Human suffering and the social implications of the wars of the Crusades

War was enmeshed in every aspect of life in the medieval Middle East, but each war differed in its scope and extent of destruction. In order to make sense of medieval warfare the chapter offers a basic topology of wars. The horrors of medieval warfare are illustrated by Imad al-Din’s 1144 conquest of Edessa and the 1147 Frankish attempt to reconquer the town.