"Fascinating . vivid."--Ian Thomson, Financial Times "One of Pluskowski's great strengths is his ability to unfold his story through telling anecdotes as well as archaeological evidence."--Dan Jones, Sunday Times "An arrestingly original and comprehensive account of the Christianisation of the medieval southern and eastern Baltic region from Prussia to Finland, a long process combining faith and greed, conquest and cultural assimilation. Lucid, wide-ranging, based on exemplary research, this will become a standard reference for scholars and students alike."--Christopher Tyerman, author of God's War "Impressive in its range, both in disciplines covered and in Pluskowski's mastery of research literature in many and diverse languages. The Black Cross is unusually comprehensive and guaranteed to become a new standard work in the field."--Kurt Villads Jensen, coauthor of Scandinavia in the Middle Ages "Pluskowski delivers a fresh and absorbing story of one of crusading history's most influential and powerful manifestations, the mighty Teutonic Knights.

His fluent and confident writing illuminates a compelling array of characters and castles across a huge swathe of northeastern Europe and the Baltic, lands so often neglected by historians of medieval Europe and the crusades."--Jonathan Phillips, author of The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin "This superb book sets a new standard for histories of crusading in theatres of war beyond the Holy Land. The Black Cross will be essential reading for those who wish to explore the full breadth and impact of the medieval crusading movement."--William Purkis, author of Crusading Spirituality in the Holy Land and Iberia.