Crusading and Warfare in the Middle Ages Realities and Representations. Essays in Honour of John France

This volume has been created by scholars from a range of disciplines who wish to show their appreciation for Professor John France and to celebrate his career and achievements. For many decades, Professor France’s work has been instrumental in many of the advances made in the fields of crusader studies and medieval warfare. He has published widely on these topics including major publications such as: Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade (1994) and Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades (1999). This present volume mirrors his interests, offering studies upon both areas. The fifteen essays cover a wide variety of topics, spanning chronologically from the Carolingian period through to the early fourteenth century. Some offer new insights upon long-contested issues, such as the question of whether a new form of cavalry was created by Charles Martel and his successors or the implications of the Mongol defeat at Ayn Jalut. Others use innovative methodologies to unlock the potential of various types of source material including: manuscript illuminations depicting warfare, Templar graffiti, German crusading songs, and crusading charters. Several of the articles open up new areas of debate connected to the history of crusading. Malcolm Barber discusses why Christendom did not react decisively to the fall of Acre in 1291. Bernard Hamilton explores how the rising Frankish presence in the Eastern Mediterranean during the central medieval period reshaped Christendom’s knowledge and understanding of the North African cultures they encountered. In this way, this work seeks both to advance debate in core areas whilst opening new vistas for future research.

Chapter 1 Carolingian Cavalry in Battle, Clifford J.Rogers; Chapter 2 Cultural Representations of Warfare in the High Middle Ages, RichardAbels; Chapter 3 A Medieval Graffito Representing a Trébuchet in an Etruscan Tomb in Corneto-Tarquinia, DenysPringle; Chapter 4 Encountering the Turks, NicholasMorton; Chapter 5 An Early Muslim Reaction to the First Crusade?, Benjamin Z.Kedar; Chapter 6 Espionage and Military Intelligence during the First Crusade, 1095–99, Susan B.Edgington; Chapter 7 Ralph of Caen as a Military Historian, Bernard S.Bachrach, David S.Bachrach; Chapter 8 ‘Martyrum collegio sociandus haberet’, Helen J.Nicholson; Chapter 9, Alan V.Murray; Chapter 10 Godfrey of Bouillon and the Swan Knight, SimonJohn; Chapter 11, DanielPower; Chapter 12 The Crusades and North-East Africa, BernardHamilton; Chapter 13 Thoros of Armenia and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Peter W.Edbury; Chapter 14 Why Did the West Fail to Recover the Holy Land Between 1291 and 1320?, MalcolmBarber; Chapter 15 Meet the Mongols, KellyDeVries;

Simon John, Oxford University, UK, and Nicholas Morton, Nottingham Trent University, UK.