How have the crusades contributed to Islamist rage and terrorism today? Were the crusades the Christian equivalent of modern jihad? In this sweeping yet crisp history, Thomas F. Madden offers and accessible and compelling narrative of the crusades and their contemporary relevance. Now revised and updated to include a fuller discussion of Islam and the crusades in Spain, new scholarship, a detailed chronology, and discussion questions, this brilliant history will enrich our understanding of the crusades and their legacy.

Updated ed. of: A concise history of the Crusades. 1999.

1. The call -- 2. The first crusade -- 3. The rise of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem and the second crusade -- 4. The decline of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem and the third crusade -- 5. The fourth crusade -- 6. Crusading at home -- 7. The fifth crusade and the crusade of Frederick II -- 8. The crusades of St. Louis -- 9. The later crusades -- 10. The legacy of the crusades.