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Review
“Brilliant, authoritative, and accessible, Thomas Asbridge’s THE CRUSADES is a must read. Asbridge balances impeccable scholarship with a gifted storyteller’s engaging voice. He vividly portrays the driving forces and personalities, the perspectives of Christians and Muslims, and the legacy of the Crusades in Christian and Muslim history and imagination.” (Professor John L. Esposito, Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, and author of The Future of Islam. )
“A truly comprehensive history of holy war in the Holy Land. 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.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )
“A truly comprehensive history of holy war in the Holy Land. 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.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )
Book 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 fought for dominion of the Holy Land, clashing in a succession of chillingly brutal wars: the Crusades. Here for the first time is the story of that epic struggle told 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, revealing how these holy wars reshaped the medieval world and why they continue to influence events today.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Books on the Crusades,
By
This review is from: The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land (Hardcover)
Having read just about every book on the Crusades,Thomas Asbridge's 2 works on the First Crusade and The Crusades are the best of the lot. His scholarship is current and he throws out many of the oft-repeated assumptions, presenting new, credible interpretations of the original sources. An example of this is the timeline during the taking of Antioch in the First Crusade. Virtually every other author has the Crusaders find the Holy Lance, be immediately rejuvenated and rushing out to attack Kerbogha. Asbridge presents a far more nuanced timeline and shows how the suicidal confrontation was the only option left to the besieged Christians after all other options had failed.My only quibble is with the conclusions Asbridge draws on Richard Cour de Lion's leadership. Despite telling us that Richard brought "the might Saladin to his knees"; that he bought Outremer another 100 years; that he rightfully realized that besieging and attacking Jerusalem was a recipe for failure; that his failure to convince the French of this fact was impossible because of the intransigence of the French leaders; that the nature of Holy War & the beliefs of the rank and file that Jerusalem was the only acceptable goal made the Crusaders "impossible to control" (p. 662) - he still claims that Richard's leadership was "shockingly ineffective." I can't agree with that conclusion and think Sharon Penman in "Lionheart" drew a better picture of the rock and hard place Richard Cour de Lion found himself between. Other than that, a highly recommended book.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasure to read and very informative,
By
This review is from: The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land (Hardcover)
This book is very well written and easy to read. Anyone looking to better understand what triggered the crusades, who the key players were, and how both sides fought for that part of the world, must read this book. It is full of interesting details. It is the best thing next to being there in person, but who would want to, after having read what the crusaders went through in order to reach Jerusalem. I highly recommend this book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really good!,
By MCL "a reviewer" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land (Hardcover)
I very much enjoyed this book. I found it well written, and learned a great deal, although I cannot comment on its merit as a scholarly work of history.A quote from the introduction which might be of help to prospective readers: "This book explores the history of the crusades from both the Christian and Muslim perspectives- focusing...upon the contest for ...the Holy Land- and examines how medieval contemporaries experienced and remembered the crusades." For me, it succeeds very well in its stated purpose.
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