The Crusades

In the eleventh century, 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 this First Crusade, Islam and the West fought for dominion of the Holy Land, clashing in a succession of chillingly brutal wars, both firm in the belief that they were at God's work. For the first time, this book tells the story of this epic struggle from the perspective of both Christians and Muslims, reconstructing the experiences and attitudes of those on either side of the conflict. Mixing pulsing narrative and piercing insight, it exposes the full horror, passion and barbaric grandeur of the crusading era. One of the world's foremost authorities on the subject, Thomas Asbridge offers a vivid and penetrating history of the crusades, setting a new standard for modern scholarship. Drawing upon painstaking original research and an intimate knowledge of the Near East, he 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 echo in human memory to this day.

ISBN 0743268601   DEWEY edition DC22 ISBN13 9780743268608 (What's this?)   Pages 784 Publisher Simon & Schuster   Weight (grammes) 1032 Imprint Simon & Schuster   Published in New York Format Book   Height (mm) 234 Publication date 07 Jan 2010   Width (mm) 153 DEWEY 940.18   Academic level General

		List of Maps
		Introduction		1
Pt. I		The Coming of the Crusades
1		Holy War, Holy Land		33
2		Syrian Ordeals		62
3		The Sacred City		89
4		Creating the Crusader States		115
5		Outremer		163
6		Crusading Reborn		197
Pt. II		The Response of Islam
7		Muslim Revival		225
8		The Light of Faith		238
9		The Wealth of Egypt		265
10		Heir or Usurper		285
11		The Sultan of Islam		316
12		Holy Warrior		337
Pt. III		The Trial of Champions
13		Called to Crusade		367
14		The Conqueror Challenged		391
15		The Coming of Kings		428
16		Lionheart		456
17		Jerusalem		477
18		Resolution		498
Pt. IV		The Struggle for Survival
19		Rejuvenation		519
20		New Paths		550
21		A Saint at War		577
Pt. V		Victory in the East
22		Lion of Egypt		611
		More...

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