Likely created in 1240 for King Louis IX of France, the Crusader Bible originally had no text, designed to appeal to a largely illiterate population. Biblical characters are depicted in guises familiar to medieval Europeans, including battling armored knights brandishing arms, and the setting is 13th century French villages and castles.

The Crusader Bible does not illustrate the entire Bible, but rather 346 episodes from Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Samuel.