On 15 July 1099 the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem beginning an innovative and prosperous Frankish rule over the city, which lasted a little over a hundred years and ended with the Khwarizmian conquest in 1244. This time of Crusader rule can be considered one of the most important in the history of Jerusalem. Through systematic renovation and repopulation, the Crusaders transformed a provincial town into the capital city of an eponymous kingdom: the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Adrian Boas's combined use of historical and archaeological evidence together with first-hand accounts written by visiting pilgrims results in a multi-faceted perspective of Crusader Jerusalem. This book will serve both as a scholarly account of this city's archaeology and a useful guide for the interested reader to a city at the centre of international and religious interest and conflict today.