The History of the Crusades (Vol.1-3)

The History of the Crusades in 3 volumes is a historical work by French historian Joseph François Michaud which provides a comprehensive look at the Crusades, including political and military battles in Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor. The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period, especially the campaigns between 1096 and 1271 in the Eastern Mediterranean aimed at recovering the Holy Land from Islamic rule. Michaud expands the term of Crusades, including in his work the wars against Turks in Europe in 13th, 14th, and 15th century, concluding with his reflections on the state of Europe, on the various classes of society, during and after the crusades.

Joseph François Michaud was a French historian and publicist. His Bourbon sympathies after French Revolution led to a brief imprisonment, and on his release he abandoned journalism, and began to write and edit books. He is best known for his monumental work, The History of the Crusades in three volumes.