Crusading Spirituality in the Holy Land and Iberia, c.1095-c.1187

Argues for a new context for the origins and development of crusading, as an imitation of Christ. For much of the twelfth century the ideals and activities of crusaders were often described in language more normally associated with a monastic rather than a military vocation; like those who took religious vows, crusaders were repeatedly depicted as being driven by a desire to imitate Christ and to live according to the values of the primitive Church. This book argues that the significance of thes