News Article

Professor Thomas F. Madden from St. Louis University will discuss “The Crusades and Us: Medieval and Modern Perceptions of Christendom’s Holy Wars” at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 10 at Gonzaga's Jepson Center Auditorium. The lecture is sponsored by the William L. Davis S.J. Lecture Fund and is free and open to the public.

In the lecture, Madden will examine the changing ways that Muslims and Christians have understood the Crusades from the time they were happening until today. The lecture will examine the constructed and reconstructed memories of the Crusades within the historical contexts and agendas of diverse people and places. Madden asserts, among other things, that modern misconceptions of the Crusades are an important factor in the tensions between the Muslim and Western worlds.

Madden is professor of history and director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. A prolific author, he also is a respected media expert appearing in such venues as The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, National Public Radio and more.

His books include the best-selling “New Concise History of the Crusades” (2005) and the award-winning “Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice” (2003). Also, Madden has published extensively on the ancient and medieval Mediterranean and the history of Christianity. Awards for his scholarship include the 2005 Otto Grundler Prize, awarded by the Medieval Institute, and the 2007 Haskins Medal, awarded by the Medieval Academy of America.

Madden served for eight years as chair of the history department at Saint Louis University and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Illinois with research specialties in medieval Europe, ancient Rome, and Islamic history. He continues to write and lecture on a variety of historical topics. His current research involves an examination of ancient Roman imperialism in light of modern events.

For more information, please contact Gonzaga history Assistant Professor Eric Cunningham at (509) 323-5973 or via e-mail.