The Second Crusade (1145-49) was an unprecedented attempt to expand the borders of Christianity in the Holy Land, the Baltic, and the Iberian peninsula. This wide-ranging collection offers a series of original interpretations of new and partially explored evidence of the crusade. The essays examine the planning, execution, and consequences of the crusade for Western Europe, the Crusader States of the Holy Land, and the Muslim Near East.

Author Biography: Jonathan Phillips lectures at the Royal Halloway, University of London.

Martin Hoch is based at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Sankt Augustin.