Ebook: A History of the Crusades, Volume II: The Later Crusades, 1189-1311

Like the first book in the set, this book combines scholarly accuracy and detail with a narrative skill even popular-level history writers would envy. This book manages to surpass even Runciman's stellar history of the First Crusade. It has the same level of scholarship and readability as the first volume, but the period covered in this volume is even more interesting than the first, making this the pinnacle of Runciman's trilogy. Beginning with the expansion of the Latin Kingdom following the First Crusade, Runciman takes us through the golden years of the kingdom, the beginnings of the great military orders, Saladin's rise to power, and the complex interplay of the factions surrounding the crusader states.

What makes this volume better than the rest is a combination of the great amount of detail in this volume (compared to the less-detailed third volume, which covers much more in the same amount of space), the enthusiasm he shows for the subject (which is lessened in other volumes which involve the crusaders beating up on his beloved Byzantines), and the very interesting characters who lived in this period. From the great statesman Baldwin and the heroic Leper King to the great Byzantine Emperor Manuel to the Old Man of the Mountain and the enigmatic Reynald de Chatillon, this period was filled with characters it would be difficult to write a boring book about. Runciman shows he is up to the task of bringing together a coherent account of the motives and actions of all of these characters, and he does so in a way that makes it fairly easy to keep track of who is who and what is going on.

This may be the single greatest volume written about the crusades, though it only covers one crusade (the second, which did very little and gets only one chapter) and is primarily focused on the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Principality of Antioch. It is both accurate and readable. It is, in fact, more than readable. It is something quite rare in the world of academic history books; it is fun. Runciman has a tendency to indirectly point out humerus ironies, mock the characters in the story, and make subtle sarcastic remarks. It takes a little while to catch on to his dry humor, but it really makes the book a delight to read. Anyone who can combine witty, engaging writing with the level of scholarship present in this book deserves the recognition Runciman has received as the writer of the greatest account of the crusades ever produced.