This book, first published in 2000, presents an edition of seventeen ad status model sermons for the preaching of the crusades from the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. The majority of these texts had never been printed before publication of this book. They are unique sources for the content of crusade propaganda in the later Middle Ages, giving a rare insight into the way in which propaganda shaped the public's view of crusading during that period. Accompanying the Latin texts is an English translation which is aimed at making these sources accessible to a wider circle of students and scholars. The first part of the book consists of a study of these model sermons which focuses on their place in the pastoral reform movement of the thirteenth century, their specific character as models for the use of crusade propagandists, their internal structure, and the image of the crusade conveyed in the texts.

‘… extremely useful for teaching the crusades … This volume forms a valuable addition to the library of crusade texts and to the study of how the Cross was preached in a period when the devotional aspect of crusading was in full flower.’

Source: The English Historical Review

‘… Maier’s work is a valuable and significant contribution to the study of medieval sermons and the crusades.’

Source: Journal of Ecclesiastical History

‘… a precious contribution not only to the literature on the crusades, but also to that on preaching and the role of mendicants in the new spirituality of the thirteenth century.’

Source: Cristianesimo nella storia