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Fighting between Christians and Muslims in the medieval period is often seen in the narrow context of the battle for the Holy Land. As historian David Nicolle shows in Fighting for the Faith: The Many Fronts of Crusade & Jihad, 1000-1500 AD, not only were there many other points of conflict that tend to be ignored-the Iberian Peninsula, the Near East, Central Asia, India, the Balkans, Anatolia, Russia, and Africa-it is a misconception that there was a "clash of civilizations." Christians and Muslims were as much partners as they were rivals, conducting both trade and cultural exchanges for centuries. In fact, the religious wars that raged for over 500 years often pitted Christians or Muslims against Hindus, Buddhists, Manichaeans, and other religious groups, as well as schisms within their own religions, such as Orthodox Christians battling Catholics and Sunni fighting Shia. Following a history of the rise of Christian military power, the book then discusses the arc of conflict across the medieval world and how over the centuries, Christian and Muslim armies attempted to conquer, subjugate, or influence much of the known world while avoiding fighting each other as often as actually offering military engagement. This fascinating history debunks many popular conceptions about medieval warfare. The book also includes detailed descriptions of the arms market, armor manufacture for both soldiers and animals, geographical differences in fortifications and siege warfare, the organization and tactics of the armies involved, and customs in victory and defeat. With its inclusion of important but overlooked religious groups and in its geographical scope, Fighting for the Faith provides a new understanding of the phenomenon of Holy War in the Middle Ages.
DAVID NICOLLE, a historian of medieval warfare, is author of numerous books, including the Medieval Warfare Sourcebook and Crusader Warfare: Byzantium, Western Europe, and the Struggle for the Holy Land.
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Fighting for the Faith