The Creation of the Principality of Antioch, 1098-1130 by Thomas S Asbridge (PDF)

Description

The First Crusade wrought many changes across the medieval world, not least in Levant, where the expedition culminated in the Frankish conquest of much of Syria and Palestine. This book is the first major study of the early history of one of these Latin settlements, the principality of Antioch; it reasserts the significance of Antioch, and challenges the dominant position of the kingdom of Jerusalem in modern crusading historiography. Thomas Asbridge examines the formation of Antioch’s political, military and ecclesiastical frameworks and explains how the principality survived in the hostile political environment of the Near East. He also demonstrates that Latin Antioch was shapedby the complex world of the Levant, facing a diverse range of influences and potential threats from the neighbouring forces of Byzantium and Islam. Historians of the Frankish East and of medieval Europe in the eleventh century will find this an important contribution to crusading history; it is also a significant contribution to the study of frontier societies and medieval communities. THOMAS S. ASBRIDGE is lecturer in early medieval history at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review A book in the best tradition of advanced military history. . The importance of Antioch for the Latin East should not be underestimated, and [this] book makes it authoritatively clear. ― CRUSADESA significant contribution to the understanding of early Frankish Antioch. ― JOURNAL OF ENGLISH & GERMANIC PHILOLOGYA welcome addition to the crusaders’ historiography, bringing fresh insights into the history of the crusader states. ― SPECULUMA valuable contribution to our understanding of the Antiochene principality. ― HISTORYThis lucid and careful study will serve a generation. ― MEDIEVAL REVIEW [US]Welcome and overdue. ― ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEWA welcome addition to crusading history. ― ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY About the Author THOMAS S. ASBRIDGE is lecturer in early medieval history at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐First posted on Amazon.co.uk on 24 November 2011I bough this book some years ago, read it, loved it, but, at the time, I didn’t bother to review it. Having read it again, and loved it even more, I’ve finally got around to reviewing it. This is a superb book: well conceived, well structured and well-written. It is, indeed, historical academia at its very best with the ability to tell the little known story of the beginnings of the Principality of Antioch under its four Norman princes from the Hauteville House in an engaging way.Although not meant for the general reader and rather targeted at historians or history buffs and fans of the Crusader States, it is nevertheless suitable for all types of readers. In addition to the author’s style, tone and impeccable research, the book has been structured in a way that makes it most easy to read. The two first chapters, respectively, the Birth and the Formation of the Principality) present the chronological history of these 32 years and each chapter has its own summary. The six other chapters are thematic and each of them addresses a particular aspect of the Principality, whether its foreign relations (e.g. with the Byzantines) or whether on the Principality’s structures and Institutions (the Princes and their powers or the various lordships, for instance. With one exception, each thematic chapter also has its own summary which recaps the main points.The author has also taken trouble to provide maps (no less than 4 for the first two chapters) to show how the Principality expanded and shrunk over time. Also provided is an appendix listing the main landholders of the Principality throughout the period and the sources