The success of the First Crusade, and its capture of Jerusalem in 1099, has been conventionally explained in terms of its ideological and political motivation. This book looks at the First Crusade primarily as a military campaign and asks why it was so successful. Modern writing about the crusade has tended to emphasise the moral dimension and the development of the idea of the crusade, but its fate was ultimately decided on the field of battle. Victory in the East looks at the nature of war at the end of the eleventh century and the military experience of all the contending parties in order to explain its extraordinary success. It is the first such examination, taking into account all other factors but emphasising the military.

‘… a major contribution … France has done his field work as well as reading the chronicles, travelling the route of the First Crusade and visiting the main battlefields … The book shows that scrupulously researched and intelligently written military history can shed light on many aspects of the First Crusade, and can be a delight to read in the process.’

Hugh Kennedy Source: The Times Literary Supplement

‘This is a compelling study which … manages to be both scholarly and highly readable; it is even exciting in places. It is an outstanding book that deserves to be a classic text not only on the Crusades, but also on medieval warfare as a whole.’European Review of History