Yvonne Friedman

Encounter Between Enemies: Captivity and Ransom in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (Cultures, Beliefs and Traditions Medieval and Early Modern Peoples) Yvonne Friedman

This study examines the customs, legal codes and socioeconomic mechanisms that evolved from the initial Christian-Muslim encounter on Crusader battlefields. It pinpoints changes in European mentality, and conduct of war, tracing acculturation processes in Frankish society in the Levant. These changes emerged from the need to redeem captives, making payment of ransom to the infidel concievable and acceptable. The book pays special attention to the story of the vanquished, to the situation of women, to the behaviour of the Military Orders toward captives, and to the image of the captive in Crusader literature, in the context of making war and peace. This study should be of interest to historians and students of medieval history, the Crusades, and the Latin Kingdom, medieval literature, and warfare.