Title: Crusader castles and modern histories /
Authors: Ellenblum, Roni.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press,
Year: 2007
Subjects: Crusades Historiography.; Castles Middle East History.; Fortification Middle East History.
Abstract: "Through close analysis of siege tactics, defensive strategies, and the structure and distribution of crusader castles, Ellenblum relates patterns of crusader settlement to their environment and demonstrates the influence of opposing cultures on tactics and fortifications. He argues that fortifications were often built according to economic and geographic considerations rather than for strategic reasons or to protect illusory 'frontiers', and that crusader castles are the most evident expression of a cultural dialogue between east and west."--BOOK JACKET.
Contents: Part I. National Discourse and the Study of the Crusades: 1. From moral failure to a source of pride; 2. The narrative of the Crusades and the nationalist discourse; 3. Nationalist discourse and Crusader archaeology; Part II. Crusader Studies Between Colonialist and Post-Colonialist Discourse: 4. Colonial and anti-colonial interpretations; 5. Who invented the concentric castles?; 6. 'Crusader cities, ' 'Muslim cities, ' and the post-Colonial debate; 7. Crusader castle and Crusader city: is it possible to differentiate between the two?; Part III. Geography of Fear and the Spatial Distribution of Frankish Castles: 8. Borders and their defence; 9. Borders, frontiers, and centres; 10. The geography of fear and the creation of the Frankish Frontier; 11. The distribution of Frankish Castles during the twelfth century; Part IV. The Castle as Dialogue Between Siege Tactics and Defence Strategy: 12. Siege and defence of castles during the First Crusade; 13. Frankish siege tactics; 14. Development of Muslim siege tactics; 15. Sieges of the 1160s and 1170s and the appearance of the concentric castles; 16. The construction of a frontier castle: the case of Vadum Iacob; 17. The last years of the Latin kingdom: a new balance of power; Conclusion.