ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is intended as an easily readable work of interpretative history which is primarily aimed at students, both undergraduate and postgraduate. It is structured in three main parts. The first part discusses Baldwin’s identity, ancestry and his participation in the First Crusade. The second part examines Baldwin’s eighteen-year rule as count of Edessa, a period in which he first adjusted to life in an Eastern cultural and political environment and contracted the marriage which produced his heir, Melisende, and three other daughters. The third part is devoted to Baldwin’s reign as king of Jerusalem, is the longest. The book establishes the importance of Baldwin of Bourcq in a crucial period for the history of Europe and the Near East.