The World of the Crusades

29 May 2019

The latest book by Professor of History of the Crusades, Christoper Tyerman, was published last week, re-imagining the period in the light of objects made and used by the crusaders themselves.

The crusades are often seen through the lens of religious ideology, making it easy to forget that crusaders amassed wealth and possessions of all sorts, from castles and land to reliquaries and weaponry. The World of the Crusades considers both this history and the objects it left behind – architecture, sculpture, jewellery, paintings and manuscripts – offering a new understanding of how the crusaders articulated their mission and viewed their place in the world.

Christopher Tyerman is a Tutorial Fellow in History at Hertford. His previous books include God’s War, The Debate on the Crusades, and How to Plan a Crusade. His next project is a brand-new book on the history of Hertford College, due to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our incorporation out of previous educational institutions in 2024. If you’re an alumni of the college, see our Archive Appeal for material to be included in this new history.

The images below show Prof. Tyerman alongside a Fragment of a Bowl with a Horse and Rider from the early 13th century, held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.