Product Description

Unlike their sometime rivals the Templars, the Order of St John of the Hospital of Jerusalem (or the Hospitallers as they are better known) was not created as a result of the First Crusade in 1099: rather, it was probably established by a group of Italian merchants from Amalfi in the mid-11th century. However, as a consequence of the crusading movement, the Hospitallers became recognised experts in the military capabilities of opposing Islamic armies. This book, the first of two to examine the lifestyle, experiences and military role of the Hospitaller knight, covers the period from the foundation of the order to the invasion of Rhodes in 1306.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #309165 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-25
• Released on: 2001-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

From the Publisher
Insights into the real lives of history's fighting men, packed with full colour illustrations, highly detailed cutaways, exploded artwork of weaponry and armour, and action-packed battle scenes.

About the Author
David Nicolle was born in 1944 and worked for the BBC before returning to university in Edinburgh, where he obtained his PhD. He subsequently taught at Yarmouk University in Jordan. He is a specialist in medieval arms and armour, and has written many books as well as numerous articles for specialist journals. He has also presented papers at many international conferences.

Customer Reviews

Knights Hospitaller (1) 1100-1306
The Knights Hospitaller is one of the Ospery warrior collection and it is a wealth of information on the who, what, where and why of the Knights Hospitaller, the lesser known but equally important order of knights that fought for the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the Cursades. Do not let the comic book look fool you the illustrations are just a minor part of the excellent writing, research information and pictures that the authors put into place for their work. It is a must for anyone who wants the most accurat information on the oldest surviving western military order.

Dude with too much time
A great buy for people trying to understand the fighting order of the Hospitaller. It details the castles they possessed during the crusades and their battles against the islamic knigdoms. The book itself starts with the foundation of the order in 1080 and then goes on to explain their tactics and strategies in holding on to their claims in Jerusalem. In the begining of the book is a detailed layout of the timeline of the order and like all other osprey books it contains 10 well drawn and fully colored pages of the equipment and dress of the Knights.

This is a great book for artist's trying to draw these knights and for historians who want to find out more about the the Order of the Hospital of St.John or simply put the Hospitallers, and the artist herself should get a reward for the stunning accuricy and talent put in the pictures.