The Accursed Tower
The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades
Published on 5. November 2019
272 pages
978-1-5416-9972-4 (ISBN)
Description
From a New York Times-bestselling author, a stirring account of the siege of Acre in 1291, when the last Christian stronghold fell to the Muslim army
The 1291 siege of Acre was the Alamo of the Christian Crusades -- the final bloody battle for the Holy Land. After a desperate six weeks, the beleaguered citadel surrendered to the Mamluks, bringing an end to Christendom's two-hundred year adventure in the Middle East.
In The Accursed Tower, Roger Crowley delivers a lively narrative of the lead-up to the siege and a vivid, blow-by-blow account of the climactic battle. Drawing on extant Arabic sources as well as untranslated Latin documents, he argues that Acre is notable for technical advances in military planning and siege warfare, and extraordinary for its individual heroism and savage slaughter. A gripping depiction of the crusader era told through its dramatic last moments, The Accursed Tower offers an essential new view on a crucial turning point in world history.
Longlisted for the Historical Writers Association Nonfiction Crown
The 1291 siege of Acre was the Alamo of the Christian Crusades -- the final bloody battle for the Holy Land. After a desperate six weeks, the beleaguered citadel surrendered to the Mamluks, bringing an end to Christendom's two-hundred year adventure in the Middle East.
In The Accursed Tower, Roger Crowley delivers a lively narrative of the lead-up to the siege and a vivid, blow-by-blow account of the climactic battle. Drawing on extant Arabic sources as well as untranslated Latin documents, he argues that Acre is notable for technical advances in military planning and siege warfare, and extraordinary for its individual heroism and savage slaughter. A gripping depiction of the crusader era told through its dramatic last moments, The Accursed Tower offers an essential new view on a crucial turning point in world history.
Longlisted for the Historical Writers Association Nonfiction Crown
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Book
11/2019
Basic Books
€37.50
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Roger Crowley was born in 1951 into a naval family and educated at Cambridge University. The author of numerous bestselling books, including 1453 and Empires of the Sea, Crowley lives near Stroud, UK.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Table of Contents
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Maps
- A Brief Timeline of the Holy Land Crusades
- Prologue: The Accursed Tower
- 1 The Second Kingdom of Jerusalem
- 2 Death on the Nile
- 3 Between the Mamluks and the Mongols
- 4 The Lion of Egypt
- 5 A Puppy Yelping at a Mastiff
- 6 War to the Enemy
- 7 "My Soul Longed for Jihad"
- 8 The Red Tent
- 9 "Bolts of Thunder, Flashes of Lightning"
- 10 Sorties
- 11 Negotiations
- 12 "See the Wound!"
- 13 The Terrible Day
- 14 "Everything Was Lost"
- Epilogue: A Habitation for Snakes
- Acknowledgments
- Discover More
- About the Author
- The Evidence for the Fall of Acre
- A Note on Names in the Book
- Bibliography
- Also by Roger Crowley
- Notes
