twenty or so different maps of the relevant places at length while they read: by this point I could pick out the sites of Damascus, Edessa, Alexandria and great Byzantium on an unmarked map in seconds.
There are other, minor faults in this book that the first in the series lacked: because of its much greater timescale, this book suffers from information overload: there are literally hundreds of key players to remember, with most of them sharing the same four or five names: I lost count of the Baldwins and Raymonds herein. It can become a real difficulty to remember the rulers of all the cities in the Holy Land, when time speeds by and they're replaced so fast.
That said, this is as good a book as the first, with some fascinating details about the organisation and hierarchy of the Kingdom of Jerusalem which the first book, obviously, lacked. It's a deep, well-written and fascinating book, and I can't wait to read the last in the trilogy.
The second in this excellent trilogy has, to a large extent, all the strengths and weaknesses of its predecessor: It is brilliantly-written, engaging, intricate and detailed, with human touches and elements to bring to life the various characters and minor judgments of their lives which seem professional rather than biased. But again it carries the assumption of at least a passing familiarity with the Holy Land, spewing out places and cities with abandon - and it suffers, as I seem to recall, exactly the same major flaw as its predecessor - all the maps in the book are thrown onto random pages throughout, not really relating to the sections they're in: had the editor put all the maps on the first few pages, for easy reference, the book would be a great deal more palatable for many. Nevertheless by this point the dedicated historian has already studied twenty or so different maps of the relevant places at length while they read: by this point I could pick out the sites of Damascus, Edessa, Alexandria and great Byzantium on an unmarked map in seconds.
There are other, minor faults in this book that the first in the series lacked: because of its much greater timescale, this book suffers from information overload: there are literally hundreds of key players to remember, with most of them sharing the same four or five names: I lost count of the Baldwins and Raymonds herein. It can become a real difficulty to remember the rulers of all the cities in the Holy Land, when time speeds by and they're replaced so fast.
That said, this is as good a book as the first, with some fascinating details about the organisation and hierarchy of the Kingdom of Jerusalem which the first book, obviously, lacked. It's a deep, well-written and fascinating book, and I can't wait to read the last in the trilogy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2012
This book was an excellent reference for the factual details of the period. But, unless you are very interested in the topic, it is dry and tough read because it is so full of the facts. I liked the fact that he got into a lot of the details about the political happenings in the arab world during the period. Over and over, you read and the arab disaray allowed the crusader states to stick around as long as they did. But, Runciman takes you through the issues that the arabs were facing during the period. He also does a good job or speculating on the turning points of crusaders' decisions.
He does dedicate one chapter to drawing a picture of what life would have been like in the crusader states, but it rather short and a small percentage compared to the rest of the book.
The appendexes are full of good information particularly his discussion of the reports of the Battle of Hattin. Consulting his family trees at the end of the book are a MUST for readers, as the families are more confusing than the Imperial Roman ones!
One issue that was a little tough for me, was that he did not use enough dates in his work. I would have appreciated more explicit dates, rather than his style of this happened and then this happened....
I enjoyed reading it at the same time as I was reading a historical fiction novel about the period. Reading the two side by side was a good experience because I was able to use the hard facts from Runciman to ground the fictional novel about the same period.
He does dedicate one chapter to drawing a picture of what life would have been like in the crusader states, but it rather short and a small percentage compared to the rest of the book.
The appendexes are full of good information particularly his discussion of the reports of the Battle of Hattin. Consulting his family trees at the end of the book are a MUST for readers, as the families are more confusing than the Imperial Roman ones!
One issue that was a little tough for me, was that he did not use enough dates in his work. I would have appreciated more explicit dates, rather than his style of this happened and then this happened....
I enjoyed reading it at the same time as I was reading a historical fiction novel about the period. Reading the two side by side was a good experience because I was able to use the hard facts from Runciman to ground the fictional novel about the same period.
February 23, 2019
Writing about a subject, which out of necessity includes a lot of dates, places, names and dynastic intrigues, is not easy.
But this book was not only very interesting but also engaging and fun to read. His style of writing is unique and superb. His reasoning is balanced, clear and engaging
A must read if you are interested in this period.
In my edition the sources were clearly noted on every page with an appendix of all principal sources used, extra details on the battle of Hattin and a bibliography and Geneological Trees.
But this book was not only very interesting but also engaging and fun to read. His style of writing is unique and superb. His reasoning is balanced, clear and engaging
A must read if you are interested in this period.
In my edition the sources were clearly noted on every page with an appendix of all principal sources used, extra details on the battle of Hattin and a bibliography and Geneological Trees.
February 12, 2025
The second volume of the trilogy, covering the period after the First Crusade, the failure of the second crusade and the triumph of Saladin with the recapture of Jerusalem is a dense and galloping narrative.
The constant infighting amongst the crusader heirs, the intrigues caused by the Hospitallers and Templars and the mutual distrust of the Byzantines led to the disaster at Hattin and the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
It’s a depressing read at times, with Frankish stupidity on full display. Saladin appears as the only man of honour, particularly with his behaviour when Jerusalem is retaken.
The machinations in the Moslem world are equally convoluted, and only a historian and writer of Runcimans stature could have made sense of it all.
The constant infighting amongst the crusader heirs, the intrigues caused by the Hospitallers and Templars and the mutual distrust of the Byzantines led to the disaster at Hattin and the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
It’s a depressing read at times, with Frankish stupidity on full display. Saladin appears as the only man of honour, particularly with his behaviour when Jerusalem is retaken.
The machinations in the Moslem world are equally convoluted, and only a historian and writer of Runcimans stature could have made sense of it all.
August 6, 2025
Podtrzymuję swoją opinię popierwszotomową - najlepsza książka, która opowiada o czasach Krucjat i tych pierdolniętych religijno-chciwcowych wojnach. Autor nie stroni od przedstawiania przywar chrześcijańskich bojowników oraz zalet muzułmańskich bojowników — ponieważ bycie honorowym nie jest zarezerwowane tylko dla jedynej prawdziwej wiary. A na koniec cytacik podsumowujący całą historię zawartą w tym tomie:
"(...) prawdziwą jego tragedia była tragedia wszystkich kolonistów frankijskich drugiej i trzeciej generacji, którzy z usposobienia i przekonań politycznych pragnęli stać się cząstką świata orientalnego, ale którzy pod presją fanatyzmu nowo przybyłych z Zachodu pobratymców musieli opowiedzieć się po jednej ze stron (...)"
"(...) prawdziwą jego tragedia była tragedia wszystkich kolonistów frankijskich drugiej i trzeciej generacji, którzy z usposobienia i przekonań politycznych pragnęli stać się cząstką świata orientalnego, ale którzy pod presją fanatyzmu nowo przybyłych z Zachodu pobratymców musieli opowiedzieć się po jednej ze stron (...)"
June 18, 2020
The second volume in Runciman’s wonderful trilogy from the crowning of Baldwin to Saladin’s reconquest of Jerusalem. Runciman does a fantastic job exploring how the Frankish kingdoms in Outremer fought amongst themselves while the Muslim powers became more unified under the gentleman solider Saladin.
As with the first book in the series Runciman’s writing style makes this a pleasure to read. For example:
The gay, gallant trappings of life in Outremer hung thinly over anxiety, uncertainty and fear; and an onlooker might well wonder whether even under the best of rulers the adventure could endure for long.
Similarly to the first book in the series I recommend the follow up.
As with the first book in the series Runciman’s writing style makes this a pleasure to read. For example:
The gay, gallant trappings of life in Outremer hung thinly over anxiety, uncertainty and fear; and an onlooker might well wonder whether even under the best of rulers the adventure could endure for long.
Similarly to the first book in the series I recommend the follow up.
June 6, 2020
The second chapter is another great read of this magnificent story that was the Crusades. All medieval players are presented fairly in their greed, piety and utter folly. Not surprisingly, it is Saladin, the tolerant and gentle Kurd, who united the Moslems, that emerges as the real hero of that period. Runciman writes with authority, balances his sources and delivers an amazing (if somewhat over-detailed) history of what - surely - became a template for the Game of Thrones writers
December 15, 2022
Η τρίτομη ιστορία των Σταυροφοριών του Steven Runciman αποτελεί την πληρέστερη αναφορά στη συγκεκριμένη περίοδο. Το δεύτερο βιβλίο περιγράφει τα τεκταινόμενα στα σταυροφορικά κράτη στον κολοφώνα τη δόξας τους μέχρι την καταστροφή στο Χαττίν και την πτώση της Ιερουσαλήμ στα χέρια του Σαλαδίνου. Εξαιρετικό βέβαια, αμέσως συνεχίζω με το τρίτο βιβλίο της συλλογής!
July 28, 2020
The more I teach this period, the less reliable a guide Runciman seems. Yet, nearly a century on, his writing remains elegant and engaging, particularly his assessment of individuals and their characters.
July 31, 2024
These books are Game of Thrones, but the real-deal. Everything that's been going on in the Middle East has been going on for a very, very, very long time.
If Runciman had kept writing the history of the Middle East from Crusades to contemporary times I would have kept reading!
If Runciman had kept writing the history of the Middle East from Crusades to contemporary times I would have kept reading!
December 5, 2017
A classic in history literature. Just as good as Sicilian Vespers.
February 3, 2019
Excellent, in this book we see the creation of the order of the assassins and the rise of Saladin, and how successful he was! Just read it
February 28, 2021
Review sull'ultimo volume.
June 26, 2024
Номер один в современных исследованиях о основании Иерусалимского Королевства, маст рид)
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