This is a carefully researched and illuminating study of siege warfare in the twelfth century. The siege was an integral part of medieval military experience, and was particularly significant in the Mediterranean region. Rogers explores siege warfare and the role it played in the First Crusade and the establishment of the Crusader States, in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and in the seaborne expeditions of the Italian maritime states. Rogers sets out to discover how it was that crusading forces handicapped by rudimentary organization and logistical support were able to conduct some of the most...