Jump directly to the Content

Christian History

Home > Christian History > Archives > Issue 40: The Crusades

Issue 40 : The Crusades

Originally published in 1993

Issue 40

Subscribe to Christianity Today magazine and get instant access to all past issues of Christian History.

Table of Contents

Objections to Crusades Answered

An experienced crusade preacher defends holy war

Humbert of Romans
The Children's Crusade

They innocently headed for the Holy Land, not knowing they would never return.

Sir Steven Runciman
The Crusades: Did You Know?

Little Known Facts about the Crusades.

Caroline T. Marshall
The Crusades: From the Editor - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Mark Galli
Bloody Pilgrimage

As the crusaders assaulted Jerusalem, the holy and savage joined hands.

Mark Galli
How Could Christians Do This?

Why followers of the Prince of Peace waged war.

Bruce L. Shelley
Why You Should Crusade

Bernard of Clairvaux, who wrote the beautiful essay On Loving God, also urged Christians to fight for Christ. Here are some excerpts from a letter written in 1147.
The Crusades: A Gallery of Martial Monks & Holy Kings

The great preachers, planners, and fighters of the Holy Land crusades.

Stephen Miller
Major Crusades to the East: Christian History Timeline
The Muslim Defense

Christians thought they had liberated Jerusalem from infidels. But what did Muslims think?

Hadia Dajani-Shakeel
Puzzling Encounters

Usama ibn Munqidh was emir of Shizar in the twelfth century, when Christians occupied much of the Holy Land. Here are three accounts of his experience with the clash of cultures.
Women of the Cross

The devout, combative, and scandalous women who shared in the Crusades.

Ronald C. Finucane
Long Journey to Jerusalem

Whether by land or sea, a crusade to the East was difficult and dangerous.
The Fighting Monks

In the new religious orders, Christians blended poverty, chastity, and military fervor.

Michael Gervers
Holy Violence Then and Now

A historian looks at the causes and lingering effects of Christian warfare.

Jonathan Riley-Smith
The Crusades: Recommended Resources

The last few decades have seen a resurgence of crusades studies. Here are several of the many fine works available.

James M. Powell

Loading More

Current Issue

April 2023 Subscribe

April

Read This Issue

Free Newsletters

More Newsletters

Today in Christian History

March 27, 1667: English poet John Milton publishes Paradise Lost, an epic of humankind's creation and fall.

More from March 27

Most Popular

The Real St. Patrick
Ted Olsen
The Apostle Paul and His Times: Christian History Timeline
Janet Meyer Everts
Persecution in the Early Church: Did You Know?
Everett Ferguson
Martin LutherIndonesian
Why Did So Many Christians Support Slavery?
The Editors