Product Description

The First Crusade received its name and shape late. To its contemporaries, the event was a journey and the men who took part in it pilgrims. Only later were those participants dubbed Crusaders-"those signed with the Cross." In fact, many developments with regard to the First Crusade, like the bestowing of the cross and the elaboration of Crusaders' privileges, did not occur until the late twelfth century, almost one hundred years after the event itself. In a greatly expanded second edition, Edward Peters brings together the primary texts that document eleventh-century reform ecclesiology, the appearance of new social groups and their attitudes, the institutional and literary evidence dealing with Holy War and pilgrimage, and, most important, the firsthand experiences by men who participated in the events of 1095-1099. Peters supplements his previous work by including a considerable number of texts not available at the time of the original publication. The new material, which constitutes nearly one-third of the book, consists chiefly of materials from non-Christian sources, especially translations of documents written in Hebrew and Arabic. In addition, Peters has extensively revised and expanded the Introduction to address the most important issues of recent scholarship.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #157156 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

About the Author
Edward Peters is Henry Charles Lea Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. His publications include Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History, all available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Customer Reviews

Useless compilation ..............
When you read the title of this book , then you think you are buying the Chronicle of Fulcher , surprise,surprise .... you only get a compilation of different authors , and only some 53 pages of the Fulcher Chronicle ........this book is not worth your money . If you want the Chronicle of Fulcher , then buy " Fulcher history of the expedition to Jerusalem " .... that book has the full chronicle and is even cheaper ....

Peter's Collection of Chronicles Only Partial
While this collection of chronicles of the First Crusade from primary sources is certainly valuable, it is limited by the fact that the editor has chosen to include only those sources that have already been translated, thus leaving many other valuable and informative accounts absent. As many of the chroniclers' accounts possess bias and errors, or were written secondhand or after events had taken place, only a reading of all the primary sources offers the reader the chance to sift and attempt to reassemble events through comparison. In this regard John France's book "Victory in the East," while a secondary retelling from a largely military perspective, perhaps offers greater value.

Certainly a must for any scholar of the period, but likely to tire the ordinary or casual reader. This printing is further marred by a flimsy binding that falls apart before one can complete the reading.