ABSTRACT
This introduction covers some key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book assembles current international views on the Crusades from across Europe, Russia, Turkey, the USA and the Near and Middle East. Historians from the related countries present short narratives that deal with two questions: What were the Crusades? and What do they mean to "us" today? The importance of the Crusades is reflected in historical cultures. One example of this is between 1823 and 2014 in English, there were at least 274 historical novels published on the Crusades to the Orient. At least within the West European historiography of the history of the Crusades, the British perspective currently dominates. Nevertheless, there are still large differences within European historical cultures. The collection of chapters in the book offers extensive material on the Crusades as well as presenting, for present and later times, a rare and insightful profile of international, academic opinions on the Crusades.
