Dr. Paul Crawford
Education
- B.A.: Peru State College
- M.A.: Medieval History, University of Wisconsin
- Ph.D.: Medieval History, University of Wisconsin
Biography
Dr. Crawford is a specialist in the history of the crusades and of the military-religious orders (such as the Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller and Teutonic Knights). He has published a number of works on these subjects, including the first English-language translation of a 14th-century crusader chronicle known as The ‘Templar of Tyre'; several articles and book chapters; a number of encyclopedia entries on crusade-related subjects; and several popularly oriented essays. Along with Helen Nicholson (University of Wales) and Jochen Burgtorf (California State University-Fullerton), he has edited a collection of scholarly papers on the trial of the Templars, and he is currently working on general history of the Templars and Hospitallers.
He has assisted in the preparation of several television programs on the crusades and the military orders, and has appeared in three: "History's Mysteries: The Children's Crusade" (2000), "The Crusades: Crescent and the Cross" (2005) and "Lost Worlds: Knights Templar" (2006), all first aired on the History Channel.
Courses
- Western Society to 1500
- History of Christianity to 1500
- Ancient Greece
- Early Middle Ages
- High and Late Middle Ages
- Special Topics (topics have included Latin, the history of Islam and several others)
- Crusades
- Renaissance and Reformation
- Readings in European History
- Seminar in European History
Research Interests
- The history of the crusades and the crusader states
- The Knights Templar
- The Knights Hospitaller
Academic Department(s)
- Department of History and Political Science
Academic Program(s)
- B.A. History
In The News
The Knights Templar are in the news after a man confessed to the terror attacks in Norway in July and a Mexican drug cartel recently referred to the organization. Dr. Paul Crawford shared his expertise with some national news outlets:
-- FoxNews.com
Quotable
"Of the many things I like about my profession, the two best are introducing students to the fascinating history of the Middle Ages and working on my own research. Both are ways of bringing the past to life for the present."
