Western European civilization evolved during the medieval centuries when the whole area was converted to Christianity in its Latin Catholic form. This account is an introduction to the religious life of this formative period--but is concerned less with history of the institutional Church than with the interaction between the Church and lay society. This new edition has been updated throughout, and thoroughly reorganized, making it easier to approach and use. New visual evidence has been provided and a glossary of technical terms is included.

The reign of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (1174-85) has traditionally been seen as a period of decline when, because of the king's illness, power came to be held by those who made the wrong policy decisions. Notably, they ignored the advice of Raymond of Tripoli and attacked Saladin. This book challenges that view, arguing that peace with Saladin was not a viable option; and that the young king, despite suffering from lepromatous leprosy, presided over a society that was (contrary to what is often said) vigorous and self-confident.

The reign of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (1174-85) has traditionally been seen as a period of decline when, because of the king's illness, power came to be held by those who made the wrong policy decisions. Notably, they ignored the advice of Raymond of Tripoli and attacked Saladin. This book challenges that view, arguing that peace with Saladin was not a viable option; and that the young king, despite suffering from lepromatous leprosy, presided over a society that was (contrary to what is often said) vigorous and self-confident.

Monasticism was the dominant form of religious life in the medieval West and in the Byzantine world. Latin and Greek Monasticism in the Crusader States explores the parallel histories of monasteries and monasticism in western and Byzantine traditions in the Near East during the Crusader period c.1050-1300.