<P>This book explores the causes of the Christian idea of holy war and the nature of the first European colonial settlement in the near east.<BR><UL><LI>Explores how the idea of holy war emerged from the troubled Church of the 11th century, and why Jerusalem and the Holy Land were so important to Europeans </LI><LI>Follows the progress of the major crusading expeditions down to 1336, and offers insights into their continuing failure, charting the development of new attitudes towards Islam and the Muslims </LI><LI>Covers the first European settlement in the Near East, looking at the hybrid society created by the Crusades in the East ¿ its art and architecture, legal systems, economy and political institutions </LI><LI>Uses the most recent research to provide a broad-ranging account of a topic of vital importance for the study of the past and the understanding of the present</LI></UL></P>