The Crusades
The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
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3.8 • 109 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
From a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (The New Yorker) comes the most authoritative, readable single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land.
Nine hundred years ago, a vast Christian army, summoned to holy war by the Pope, rampaged through the Muslim world of the eastern Mediterranean, seizing possession of Jerusalem, a city revered by both faiths. Over the two hundred years that followed, Islam and Christianity—both firm in the belief that they were at God's work—fought for dominion of the Holy Land, clashing in a succession of chillingly brutal wars: the Crusades.
For the first time, this book tells the story of that epic struggle from the perspective of both Christians and Muslims. A vivid and fast-paced narrative history, it exposes the full horror, passion, and barbaric grandeur of the Crusading era, leading us into a world of legendary champions—such as Richard the Lionheart and Saladin—shadowy Assassins, poet-warriors, and pious visionaries; across the desert sands of Egypt to the verdant forests of Lebanon; and through the ancient cities of Constantinople, Cairo, and Damascus.
Drawing on painstaking original research and an intimate knowledge of the Near East, Thomas Asbridge uncovers what drove Muslims and Christians alike to embrace the ideals of jihad and crusade, revealing how these holy wars reshaped the medieval world and why they continue to influence events today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Asbridge (The First Crusade) has produced a truly comprehensive history of holy war in the Holy Land. (Another Crusade history, Jonathan Phillips's Holy Warriors, is also due in March.) Emphasizing the dramatic Third Crusade and its heroic antagonists, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin, the narrative reads like an adventure story, albeit one that is both factual and instructive. The accounts of the massive Muslim victory at Hattin and the successful Crusader siege of Acre are especially vivid, with almost blow-by-blow descriptions of the battles that, first, restored Islamic control of Jerusalem and then re-established Latin Christendom's foothold in Palestine. Clearly depicted as well is the importance of trade and diplomacy in the constant struggle for supremacy and, also, the significance of the last great figures of the Crusades, King Louis IX of France and Baybars, the Lion of Egypt. While warrior orders such as the Christian Templars and Hospitallers and, by extension, the Islamic Assassins, are discussed, the information on these militant and secretive organizations is somewhat limited. 8 pages of color and 8 pages of b&w illus.; maps.
Customer Reviews
Not as biased as you would think
The book is very good at not being biased. The history is correct and states the facts. I enjoy it and hope that the people writing the negitive reviews actually read the book.
Bad historical perspective
You should question the biases of a book when the description talks about "Christians rampaging through the Muslim world..." I mean it really sets the tone for how this book is written. sensationalized garbage, intellectually lopsided, seemingly biased and it's historical accounts are selective. It was a bad purchase. I bought it hardcopy and regret it. Ive since found better books about the crusades in iBooks. Pass on this book (and possibly its author). There are less expensive, more historically rich books about the crusades.
Should be in Fiction
The author misses the first 450 years of unchecked Muslim aggression. Ask Charles 'The Hammer' Martel who he was fighting at The Battle of Tours in 725. Christians did not 'seize' Jerusalem from the Muslims - they reclaimed it after being invaded in 1076. Pope Urban II only called for a crusade in 1095 to stop the Muslim invasion. Basic history apparently is as elusive to the author as the facts are.