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I warmly thank Prof. Harris for his very generous
review. It is not easy to select a mere twelve articles to constitute
'essential reading' in crusade historiography, so it is certainly
gratifying to hear that it was done well.
Prof. Harris's one criticism concerns the inclusion
of Steven Runciman's article, 'Byzantium and the Crusades'. He rightly
points out that although the article was published in 1986 it is
primarily a condensed version of his treatment of the subject in
A History of the Crusades (3 vols, Cambridge University Press;
Cambridge, 1951-4). Runciman, he notes, was also the guiding light
behind the Terry Jones BBC series, which I sharply criticize in
the introduction of the book. Runciman's conclusions have been largely
discarded by recent crusade scholars, so why include them?
As Professor Harris notes, I am well aware of
the problems with Runciman's work. Indeed, I state in the introduction
that, 'Many of Runciman's conclusions about the motives of crusaders,
their relationship with Byzantium, and relations between the empire
and the Latin Kingdom have been contradicted by recent studies.'
I then cite works by Magdalino and Lilie, as well as the book I
co-authored with Queller. (p. 11) To this could be added several
other of my own studies that demonstrate the defective nature of
Runciman's approach to East-West relations. (1)
Yet the purpose of this volume is not to present my view of the
crusades, but to give a snapshot of current historiography. That
means including Tyerman's controversial article, with which I do
not agree. It also means including Runciman, who outside of the
academy remains the most influential historian of the crusades.
In the aftermath of September 11, the popular media approached the
medieval crusades strictly from Runciman's perspective. Whether
reporters and columnists had actually read Runciman did not matter
- his views are burned into the popular consciousness. I consider
that a bad thing; but it is true nonetheless. His conclusions are
also not dead within academic scholarship, as the work of scholars
like Donald Nicol makes plain. (2)
There is another reason I included Runciman's
article, and Professor Harris has astutely guessed it. It was necessary
in a chapter on the impact of the crusades on the east to have something
on the Byzantine empire. Like the rest of the contributions, it
had to be a complete article of some importance that was accessibly
written. The world needs someone to write an article that succinctly
addresses the topic of Byzantium and the crusades, utilizing the
rich bounty of recent scholarship. (Indeed, I plan to suggest it
to several Byzantinists.) Until then, there is only Runciman.
Thomas F. Madden
Saint Louis University
August 2002
1. For example,
Thomas F. Madden, 'Venice and Constantinople in 1171 and 1172: Enrico
Dandolo's attitude towards Byzantium', Mediterranean Historical
Review, 8 (1993); idem, 'Outside and inside the Fourth
Crusade', International History Review, 17 (1995).
2. Donald M.
Nicol, 'The Crusades and the unity of two worlds', in The Meeting
of Two Worlds, ed. Vladimir P. Goss (Medieval Institute Publications;
Kalamazoo, 1986); idem, Byzantium and Venice. A Study in Diplomatic
and Cultural Relations (Cambridge University Press; Cambridge,
1988).
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