A History of the Crusades I: The First Crusade and the Foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

The first volume of Steven Runciman''s classic, hugely influential trilogy on the history of the Crusades

''On a February day in the year AD 638 the Caliph Omar entered Jerusalem, riding upon a white camel''

An enthralling work of grand historical narrative, Steven Runciman''s A History of the Crusades overturned the traditional view of the Crusades as a romantic Christian adventure, and instead shifted the focus of the story to the East. With verve and drama, volume one of Runciman''s trilogy tells the story of the First Crusade - from its unlikely beginnings in pilgrimage to the horrors of the siege of Jerusalem and the carving out of new territory on the edge of the eastern Mediterranean.

''Without question one of the major feats of contemporary historical writing'' The New York Times

''The historian whose magisterial works transformed our understanding of Byzantium, the medieval church and the crusades'' Guardian

Steven Runciman (1903–2000) was a British historian renowned for his works on the Byzantine Empire, the Crusades, and medieval history. His most famous work, A History of the Crusades, is a three-volume series that explores the religious and cultural conflicts between Christians and Muslims during the Crusades with a narrative style that made complex historical events accessible to general readers. Runciman’s scholarship is notable for its detail, vivid storytelling, and a sympathetic view of Byzantine culture, which challenged many Western perspectives of his time. His contributions have left a lasting impact on medieval and Byzantine studies.