Why the Crusaders had so much trouble...

... taking Jerusalem.


collateral damage.

Movie reviews of Bad Crusader movies

One more URL from Mediev-L, this one of a student's reviews of more movies about the Crusades than I ever dreamed existed. Especially on "the female side of fighting." (the reviews revolve around the idea of examining the role of women in the Crusades)

Genetics and the Crusaders

The next great non-written resource for studying the history of humanity is genetics. When the Crusades went through Lebanon the men of the Christian armies left unmistakable evidence of their passing and settlement. The fascinating thing is that it was primarily among the Christian population of Lebanon that these genetic markers appear. The Muslim population shows equally clear evidence of Arab expansion.

There is obviously a story there that involves a bit more than arms, combat, bigotry and atrocities.