Phil+Bova-Sources+and+Annotations

Brundage, James A. //The Crusades: A Documentary Survey.// Milwaukee: The Marquette University Press, 1962.

Professor Brundage's work on the Crusades is a complete and overall survey beginning with the preperation of the Crusades and concluding with the end of the Crusader movement. Brundage completes his work with an overall survey in which he includes primary documents and compiles them in a single narrative to give the researcher these primary tools to understand, and evaluate the credible information in understanding the motives and the importance of the Crusades. Brundage's work also includes important documentation of crucial individuals writing during this time period, which is also pertinant in drawing an overall timeline of events, beginning with the events leading up to the each individual movement, and following these documents throughout each individual Crusader movement: the first Crusade, the second Crusade, etc. Brundage is a credible source to draw his information into one complete work by his understanding of the Crusader movement. James Brundage credible background includes, Instructor, Fordham University, 1953-1957, Assistant Professor to Professor and chairman of Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1957-1989, Ahmanson-Murphy Distinguished Professor of History and Law, University of Kansas, 1989-2000; emeritus professor since 2000. He has written many articles on the subject of the Crusades, most recently in 2006 which include: Brundage's ability to bring together many primary documents in one book help to understand and further study the overall perspective of the academic understanding of the Crusades. Although the author fails to use any maps of illustrations, his documentation and sources are credible and interesting to read. Also included in Brundage's book is an overall index of documents, which helps the reader focus on a particular reading in order that he not only draws from primary references, but also so the reader can look up this information for further reading.
 * “Voluntary Martyrs and Canon Law: The Case of the First Crusaders.” //Cristianesimo nella storia// 27 (2006) 143-160.
 * “Latin Christianity, the Crusades, and the Islamic Response.” In //Religious Foundations of Western Civilization: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam//, ed Jacob Neusner. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006. pp 267-304.

Madden, Thomas. //A Concise History of the Crusades.// Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1999.

Madden's documentation on the Crusades in this particular book are a complete collaborative series of events that led to the Crusades and follows the reader until the initial end of the Crusader period in history. This secondary source, however, fails to use primary documentation throughout the general history of the Crusades period. Madden does well enough to present an overall history of periods in time during the Crusader inititative, and he also includes an extensive list in the selected bibliography that gives much information on other readings in which he has worked off of, or for the readers to further read to understanding the Crusades. Included in Madden's book is also a series of maps that are crucial for understanding the events, locations, and geographical areas in which the theater of the Crusades were fought. This not only assists the reader in certain ways of understanding the Crusades as a initiative, but also the territories that were involved over the course of these crucial events in history. The maps are also important because they are placed at intervals throughout the book in the order in which Madden formats the chapters and the Crusades that happens: this by means of events and areas, along with significant individuals. Thomas Madden is a Professor of History and Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. Madden has recieved awards for his scholarship which include the 2005 Otto Grundler Prize, awarded by the Medieval Institute, and the 2007 Haskins Medal, which is awarded by the Medieval Academy of America. Madden recieved his B.A. from the University of New Mexico and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois with research specialties in Medieval Europe, Ancient Rome, and the History of Islam. Madden's background study makes him a credible documentor in the history of the Crusades, and his knowledge in Islamic history also gives him the ability to present the issue on both sides of the factions included in the history of the Crusades.

Treece, Henry. //The Crusades//. New York: Random House,1963.

Henry Treece's detailed history of the Crusades is a rich book that gives many interesting points of the Crusades and takes them into account in his novel. Although Treece at the very beginning refers to the Crusades as a "sense of noble and pure-hearted endeavour, the spirit of Christian adventure unpolluted by self-interest"(preface quote), gives the reader a perspective of the Crusades from a Christian only reference. Treece does take a biased approach to the Crusades, and even further soldifies his accounts as the book goes along. An important focus that the author takes is by including a background to the Crusades by starting off his book with a brief history of the area around the Meditteranian Sea, then proceeding to give an account of the many different deities that were associated with the surrounding societies. Another important note is the brief history of the turmoil surround Constantinople during the age of Constantine. Treece does a good job of his explanation of the many important details in the history before the Crusades started, which helps the reader understand the importance of the geographical area and demography. Treece's appendix also includes a brief mention of major events in the structuralization of the different Crusades.

Pernoud, Regine ed. //The Crusades.// Trans. Enid McLeod. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1962.

Pernoud's book on the Crusades is a crucial addition to the history of this event. Her crucial chronological table helps give the reader a timeline to assist them on the major events during the Crusades. Pernoud stresses the importance of understanding the Crusades term itself because of the modern tag society has placed on it. Pernoud begins the history with the historic event of the Council of Clermont, and follows her chapters till the end of the Latin Kingdom in the east. The crucial aspect of this author's book is the inclusion of many chronicles of important individuals who wrote about the events of the Crusades from their perspective. The inclusion at the end of the book of the chroniclers and historians who were quoted throughout the book and used in specific regards to the events being discussed assists the readers in understanding who they were and why they were used.