Visions of the Crusades call up images of knights soldiers and priests.However evidence suggests that many women played an active role in the actionsand culture... » 

Visions of the Crusades call up images of knights soldiers and priests.However evidence suggests that many women played an active role in the actionsand culture of the Crusades. Gendering the Crusades stands as the firstsubstantial exploration of this comparatively neglected topic. Offeringinterdisciplinary readings of new and old sources that examine masculinitygender roles and historical narratives these essays show the key roles playedby women in the military politics and family life. From the Knights Templarsdevotion to female saints to Anna Comnenas account of the first Crusade allof the topics covered in the book look at the way society structures andimagines itself. «