The 34 essays by specialists from 15 countries present various facets of the struggles waged for the possession of the Holy Land between the 10th and 13th centuries and of the activities of the military orders elsewhere in Europe (e.g. in the Baltics). The nearly 1700-item, 88-page bibliography is the most concise ever compiled. The illustrations and maps are another asset of the book. Proceedings of a conference on a theme, which is important for scholars of the middle ages, and appealing for the lay public, due to the mystical and romantic connotations of crusaders, templars and other actors of the middle ages.