Housley, Norman.
Oxford University Press (Clarendon Press), 1999 (reprint of 1982 edition).
Book Number 21553
This is a detailed account of the crusades launched by the popes against their political opponents in the West. They have usually been regarded as a debasement of the crusade ideal which offended public opinion and harmed both the popularity of Christian Holy War and the moral authority of the Papacy. Housley challenges such views, attempting an objective assessment of these campaigns and their place in the crusading movement.