Theorizing the Crusades: Identity, Institutions, and Religious War in Medieval Latin Christendom1
Andrew Latham
The “crusades”—a series of wars launched by the Latin Church between eleventh and fifteenth centuries—pose a significant unresolved puzzle for International Relations Theory. purpose this article is to develop historically sensitive yet theoretically governed account crusades that solves puzzle. Empirically, draws heavily on body historiographical work emphasizes constitutive role “religious” ideas discourses in evolution crusades. Theoretically, it adopts constructivist approach, specifying intersubjective factors enabled emerge as instrument papal “statecraft” key element medieval geopolitical relations. concludes with some reflections theoretical relevance both geopolitics contemporary international
International Studies Quarterly