The first great city to which the Crusaders came in 1089 was not Jerusalem but Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Almost as much as Jerusalem itself, Constantinople was the key to the foundation, survival and ultimate eclipse of the crusading kingdom. It was the threat to Constantinople which led Urban II to preach the First Crusade, yet the Byzantines were extremely suspicious of this and subsequent crusades, often failing to provide looked for military and diplomatic support. The riches and sophistication of the great city nevertheless made a lasting impression on the crusaders, and through them on western European culture. In turn, Byzantine leaders employed their sophistication and diplomatic skills in an attempt to use the crusades to supply their own weaknesses. In the end, the lure of the city's wealth was irresistibly fatal to the claims of Christian unity. In 1204, the Fourth Crusade under the Venetian doge Enrico Dandolo, captured and sacked Constantinople, signaling the effective end of almost a thousand years of Byzantine dominance in the east.
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"A very readable history of the Normans both in France and England."
(Contemporary Review )"A very readable history of the Normans both in France and England."
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Book Description
The Normans is the history of a dynasty. It is also the history of ruthless ambition, rivalry and war between brothers and cousins. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was a critical moment in history. Following the death of Harold at the battle of Hastings, it established William, duke of Normandy, on the throne of England. By ending Anglo-Saxon rule, it tied England to Normandy and to involvement in France for the next five hundred years.
The Normans were pioneers of strong government, vigorous builders of church-es and castles, and fierce warriors. William l's death was followed by civil war and continued tension between England and Normandy, unresolved at the time of he death of William Rufus in a hunting accident in the New Forest in 1100. Peace under Henry I was followed by final eclipse after the Anarchy of Stephen's reign, when 'Christ and his saints slept'.
--This text refers to the
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The Normans were pioneers of strong government, vigorous builders of church-es and castles, and fierce warriors. William l's death was followed by civil war and continued tension between England and Normandy, unresolved at the time of he death of William Rufus in a hunting accident in the New Forest in 1100. Peace under Henry I was followed by final eclipse after the Anarchy of Stephen's reign, when 'Christ and his saints slept'.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FORTUNES FAVOURITES,
By
This review is from: The Normans: The History of a Dynasty (Hardcover)
The Normans, like their Viking relations, were adventurers par excellence. David Crouch also reveals cool headed calculation and organised government to be the underlying pattern of their success; illuminating this early period through sensible reconstruction, Crouch shows `how quickly complete outsiders could take possession of and transform the structures of power within a region'.
Nevertheless, fortune could tip either way in this precarious world of flux. At the close of the first millennium Wessex is `systematically plundered' by Vikings, spurring the King of England, Ethelred the Unready, into a marriage alliance with Emma, sister to Duke Richard II of Normandy...`The Normans could conceivably have closed their ports to the Vikings, as the English had wanted, but the retaliation might have been dreadful. If the Normans had refused to be Viking collaborators, they would then have been potential victims. This fear alone guaranteed a reception for Viking ships in Normandy'...The astute Duke Richard II steered his realm between the shoals of Viking freebooters and firmly entrenched Frankish mainlanders. Meanwhile Ethelred recklessly massacres a Danish population in the south east of England bringing an `aggressive and expansionist Danish kingdom towards the shores of England.' William the Conqueror would soon enter the fray of this viscous Nordic cockpit, tipping England's fortune Normandy's way. The rest, as they say, is history. The entire story of these incredible events is impeccable history when told by David Crouch. This is one modest volume well worth its shelf space.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Norman-England Survey,
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This review is from: The Normans: The History of a Dynasty (Dynasties) (Paperback)
This is a superb book. If you are looking for a general and strictly Norman survey, this book isn't for you. I only read up through the chapters on William, so I can't speak for the rest of the book. BUT - from what I have read the author means to describe the story of the dynastic line... not Norman adventures and antics in the 11th century. The book focuses on the development of the Counts of Rouen and Dukes of Normandy, and their ultimate conquest of England.
So if you are in need of a short introduction into Norman ducal growth and its relationship with England, then I highly suggest this book. I suggest it even if you aren't looking for that, it's a great read either way.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Normans,
By Brenda L. Reynolds (SJC, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Normans: The History of a Dynasty (Dynasties) (Paperback)
I wanted this book for a college course I am taking to connect the Normans with their Viking roots. Often history books overlook a Viking heritage as they often assimilated into the culture they conquered. However, the Normans does not loose that connection. The author writes well and keeps your interest - as Medieval lives often have a significant amount of "soap opera" drama. The author does an excellent job of keeping track of genealogy, so if that is an important aspect for you as a reader, he does deliver. He also keeps good track of the primary and secondary sources along with the biases that are prevalent even with historians who try to record just the facts.
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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2
books
cite this book:
- Viking Empires by Angelo Forte on page 64, page 188, and Back Matter
- Magna Carta (Greenwood Guides to Historic Events of the Medieval World) by Katherine F. Drew in Back Matter
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