The Tunis Crusade of 1270

A Mediterranean History

Michael Lower

The first book-length study of the Tunis Crusade in English
Makes a new argument about the role of the crusades in the development of medieval Mediterranean culture
Integrates Arabic Sources into crusades history, allowing readers to appreciate the many sides of the crusades, not just the Crusader perspective
Brings discussion of violence and religious difference into Mediterranean Studies, a field that usually focuses on day-to-day peaceful inter-religious contact (trade, intellectual exchange, etc.)

The Tunis Crusade of 1270

A Mediterranean History

Michael Lower

Description

Why did the last of the major European campaigns to reclaim Jerusalem end in an attack on Tunis, a peaceful North African port city thousands of miles from the Holy Land? In the first book-length study of the campaign in English, Michael Lower tells the story of how the classic era of crusading came to such an unexpected end. Unfolding against a backdrop of conflict and collaboration that extended from England to Inner Asia, the Tunis Crusade entangled people from every corner of the Mediterranean world. Within this expansive geographical playing field, the ambitions of four powerful Mediterranean dynasts would collide. While the slave-boy-turned-sultan Baybars of Egypt and the saint-king Louis IX of France waged a bitter battle for Syria, al-Mustansir of Tunis and Louis's younger brother Charles of Anjou struggled for control of the Sicilian Straits. When the conflicts over Syria and Sicily became intertwined in the late 1260s, the Tunis Crusade was the shocking result.

While the history of the crusades is often told only from the crusaders' perspective, in The Tunis Crusade of 1270, Lower brings Arabic and European-language sources together to offer a panoramic view of these complex multilateral conflicts. Standing at the intersection of two established bodies of scholarship--European History and Near Eastern Studies--this volume contributes to both by opening up a new conversation about the place of crusading in medieval Mediterranean culture.

The Tunis Crusade of 1270

A Mediterranean History

Michael Lower

The Tunis Crusade of 1270

A Mediterranean History

Michael Lower

Author Information

Michael Lower teaches history at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on violence, religious difference, and Mediterranean culture in the Middle Ages. He is the author of The Barons' Crusade: A Call to Arms and Its Consequences. In 2010-2011, he was a Mellon New Directions Fellow at the University of Chicago. In addition to his work on the crusades, he has published several studies about mercenaries who crossed the religious divide in the Middle Ages.

The Tunis Crusade of 1270

A Mediterranean History

Michael Lower

Reviews and Awards

"The titular promise of a history of the Tunis Crusade is delivered; as a step in the direction of a Mediterranean history, incorporating the interactions of all its inhabitants regardless of the languages of their sources, Lower's The Tunis Crusade of 1270Âis a resounding success." -- Aaron Hagler, H-Net

"The author of this study has endeavored with excellent results to accomplish these feats. We should all commend Michael Lower for this stimulating and lively mediterranean history." -- William Chester Jordan, sehepunkte

"... this is an excellent work. It is well-written, witty, erudite, and very readable. ... The Tunis Crusade of 1270 should be required reading for any serious scholar of the medieval Mediterranean, not only for the narrative that it lays out, but as an example of thorough scholarship anchored securely in textual evidence drawn from a wide range of perspectives" -- Brian A. Catlos, Church History

"[This] bold, well-reasoned text serves as a useful reminder for historians to consider an event not only in terms of the ramifications for its immediate participants but also in terms of the ripple effects it causes for other regions and societies. Lower ... does an excellent job of examining the historiography and differing theories for why Louis halted his Crusade at Tunis rather than continuing on to Egypt or the Levant ... insightful, engaging, and a wonderful example of new approaches to Crusades history."--CHOICE

The Tunis Crusade of 1270

A Mediterranean History

Michael Lower

From Our Blog

Did Muslims forget about the Crusades?

The crusades are so ubiquitous these days that it is hard to imagine anyone ever forgetting them. People play video games like Assassin's Creed (starring the Templars) and Crusader Kings II in droves, newsfeeds are filled with images of young men marching around in places like Charlottesville holding shields bearing the old crusader slogan 'Deus vult' (God wills it!), and every year books about the crusades are published in their dozens, informing readers about the latest developments in crusader studies.

Posted on July 5, 2018

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