The Scandinavian Baltic Crusades 1100 - 1500 (Men-at-Arms)

Wielding their swords in the name of their faith, the crusaders originally set out to reclaim Jerusalem and its surrounding territory in the Middle East. Increasingly, however, Eastern Europe and the last remaining bastions of pagan Europe became the targets of their religious zeal. The era officially began in 1147, when the Saxons, Danes, and Poles, responding to Pope Eugene III's call, initiated a crusade against the Wends of the Southern Baltic. This was followed by crusades against the Livonians, Estonians, Finns, Prussians, and Lithuanians. By the 13th century much of the responsibility for sustaining these crusades fell to the Teutonic Knights, a military order formed in the Holy Land in 1190. They were aided by the constant support of the Roman pontiff and by a steady flow of mercenaries from throughout Christendom. The subsequent Scandinavian campaigns laid the foundations of modern Baltic society by destroying pagan rural farming settlements, and establishing fortified Christian towns and major castles. As with the majority of crusades, the prospective acquisition of land and power was the one of the key driving forces behind these bloody military expeditions. This book reveals the colorful history of these Crusades when the soldiers of the Pope fought their way across Eastern Europe and inexorably changed the future of the continent. 01.jpg......Page 1 02.jpg......Page 2 03.jpg......Page 3 04.jpg......Page 4 05.jpg......Page 5 06.jpg......Page 6 07.jpg......Page 7 08.jpg......Page 8 09.jpg......Page 9 10.jpg......Page 10 11.jpg......Page 11 12.jpg......Page 12 13.jpg......Page 13 14.jpg......Page 14 15.jpg......Page 15 16.jpg......Page 16 17.jpg......Page 17 18.jpg......Page 18 19.jpg......Page 19 20.jpg......Page 20 21.jpg......Page 21 22.jpg......Page 22 23.jpg......Page 23 24.jpg......Page 24 25.jpg......Page 25 26.jpg......Page 26 27.jpg......Page 27 28.jpg......Page 28 29.jpg......Page 29 30.jpg......Page 30 31.jpg......Page 31 32.jpg......Page 32 33.jpg......Page 33 34.jpg......Page 34 35.jpg......Page 35 36.jpg......Page 36 37.jpg......Page 37 38.jpg......Page 38 39.jpg......Page 39 40.jpg......Page 40 41.jpg......Page 41 42.jpg......Page 42 43.jpg......Page 43 44.jpg......Page 44 45.jpg......Page 45 46.jpg......Page 46 47.jpg......Page 47 48.jpg......Page 48 49.jpg......Page 49 50.jpg......Page 50 51.jpg......Page 51 This book describes and illustrates the armour, weapons, fortifications and ships of one of the least-known phases of the Medieval Crusades - the expeditions by Scandinavian Catholics against the pagan peoples to the east of the Baltic Sea, and their subsequent clashes with the Eastern Orthodox Russian princes of Novgorod and Muscovy. From isolated castles built in this bleak wilderness of forests, lakes and bogs, the small garrisons struggled equally against the enemy and the harsh terrain and climate. The text is illustrated with photographs of rare museum relics and of castles, and spirited colour plates by Angus McBride