Books in the Contesting the Past series

In this book Norman Housley, one of the most distinguished historians of the medieval period, provides an introduction to the complex history of crusading. * Steers readers through the key debates in this popular area of medieval history. * Draws on the author's 30 years' experience of crusading scholarship.

In the nineteenth century, the Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt famously defined the Renaissance as a period of progress, reason, the emergence of the individual, and the beginning of modernity.

Over recent decades much has been written on the complexities of Imperial Germany. More is known today about the politics, society, economy and culture of the German Empire than ever before. However, the sheer volume of new scholarship makes it increasingly challenging to synthesize all the available information.

Few events in history have generated as much scholarly work as the French Revolution. Contesting the French Revolution presents an overview of what led to this pivotal event, the turning points that shaped it, and its far-reaching effects, as well as an examination the most significant historiographical debates about this period.

Contesting the Reformation provides a comprehensive survey of the most influential works in the field of Reformation studies from a comparative, cross-national, interdisciplinary perspective.

The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Contested Histories offers non-specialist readers insights into the causes and consequences of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A general introduction is followed by a detailed historical overview of the issues that have defined more than a century of political tensions and open hostilities.