Caffaro, Genoa and the Twelfth-Century Crusades

This volume is the first comprehensive English translation, with a substantial introduction and notes, of the writings of Caffaro of Genoa, as well as related texts and documents on Genoa and the crusades. The majority of early crusading historiography is from a northern European and clerical perspective and Caffaro's voice offers an exciting departure with his more secular and Mediterranean tone. This book adds to our understanding of the reception of crusading ideas in the Mediterranean and, given Genoa's prominence in the commercial world, illuminates the complex and controversial relationship between holy war and financial gain.