The Crusaders [antikvár]

At the end of the nth century the Mediterranean region was divided between the Islamic world, Western Christendom, and Eastern Christendomor the Byzantine Empire. The Islamic and Byzantine East were the seats of flourishing civilizations, while the Christian West languished behind, struggling to emerge from the barbarism into which it had plunged after a series of invasions and economic decline.CHAPTER ITHE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD ON THE EVE OF THE CRUSADESThe social elite of the Islamic world held cultural gatherings that might feature recitations of poetry in refined settings (opposite), whereas the aristocrats of the West favored more violent activities, such as jousting tournaments (right).