Sacred Treasure

An insightful new history of crusading, revealing the vital role holy places and relics played in fuelling medieval religious violence

The Crusades have long been understood as a conquest of the Holy Land directed by the papacy in order to expand Christian control over the medieval Mediterranean world. But what motivated individual crusaders? And why were specific sites targeted over others?

In this bold new account, William Purkis reveals how religious ideas fuelled generations of crusading violence in the Holy Land. Drawing on a wide range of medieval texts, images and objects, he uncovers how the prospect of losing sacred material culture played a more significant role in triggering crusade enthusiasm than the opportunities for worldly material gain. Purkis argues that these devotional concerns, which were integral to medieval Latin Christianity, were fundamental drivers for the practice of crusading.

This is a fascinating and original history that shows how this period was characterised by contradiction, triumphalism and ultimately dejection.