Byzantium and the Crusades

Byzantium and the Crusades by Jonathan Harris is a classic text that chronologically surveys Byzantine history during the time of the Crusades. The book reveals the attitudes of the Byzantine ruling elites towards the Crusades and their ultimate inability to adapt to the challenges this presented.

Using evidence amassed from a wealth of primary sources, Harris effectively demonstrates that Byzantine interactions with Western Europe, the Crusades, and the crusader states are best understood through the nature of the Byzantine Empire and the ideology which underpinned it, rather than through any generalised hostility between the peoples.

Incorporating recent scholarship, this third edition includes 25 further images, as well as additional maps and genealogical tables. This new edition also features two significant additions to the text:

Appendix I includes seven critical Latin primary sources taken from across three centuries. Translated by the author, these sources are discussed in detail, providing multiple first-hand perspectives on the subject.

Appendix II offers assessments of various representations of the subject in key fiction and non-fiction works. This enriches your appreciation of the way Byzantine interaction with the Crusades has been constructed over time, from various standpoints and in different languages.

This book remains a cornerstone for understanding the East-West relationship during the Crusades and its implications for the Byzantine Empire.