Hello all you fine folk!
I'm interested in reading about the Crusades but I have quite a lot of material but I noticed I don't have any books regarding the Middle East's situation during the time. Therefore, I want to consult you! Do you have any recommendations on the Middle east's situation during this time period?
Also, how relevant is the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in regards to the Crusade? I hear a lot of people (usually Christians or critics of Islam) throw around that conquest as the reason why the Crusaders (300 years later) decided to mobilize against the muslims. As you can hear, I am skeptic towards to this, but yet unsure, so any help here would be of gratitude!
Thanks for any and all recommendations, have pleasant morning/day/evening/night!
The Booklist (accessible from the 'Askhistorians Wiki' tab at the top of the page) is an excellent starting point for this sort of question.
The 'Crusades" section of the booklist is largely the work of u/valkine and u/welfontheshelf and lists several sources relevant to your question. I would highlight 'The race for paradise, by Paul Cobb, which presents the crusades from an Islamic perspective.
As for the idea that the Crusades were defensive:
u/j-force discusses the claim in this previous answer on Thomas Madden
u/thejukeboxhero has a relevant answer (which is listed in the FAQ)
and u/Captainofmysouls has a longer answer which goes through many of the factors and assesses the claim of defensiveness
The AskHistorians FAQ for the crusades might also be of interest to you