JERUSALEM FALLS:
SEVEN CENTURIES OF WAR AND PEACE
"...meticulous...unwaveringly evenhanded...a fresh perspective elevates this sharp chronicle"
– Publishers Weekly
"an intriguing and occasionally eye-popping account of the Middle Ages' most alluring city"
– The Sunday Times
From the publisher:
The first full account of the medieval struggle for Jerusalem, from the seventh to the thirteenth century.
The history of Jerusalem is one of conflict, faith, and empire. Few cities have been attacked as often and as savagely. This was no less true in the Middle Ages. From the Persian sack in 614 through the bloody First Crusade and beyond, Jerusalem changed hands countless times. But despite these horrific acts of violence, its story during this period is also one of interfaith tolerance and accord.
In this gripping history, John D. Hosler explores the great clashes and delicate settlements of medieval Jerusalem. He examines the city’s many sieges and considers the experiences of its inhabitants of all faiths. The city’s conquerors consistently acknowledged and reinforced the rights of those religious minorities over which they ruled. Deeply researched, this account reveals the way in which Jerusalem’s past has been constructed on partial histories—and urges us to reckon with the city’s broader historical contours.
Edhasa, 2019
"Exhaustively researched, acutely analysed,
beautifully written"
– Times Literary Supplement 2018 Books of the Year
"A gripping account"
– Financial Times 2018 Books of the Year: History
Winner of the 2019 Verbruggen Prize for best book in medieval military history
The first comprehensive history of the most decisive military campaign of the Third Crusade and one of the longest wartime sieges of the Middle Ages. Translated into Spanish and published by Edhasa in 2019.
From the publisher:
The two-year-long siege of Acre (1189–1191) was the most significant military engagement of the Third Crusade, attracting armies from across Europe, Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Maghreb. Drawing on a balanced selection of Christian and Muslim sources, historian John D. Hosler has written the first book-length account of this hard-won victory for the Crusaders, when England’s Richard the Lionheart and King Philip Augustus of France joined forces to defeat the Egyptian Sultan Saladin. Hosler’s lively and engrossing narrative integrates military, political, and religious themes and developments, offers new perspectives on the generals, and provides a full analysis of the tactical, strategic, organizational, and technological aspects on both sides of the conflict. It is the epic story of a monumental confrontation that was the centerpiece of a Holy War in which many thousands fought and died in the name of Christ or Allah.
From peer reviews:
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"impressive analysis"
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"confident and highly engaging"
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"essential reading"
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"scrupulously researched"
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"pleasing eye for detail"
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"of great value to historians"
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"a masterful narrative and analysis"
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"este magnifico libro"
"indispensable reading by an audience of military, intellectual, and political historians interested
in the twelfth century"
– Cary J. Nederman, Texas A&M University
From the publisher:
The English scholar John of Salisbury was a major intellectual of the twelfth century whose contributions to the fields of education, grammar, political theory, and rhetoric are well-known. His significance is amplified further in John of Salisbury: Military Authority of the Twelfth-Century Renaissance, in which John D. Hosler examines his heretofore overlooked contributions to the ideals and practice of medieval warfare. This book surveys an array of military topics present within John’s extant corpus, including generalship, strategy, tactics, logistics, military organization, and training; it also collates John’s military lexicon and charts the influence of classical texts upon his conceptualization of war. John of Salisbury, it argues, deserves inclusion in the roll-call of military theoreticians and writers of pre-Reformation Europe.
From peer reviews:
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"very impressive, insightful, and well-researched book"
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"a model for future studies"
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"fascinating study"
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"a thorough analysis"
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"an important work"
"valuable for specialists in medieval military history and the history of twelfth-century Europe"
– David S. Bachrach, University of New Hampshire
From the publisher:
There are no book-length studies in any language on the military career of King Henry II of England (1154-1189). Historians have generally regarded his warfare as cautious and limited, and the king himself, while noted for his considerable political and legal accomplishments, is not considered one of the great commanders of the Middle Ages. This book reexamines the medieval evidence and situates Henry II within the context of practiced warfare of the twelfth century. It sketches a narrative of his military activities from boyhood to death and examines his use of fortifications, manpower, strategy, tactics, and weaponry in the prosecution of war. The result is a revision of the king's military legacy: far from a passive or disinterested general, Henry II sought to vanquish his foes and expand his empire by way of direct military confrontation and was, in reality, a proficient commander of men.
From peer reviews:
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"a useful guide to the debate about twelfth-century warfare"
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"flüssig geschiebenen Werkes ... zu einen Gewinn"
"This brief, provocative, and accessible book offers snapshots of seven pernicious myths in military history that have been perpetrated on unsuspecting students, readers, moviegoers, game players, and politicians. It promotes awareness of how myths are created by 'the spurious misuse and ignorance of history' and how misleading ideas about a military problem, as in asymmetric warfare, can lead to misguided solutions. Both scholarly and engaging, this book is an ideal addition to military history and historical methodology courses. In fact, it could be fruitfully used in any course that teaches critical thinking skills, including courses outside the discipline of history. Military history has a broad appeal to students, and there’s something here for everyone. From the so-called 'Western Way of War' to its sister-myth, technological determinism, to the ‘academic party game’ of once-faddish ‘Military Revolutions,’ the book shows that while myths about history may be fun, myth busting is the most fun of all."
—Reina Pennington, Norwich University
“Why does military history generate so many myths? Is it because easily digestible myths make the subject easier to teach and study? Or because such myths help to paper over the simple but depressing fact that mankind has, since its very origins, permitted the slaughter of millions, often for the most minor of reasons? While such questions are difficult if not impossible to answer, in bringing together seven of the world’s finest military historians to dispel seven of these myths, John Hosler provides a great service in laying bare the myths’ origins. Anyone interested in the subject should read this book first, before embarking on further study.”
—Kelly Devries, Loyola University Maryland
From the publisher:
Essays on aspects of medieval military history, encompassing the most recent critical approaches. The essays in this volume honour the career and achievements of Richard Abels, the distinguished historian of medieval military history; in particular, they aim to reflect how the "cultural turn" in the field has led to exciting new developments in scholarship. Ranging from the late eighth century to the fifteenth, from northern England to the Levant, the chapters analyze how medieval kings and commanders practiced a genuine military science, how the meanings of victory and defeat were constructed by chroniclers and whole societies, how wars were remembered and propagandized, and how religion and war mixed.
From peer reviews:
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"An excellent scholar deserves an excellent festschrift...a volume that both honors Abels and advances our understanding of many of the themes present in his own work. "
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"a commendable job in bringing together an Anglo-American medley of well-known scholars to honor the distinguished career of Richard P. Abels"
From the publisher:
Where Heaven and Earth Meet is a Festschrift in honor of Daniel F. Callahan, Professor of History at the University of Delaware. It is an interdisciplinary collection that celebrates and advances research in his principal scholarly interests. One central focus is on the writings of Ademar of Chabannes and what they reveal about heresy, music, warfare, and the Peace of God in the early Middle Ages. Another is on Western religious history (ecclesiastical houses, hagiography, and papal writings), and the collection is rounded out by studies of early Islamic Jerusalem as well as Arabic numismatics. Contributing authors include Professor Callahan’s former classmates, graduate students, colleagues and admirers of his research. The collection will be of interest to researchers in art history, history, musicology, and religion.