The Baltic Crusades: A Historical Overview

The eastward flood of Christian knights intent on recapturing the Holy Land--above all, the city of Jerusalem, its crowning jewel--during the eleventh through fifteenth centuries is one of the most famous episodes of the Middle Ages. "The Crusades" continue to excite us today with their flashy castles, righteous rhetoric, and captivating stories. They also continue to horrify us with their glorification of conflict between faiths and with grisly stories full of violence and greed. With such evocative power, they retain a secure (if misunderstood) place in our historical memory, and are even invoked as a template for modern-day dramas pitting the righteous against the tragically misguided.