The Crusader Strategy

The Crusader Strategy offers a new perspective on the crusaders, demonstrating how they pursued long-term plans and clear strategic goals.

Medieval states, and particularly crusader societies, have often been considered brutish and culturally isolated. It seems unlikely that they could develop "strategy" in any meaningful sense. However, the crusaders were actually highly organized in their thinking, and their decision-making was rarely random.

In this lively account, Steve Tibble draws on a rich array of primary sources to reassess events on the ground and patterns of behaviour over time. He shows how, from aggressive castle building to implementing a series of invasions of Egypt, crusader leaders tenaciously pursued long-term plans and devoted single-minded attention to clear strategic goals.

Crusader states were permanently on the brink of destruction; resources were scarce, and the penalties for failure were severe. Intuitive strategic thinking, Tibble argues, was a necessity, not a luxury.