Entertaining popular history but has some shortcomings that deprived it of a star. The crusades is an authoritative, accessible singlevolume history of. In all, eight major crusade expeditions occurred between 1096 and 1291. The six volumes of a history of the crusades will stand as the definitive history of the crusades, spanning five centuries, encompassing jewish, moslem, and christian perspectives, and containing a wealth of information and analysis of the history, politics, economics, and culture of the medieval world. Here is my list of most important books on the crusades. The crusades there were nine plus the childrens crusade represent 208 years of war between christians and muslims for the right to rule the kingdom of jerusalem as a christian or muslim state. Willmott and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This page is currently inactive and is retained for historical reference. Although this account is well written, for me, it is too much like history as it is taught in school specific dates, the names of longdead kings, and battles that resulted in too much death and. Runcimans book is essentially a narrative of crusading events rather than an analytical study and a. The crusades is an authoritative, accessible singlevolume history of the brutal struggle for the holy land in the middle ages.
Books 20 40 best sellers newest to oldest oldest to newest price low to high price high to low title a to z title z to a. To revive discussion, seek broader input via a forum such as the village pump. If you want a readable book on the crusades, check out thomas asbridges the crusades. But the childrens crusade of 1212, as it is now known, has gone down in history as a misguided disaster. The crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the latin church in the medieval period. The significant changes in the structure of european society that took place in the 12th and th centuries were long considered the direct result of. Asbridge covers this history from both the christian and muslim perspectives, and the book is mostly focused on the crusades in the holy land. Our understanding of the crusades has advanced greatly in the last 50 years and the current generation of crusades scholars have overturned many of the previous ideas and assumptions about the crusading movement. Ibn alathir was a contemporary and member of the retinue of saladin, the kurdish muslim general who captured jerusalem from the crusaders and massively. This book is a great overview of the crusades and their historical significance. Templars, hospitallers and teutonic knights in medieval epic and romance, 11501500 2001, and a number of books and articles on the military orders and on the crusades in the 12th, th, and. A history of the crusades by steven runciman, published in three volumes during 19511954, is an influential work in the historiography of the crusades. The real story of the crusades catholic answers, inc. The war for the holy land by thomas asbridge and holy warriors.
Where does the new concise history of the crusades rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far. The new concise history of the crusades audiobook by. Although there have been many general histories of the crusades, this book is. Download our special issue on the history of the crusades in the muslim world, the memory of the crusades faded, although did not disappear, from view and saladin continued to be a figure held out as an exemplar of a great ruler. Helen nicholson is senior lecturer in history at the university of cardiff, wales. The author treats the crusades in turn in some detail, as well as outlining how the crusaders lived, how the crusades were paid for, and their ultimate effect upon the history of europe and the near east. The term refers especially to the eastern mediterranean campaigns in the period between 1096 and 1271 that had the objective of recovering the holy land from islamic rule. At the same time, i dont want to read something too academic and long like gods. Context can be everything in historical interpretation, as thomas asbridge makes clear in a brief but compelling.
A history is the definitive account of a key topic in medieval and religious history. The knights templar was a large organization of devout christians during the medieval era who carried out an important mission. The crusades took place from 1095 until the 16th century, when the advent of protestantism led to the decline of papal authority. In the real story of the crusades, historian steve weidenkopf replaces the prevailing anticatholic narrative with a factual account of christendoms struggle to liberate and defend the holy land. She is the author of the knights hospitaller 2001, the knights templar. A history of the crusades by steven runciman, published in three volumes during 19511954. The first 500 pages or so cover the first three crusades. Christopher tyerman is professor of the history of the crusades at oxford university and a fellow of hertford college. A major new history of the crusades with an unprecedented wide scope, told in a tableau of portraits of people on all sides of the wars, from the new york times bestselling author of the templars. Either the page is no longer relevant or consensus on its purpose has become unclear. Historians rank the most important books on the crusades.
In modern historiography, the term crusade first referred to military expeditions undertaken by european christians in the 11th, 12th, and th centuries to the holy land. Some 100,000 men, from knights to paupers, took up the callthe largest mobilization of manpower since the fall of the roman empire. The authoritative history of the war for the holy land. The heightened public interest in the crusades after 911 created a strong. Both of these books take us back to the period in western history when belief in the afterlife was paramount. Jonathan rileysmith, a world authority on the subject, explores the organisation of a crusade, the experience of crusading and the crusaders themselves, producing a textbook that is as accessible as it is comprehensive. Although this account is well written, for me, it is too much like history as it is taught in school specific dates, the names of longdead kings, and battles that resulted in too much death and destruction. These books represent some of the biggest names in crusades scholarship. It has seen numerous reprints and translations and in some respects has come to be seen as a standard work on the topic.
The crusadeshistorical fiction score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. On the last tuesday of november 1095, pope urban ii delivered an electrifying speech that launched the first crusade. The disastrous time tens of thousands of children tried to start a crusade. New book on crusades uses diverse personal experiences to tell. The crusades were unprovoked attacks on a peaceful, superior culture. I started reading holy warriors by johnathan phillips, but its a shallow read without the kind of detail i want.
Best history books on crusades 103 books goodreads. Are there any books about the crusades which are accurate. Does anybody have recommendations for the best book on the crusades. The crusades have inspired a vast amount of writing since the very. Thomas asbridgea renowned historian who writes with maximum vividness joan acocella, the new yorker covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, readable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history. The book, though a short version of this historical record, paints an accurate picture of the successes and failures that occurred during some 200 years plus war. The new concise history of the crusades by thomas f.
With a wealth of fascinating detail, rileysmith brings to life these stirring expeditions to the holy land and the politics and personalities behind them. A history book written for the general population seeks to tell the story of the crusades from the personal experiences of a diverse group of. The real story of the crusades is often misrepresented for polemical reasons. The first in the threepart history of the crusades series, this book gives a full and vivid detail of the first crusade, setting out indepth the political, religious and historical backgrounds leading up to it over the proceeding five hundred years, before moving on to moving through the important characters and events of the four years of. There was also coexistence, political compromise, trade, scientific exchangeeven love. The crusades as history, not metaphor the new york times. A history is the definitive account of a key topic in medieval and. It goes into great detail about these crusades, not just the military movements but the political, social and religious factors and. While the christian faction started as a united front, soon spiraled out of control because of individual goals, whereas the muslim faction had a more consistent and cohesive base. The crusades through arab eyes by amin maalouf, the oxford illustrated history of the crusades by jonathan. Pulls off the enviable feat of summing up seven centuries of religious warfare in a crisp 309 pages of text. Asbridge makes you connect with the people and he is one of few western writers who covers the crusades from both christian and muslim perspectives.
Why muslims see the crusades so differently from christians they werent all battles and bloodshed. Jonathan rileysmith, a world authority on the subject, explores the organisation of a crusade, the experience of crusading and the crusaders themselves, producing a textbook that is as accessible as it. Crusades, military expeditions, beginning in the late 11th century, that were organized by western european christians in response to centuries of muslim wars of expansion. In the process he cuts through common lies, myths, and exaggerations, such as. He does a great job describing how the idea evolved, the motives of the crusaders, and the military dimensions of european and muslim cultures of the day. Now, in the first crusade, thomas asbridge offers a gripping account of a titanic threeyear adventure filled.
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