The First Crusade
A New History
1st Edition
Published on 26. January 2012
432 pages
978-1-84983-769-9 (ISBN)
Description
'A nuanced and sophisticated analysis... Exhilarating' Sunday Telegraph
Nine hundred years ago, one of the most controversial episodes in Christian history was initiated. The Pope stated that, in spite of the apparently pacifist message of the New Testament, God actually wanted European knights to wage a fierce and bloody war against Islam and recapture Jerusalem. Thus was the First Crusade born.
Focusing on the characters that drove this extraordinary campaign, this fascinating period of history is recreated through awe-inspiring and often barbaric tales of bold adventure while at the same time providing significant insights into early medieval society, morality and mentality. The First Crusade marked a watershed in relations between Islam and the West, a conflict that set these two world religions on a course towards deep-seated animosity and enduring enmity. The chilling reverberations of this earth-shattering clash still echo in the world today.
'[Asbridge] balances persuasive analysis with a flair for conveying with dramatic power the crusaders' plight' Financial Times
Nine hundred years ago, one of the most controversial episodes in Christian history was initiated. The Pope stated that, in spite of the apparently pacifist message of the New Testament, God actually wanted European knights to wage a fierce and bloody war against Islam and recapture Jerusalem. Thus was the First Crusade born.
Focusing on the characters that drove this extraordinary campaign, this fascinating period of history is recreated through awe-inspiring and often barbaric tales of bold adventure while at the same time providing significant insights into early medieval society, morality and mentality. The First Crusade marked a watershed in relations between Islam and the West, a conflict that set these two world religions on a course towards deep-seated animosity and enduring enmity. The chilling reverberations of this earth-shattering clash still echo in the world today.
'[Asbridge] balances persuasive analysis with a flair for conveying with dramatic power the crusaders' plight' Financial Times
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Person
Thomas Asbridge is a Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary University in London, and an internationally renowned expert on the history of the Crusades. He has written and presented a major BBC TV series on the Crusades and a documentary on William Marshal. His acclaimed titles The First Crusade and The Crusades are also available from Simon & Schuster.
Content
- Intro
- Dedication
- Preface
- List of Maps
- Cast of Characters
- 1 HOLY WAR PROCLAIMED
- 2 AFIRE WITH CRUSADING FEVER
- 3 THE JOURNEY TO BYZANTIUM
- 4 THE FIRST STORM OF WAR
- 5 BEFORE THE WALLS OF ANTIOCH
- 6 TIGHTENING THE SCREW
- 7 TO THE EDGE OF ANNIHILATION
- 8 DESCENT INTO DISCORD
- 9 THE FALTERING PATH
- 10 THE HOLY CITY
- 11 AFTERMATH
- Conclusion
- Glossary
- Chronology
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- List of Plates
- Copyright
