Background
Riley-Smith, Jonathan Simon Christopher was born on June 27, 1938 in Harrogate, United Kingdom. Son of William Henry Douglas and Elspeth Agnes Mary (Henderson) Riley-S.
( Focusing on the inner-workings of the First Crusade in ...)
Focusing on the inner-workings of the First Crusade in a way that no other work has done, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading delves into the Crusade's organization, its finances, and the division of authority and responsibility among its leaders and their relationships with one another and with their subordinates. In the year 1095, Pope Urban II initiated what is known today as the First Crusade. Following what was then conventional practice among church reformers, the Pope referred to his war of liberation as Christ's own war, to be fought in accordance with God's will and intentions. Urban II called this a war of liberation for two reasons: one, to free the church of Jerusalem from oppression and pillage by the Muslims and to liberate western churches in general; and two, to free the city of Jerusalem from the servitude into which it has fallen. This summons of the lay knight to the faith between 1095 and 1096 was Urban II's personal response to an appeal that had reached him from eastern Christians. In this classic work, Jonathan Riley-Smith, today one of the world's most renowned crusade historians, approaches this central and well-known topic of medieval history with freshness and impeccable research. Through the vivid presentation of a wide range of European chronicles and charter collections, Riley-Smith provides a striking illumination of crusader motives and responses and a thoughtful analysis of the mechanisms that made this expedition successful.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812213637/?tag=2022091-20
(Much has been written about the crusades, but very little...)
Much has been written about the crusades, but very little about the crusaders. What moved them to go? What preparations did they need to make? How did they react to their experiences? This book comes up with detailed answers to these questions, and offers the first systematic reading of a large cache of contemporary source material. The author identifies family clusters of crusaders across Europe, whose collective commitment manifested itself in support for the new settlements in the East.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521646030/?tag=2022091-20
(The Hospitallers were a crusading order, founded in Jerus...)
The Hospitallers were a crusading order, founded in Jerusalem and devoted both to nursing and fighting the Infidel. This history traces the development of the Order of St John from 1099 through a mid-19th-century redefinition to its current position as a leading provider of emergency medical care.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1852851961/?tag=2022091-20
( Jonathan Riley-Smith here provides a comprehensive hist...)
Jonathan Riley-Smith here provides a comprehensive history of the Crusades: an account of the theology of violence behind the Crusades, the major Crusades, the experience of crusading, and the crusaders themselves. With a wealth of fascinating detail, Riley-Smith brings to life these stirring expeditions to the Holy Land and the politics and personalities behind them. His book will be the standard and authoritative account of the Crusades for years to come. This new edition includes revisions throughout as well as a new Preface and Afterword in which Jonathan Riley-Smith surveys recent developments in the field and examines responses to the Crusades in different periods, from the Romantics to the Islamic world today. From reviews of the first edition: “Everything is here: the crusades to the Holy Land, and against the Albigensians, the Moors, the pagans in Eastern Europe, the Turks, and the enemies of the popes. Riley-Smith writes a beautiful, lucid prose, . . . [and his book] is packed with facts and action.”—Choice “A concise, clearly written synthesis . . . by one of the leading historians of the crusading movement. ”—Robert S. Gottfried, Historian “A lively and flowing narrative [with] an enormous cast of characters that is not a mere catalog but a history. . . . A remarkable achievement.”—Thomas E. Morrissey, Church History “Superb.”—Reuven S. Avi-Yonah, Speculum “A first-rate one-volume survey of the Crusading movement from 1074 . . . to 1798.”—Southwest Catholic
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300101287/?tag=2022091-20
( The Crusades were penitential war-pilgrimages fought in...)
The Crusades were penitential war-pilgrimages fought in the Levant and the eastern Mediterranean, as well as in North Africa, Spain, Portugal, Poland, the Baltic region, Hungary, the Balkans, and Western Europe. Beginning in the eleventh century and ending as late as the eighteenth, these holy wars were waged against Muslims and other enemies of the Church, enlisting generations of laymen and laywomen to fight for the sake of Christendom. Crusading features prominently in today's religio-political hostilities, yet the perceptions of these wars held by Arab nationalists, pan-Islamists, and many in the West have been deeply distorted by the language and imagery of nineteenth-century European imperialism. With this book, Jonathan Riley-Smith returns to the actual story of the Crusades, explaining why and where they were fought and how deeply their narratives and symbolism became embedded in popular Catholic thought and devotional life. From this history, Riley-Smith traces the legacy of the Crusades into modern times, specifically within the attitudes of European imperialists and colonialists and within the beliefs of twentieth-century Muslims. Europeans fashioned an interpretation of the Crusades from the writings of Walter Scott and a French contemporary, Joseph-François Michaud. Scott portrayed Islamic societies as forward-thinking, while casting Christian crusaders as culturally backward and often morally corrupt. Michaud, in contrast, glorified crusading, and his followers used its imagery to illuminate imperial adventures. These depictions have had a profound influence on contemporary Western opinion, as well as on Muslim attitudes toward their past and present. Whether regarded as a valid expression of Christianity's divine enterprise or condemned as a weapon of empire, crusading has been a powerful rhetorical tool for centuries. In order to understand the preoccupations of Islamist jihadis and the character of Western discourse on the Middle East, Riley-Smith argues, we must understand how images of crusading were formed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0231146256/?tag=2022091-20
(With flair and originality, Christopher Tyerman presents ...)
With flair and originality, Christopher Tyerman presents a clear and lively discussion of the Crusades, bringing together issues of colonialism, cultural exchange, economic exploitation, and the relationship between past and present. He considers the effects of the Crusades on ordinary life in Western Europe, and the parts played by ordinary men and women in the conflict, and explores the term "Crusade" for contemporary political ends. Whether the Crusades are regarded as the most romantic of Christian expeditions, or the last of the barbarian invasions, they have fascinated generations ever since, and their legacy of ideas and imagery has resonated through the centuries, inspiring Hollywood movies and great works of literature. In this book, Tyerman skillfully weaves together one of the most extraordinary and vivid episodes in world history.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192806556/?tag=2022091-20
(The Prior of the Knights Hospitaller played a major role ...)
The Prior of the Knights Hospitaller played a major role not only within the Order, but also in the wider arena of English - and indeed European - politics. This role, and its changes between 1272 and 1540, are the focus of this new book, which draws extensively on archival material both in the United Kingdom and in the Hospitaller archives at Malta. It argues that the Prior's allegiance to the crown was as important as his allegiance to his order, that the relationship between crown and priory was generally cordial and that usually there was no contradiction between service to crown and convent. It demonstrates a general expansion in the public roles of the Hospitaller Prior, not just under the most politically important Priors. It analyses the Priors' interactions with financially important merchants and the terms that three Priors served as treasurers of England. Finally, by revealing how the order lost political control of its estates, it contributes to the broader themes of secularisation and emerging nationalism. Dr SIMON PHILLIPS is a Research Associate of the University of Cyprus and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1843834375/?tag=2022091-20
(With flair and originality, Christopher Tyerman presents ...)
With flair and originality, Christopher Tyerman presents a clear and lively discussion of the Crusades, bringing together issues of colonialism, cultural exchange, economic exploitation, and the relationship between past and present. He considers the effects of the Crusades on ordinary life in Western Europe, and the parts played by ordinary men and women in the conflict, and explores the term "Crusade" for contemporary political ends. Whether the Crusades are regarded as the most romantic of Christian expeditions, or the last of the barbarian invasions, they have fascinated generations ever since, and their legacy of ideas and imagery has resonated through the centuries, inspiring Hollywood movies and great works of literature. In this book, Tyerman skillfully weaves together one of the most extraordinary and vivid episodes in world history.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192806556/?tag=2022091-20
( Few attempts had been made to define 'the crusade' befo...)
Few attempts had been made to define 'the crusade' before this book was first published in 1977. Since then, a number of historians have built on Jonathan Riley-Smith's original conclusions. Now in its fourth edition, this classic starting point for the study of the crusading movement has been updated to take into account the latest developments in the field. What Were the Crusades? • elucidates key ideas and institutions which have been neglected in the past • demonstrates, through the analysis of European campaigns, that the movement was not confined to expeditions launched to recover the Holy Land - or to defend the Christian presence there - and shows that it continued, in one form or another, into the eighteenth century and perhaps beyond • draws attention to the increasing interest of historians in the motivation of crusaders • now includes material on a child crusader and concludes with a short discussion of the current effects of aggressive Pan-Islamism • features a new map illustrating the different theatres of war Original in its conception, this essential guide is a contribution of major importance to crusading scholarship. In its clear and concise treatment of the issues, it remains an unequalled introduction to the subject for students and general readers alike.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158617360X/?tag=2022091-20
( The Crusades: A History is the definitive account of a ...)
The Crusades: A History is the definitive account of a key topic in medieval and religious history. Jonathan Riley-Smith, a world authority on the subject, explores the organisation of a crusade, the experience of crusading and the crusaders themselves, producing a textbook that is as accessible as it is comprehensive. This exciting new third edition includes: - Substantial new material on crusade theory, historiography and translated texts - An expanded scope that extends the text to cover the decline of crusading in the nineteenth century - Valuable pedagogical features, such as a revised bibliography, maps, illustrations and a brand new chronology This book is essential reading for all students and scholars seeking to understand the Crusades and their significance in world history.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1472513517/?tag=2022091-20
Riley-Smith, Jonathan Simon Christopher was born on June 27, 1938 in Harrogate, United Kingdom. Son of William Henry Douglas and Elspeth Agnes Mary (Henderson) Riley-S.
Bachelor, Trinity College, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1960. Master of Arts, Trinity College, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1964. Doctor of Philosophy, Trinity College, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1964.
Doctor of Letters, Trinity College, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2001.
Assistant lecturer, U. St. Andrews, Scotland, 1964-1965;lecturer, U. St. Andrews, Scotland, 1966-1972;assistant lecturer, U. Cambridge, England, 1972-1975;lecturer, U. Cambridge, England, 1975-1978;Dixie professor ecclesiastical history, U. Cambridge, England, since 1994;professor of history, Royal Holloway College U. London, 1978-1994. Fellow Queen's College, Cambridge, 1972-1978, Emmanuel College, Cambridge, since 1994.
( Focusing on the inner-workings of the First Crusade in ...)
(With flair and originality, Christopher Tyerman presents ...)
(With flair and originality, Christopher Tyerman presents ...)
( Jonathan Riley-Smith here provides a comprehensive hist...)
( The Crusades were penitential war-pilgrimages fought in...)
(The Prior of the Knights Hospitaller played a major role ...)
(The Hospitallers were a crusading order, founded in Jerus...)
( The Crusades: A History is the definitive account of a ...)
( Few attempts had been made to define 'the crusade' befo...)
(Much has been written about the crusades, but very little...)
(This is an example product description.)
Author: The Knights of St. John in Jerusalem and Cyprus, 1967, The Feudal Nobility and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1973, What Were the Crusades?, 1977, second edition, 1991, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading, 1986 (prix Schlumberger 1988), The Crusades, 1987, The First Crusaders, 1997, Hospitallers, 1999, Al sequito delle Crociate, 2000, Dei gesta per Frances, 2001.
Librarian Priory Scotland Most Venerable Order St. John, 1966-1978, Grand Priory Most Venerable Order St. John, London, since 1982. Fellow Royal History Society. Member Society Study Crusades & Latin East (president 1987-1995).
Son of William Henry Douglas and Elspeth Agnes Mary (Henderson) Riley-S.;m. Marie-Louise Jeannetta Field, July 27, 1968. Children: Tobias Augustine William, Tamsin Elspeth Hermione, Hippolyta Clemency Magdalen.