The Crusades: An Encyclopedia Alan V. Murray, Editor In 1095 Pope Urban II summoned the knights of Western Europe to liberate their fellow Christians in the Holy Land from Turkish rule. It was the beginning of nearly six centuries of conflict that would ultimately encompass the breadth of Europe, the Near East, Africa, and beyond. The Crusades: An Encyclopedia is the first major work of reference to capture the full monumental scope of one the most influential religious movements of the Middle Ages - a movement whose impact endures into modern times. In four volumes, The Crusades: An Encyclopedia features: • 1000 A-Z entries and translated texts on individual crusades and crusaders, rulers of crusader states and their enemies, places, institutions, literary and historiographical sources, and thematic topics • 120 contributors representing 25 countries • A chronology of crusading expeditions • 54 maps of major crusades and settlements in the Holy Land, Greece, Iberia, and the Baltic lands, plus a wealth of photographs and illustrations The Crusades is the only work of its kind to encompass the entire crusade movement from its beginnings in the 11th century through the early modern period, including crusades to the Holy Land, Iberia, Greece, Eastern Europe, the Baltic region, and elsewhere. Featuring a wealth of recent scholarship and a multinational perspective, The Crusades is informative, accessible, and engaging, showing readers just how relevant the study of these conflicts remains today. Alan V. Murray, Ph.D., is lecturer in medieval studies at the University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. His published works include The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A Dynastic History 1099-1125 as well as other works on the history and literature of the Crusades.