This volume represents a major contribution to the history of the Northern Crusades and the Christianization of the Baltic lands in the Middle Ages, from the beginnings of the Catholic mission to the time of the Reformation. The subjects treated range from discussions of the ideology and practice of crusade and conversion, through studies of the motivation of the crusading countries (Denmark, Sweden and Germany) and the effects of the crusades on the countries of the eastern Baltic coast (Finland, Estonia, Livonia, Prussia and Lithuania), to analyses of the literature and historiography of the crusade. It brings together essays from both established and younger scholars from the western tradition with those from the modern Baltic countries and Russia, and presents in English some of the fruits of the first decade of historical scholarship and dialogue after the collapse of the Iron Curtain. The depth of treatment, diversity of approaches, and accompanying bibliography of publications make this collection a major resource for the teaching of the Baltic Crusades.

'Alan Murray has done a fine job in bringing together in this collection of essays some of the most important research which is currently being conducted into crusading and conversion in the countries which bordered on the Baltic Sea.... Historians of the crusades and the Baltic lands will find this book very useful...' History, Vol 87 'A strength of the volume is its truly international quality, with contributors from Denmark, Estonia, Russia, Sweden and Germany as well as Britian and North America. A useful eight-page bibliography of relevant literature in English adds to the value of this welcome addition to the literature on the medieval Baltic region.' SEER '... a worthy volume that whets the appetite for more such dialogue between European scholars of east and west.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History 'The editor is to be thanked for a superb job... [an] engaging and important book.' Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique '... the contributions... reflect the vibrancy the study of the Baltic crusade has been gaining in the wake of the independence of the Baltic states...' Crusades, Vol 3 'Every historian of early Europe should read this book...' The Catholic Historical Review

Alan V. Murray, University of Leeds, UK Kurt Villads Jensen, Tiina Kala, Axel Ehlers, William Urban, Carsten Selch Jensen, Torben K. Nielsen, Thomas Lindkvist, John H. Lind, Anti Selart, Evgeniya L. Nazarova, Rasa MaA3/4eika, Juhan Kreem, Alan V. Murray, Vera I. Matuzova, Mary Fischer.