Description :

This is a general account of the history and architecture of Crusader castles in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, County of Tripoli and Principality of Antioch between 1099 and 1291, the years during which the Crusaders had a permanent presence on the Levantine coast.

The book opens with a discussion of previous studies of the subject, and of fortification in western Europe and the Middle East before the Crusades. Subsequent chapters discuss the various types of castles built by the Crusader settlers, siege techniques and the ways in which castle builders tried to counter the improving technologies of attack, and the castles built after the disastrous defeat at Hattin in 1187 such as Crac des Chevaliers and Margat.
Extensive use is made of contemporary chronicles to show the reasons why castles were built and how they were used in peace and war. The book is fully illustrated by photographs, drawings and plans, and contains a comprehensive bibliography.