• Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Crusader Strategy: Defending the Holy Land

Crusader Strategy: Defending the Holy Land

Paperback

General Military HistoryIsrael & Palestine HistoryMilitary Strategy

PREORDER - Expected ship date October 20, 2026

ISBN10: 0300292821
ISBN13: 9780300292824
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: Oct 20 2026
Pages: 384
Language: English
Engagingly written.--Andrew D Buck, BBC History Magazine

[A] compelling book.--Ian Garrick-Mason, Spectator

Shortlisted for the 2020 Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History

A new look at the crusaders, which shows how they pursued long-term plans and clear strategic goals

Medieval states, and particularly crusader societies, often have been considered brutish and culturally isolated. It seems unlikely that they could develop strategy in any meaningful sense. However, the crusaders were actually highly organized in their thinking and their decision making was rarely random.

In this lively account, Steve Tibble draws on a rich array of primary sources to reassess events on the ground and patterns of behavior over time. He shows how, from aggressive castle building to implementing a series of invasions of Egypt, crusader leaders tenaciously pursued long-term plans and devoted single-minded attention to clear strategic goals. Crusader states were permanently on the brink of destruction; resources were scarce and the penalties for failure severe. Intuitive strategic thinking, Tibble argues, was a necessity, not a luxury.

Also in

General Military History