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The First Crusaders, 1095-1131
Much has been written about the crusades, but very little about the crusaders. What moved them to go? What preparations did they need to make? How did they react to their experiences? This book comes up with detailed answers to these questions, and offers the first systematic reading of a large cache of contemporary source material. The author identifies family clusters of crusaders across Europe, whose collective commitment manifested itself in support for the new settlements in the East.
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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About the author
Jonathan Riley-Smith
43 books48 followersJonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Cambridge, was educated at Eton College and Trinity College Cambridge. He received his BA (1960), MA (1964), PhD (1964) and LittD (2001) from Cambridge.
From 1964–1972 Dr. Riley-Smith taught in the Department of Medieval History at the Unversity of St Andrews, first as assistant lecturer, until 1966, then as lecturer. From 1972 until 1978, he served on the history faculty at the University of Cambridge. He was professor of history at the University of London from 1978 until 1994. Since 1994, Professor Riley-Smith has served on the faculties of history and divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. From 1997 to 1999 he was chair of the faculty of history.
He was a founder member (1980), acting secretary (1980–1982) and president (1987–1995) of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East. Other positions he has held include Knight of Grace and Devotion, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Officer of Merit, Order Pro Merito Melitens, and Knight of Justice, Most Venerable Order of St John.
From 1964–1972 Dr. Riley-Smith taught in the Department of Medieval History at the Unversity of St Andrews, first as assistant lecturer, until 1966, then as lecturer. From 1972 until 1978, he served on the history faculty at the University of Cambridge. He was professor of history at the University of London from 1978 until 1994. Since 1994, Professor Riley-Smith has served on the faculties of history and divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. From 1997 to 1999 he was chair of the faculty of history.
He was a founder member (1980), acting secretary (1980–1982) and president (1987–1995) of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East. Other positions he has held include Knight of Grace and Devotion, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Officer of Merit, Order Pro Merito Melitens, and Knight of Justice, Most Venerable Order of St John.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 28, 2011
Very good book. Jonathan Riley-Smith does a nice job debunking a lot of the more common myths about why the crusades happened. The vast majority of the time, Crusaders didn't head east in the hopes of getting more land, more money, or as second (or third or fourth) sons who were essentially kicked out to avoid problems with splitting up the family patrimony. Crusading was a massively expensive business, and very few people made any money off of it (most wound up having to sell or mortgage their land). Very few stayed in the east, much less got any land, and older sons went just as often as younger sons.
Instead, Riley-Smith uses an extensive investigation of charter data to figure out that most crusaders came from families that had backgrounds supporting the 11th century Gregorian reform movement or a history of undertaking (peaceful) pilgrimages to Jerusalem. These families tended to be supportive of crusader endeavors, and would help crusaders finance their trip and take care of their lands while they were away. Consequently, since the crusade was so heavily influenced by these family ties, the Latin Kingdom was frequently (and temporarily dominated) by extended family networks like the Montlherys and the Lusignans.
It's a very clear and well-documented argument. It's also better for being flexible. Riley-Smith acknowledges that the decision to go on crusade was often very personal and very impulsive, but also notes that more often than not these decisions arose in an environment that was generally conducive to them. Overall, a good (and fairly accessible) introduction if you'd like to get an idea of how the crusade movement got going and why it appealed to so many people.
Instead, Riley-Smith uses an extensive investigation of charter data to figure out that most crusaders came from families that had backgrounds supporting the 11th century Gregorian reform movement or a history of undertaking (peaceful) pilgrimages to Jerusalem. These families tended to be supportive of crusader endeavors, and would help crusaders finance their trip and take care of their lands while they were away. Consequently, since the crusade was so heavily influenced by these family ties, the Latin Kingdom was frequently (and temporarily dominated) by extended family networks like the Montlherys and the Lusignans.
It's a very clear and well-documented argument. It's also better for being flexible. Riley-Smith acknowledges that the decision to go on crusade was often very personal and very impulsive, but also notes that more often than not these decisions arose in an environment that was generally conducive to them. Overall, a good (and fairly accessible) introduction if you'd like to get an idea of how the crusade movement got going and why it appealed to so many people.
June 7, 2022
A well-researched and well-organized history of the First Crusade.
Riley-Smith covers the crusaders and their origins, backgrounds, motives, and how they prepared for their venture. He shows how revolutionary the idea of a crusade was for the time, how it impacted families differently, how people’s connections were used to spread the message and obtain supplies, how the expeditions’ huge costs were paid for, and the great sacrifices people made to join the expedition. The book is mostly focused on Europe, and there is little on the military aspects.
Riley-Smith’s use of the first-person can get a little annoying, and some of the details are a slog. Still, an interesting and balanced work.
Riley-Smith covers the crusaders and their origins, backgrounds, motives, and how they prepared for their venture. He shows how revolutionary the idea of a crusade was for the time, how it impacted families differently, how people’s connections were used to spread the message and obtain supplies, how the expeditions’ huge costs were paid for, and the great sacrifices people made to join the expedition. The book is mostly focused on Europe, and there is little on the military aspects.
Riley-Smith’s use of the first-person can get a little annoying, and some of the details are a slog. Still, an interesting and balanced work.
February 4, 2021
My actual rating of this book would be a 3-star one and I think, in a perfect world, I really should be rating it with a 5-star review, so I settled on this 4-star one. This book should receive a 5-star review for its intensely rich content; the depth of Riley-Smiths research blows my mind. He is one of the greatest scholars of the Crusades and one could see why he deserves that title by reading this book. But I would have given a 3-star review if I was going to rate this from my actual standpoint as a non-academic reader of medieval scholarship because of the exact same content: the intensity of this book made it a bit too difficult to follow; there is a trace of narrative history here but it is more of a listing of similar events under certain headlines more than anything else. So, if I was a medieval scholar or student this would have been 5 and if I was rating it with my non-academic ignorance I would have given it that 3. So, I give it a 4-star rating to satisfy both tendencies.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews