Customer Reviews

The Siege of Jerusalem: Crusade and Conquest in 1099

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This short book centered around the siege and captured of the holy city of Jerusalem at the conclusion of the First Crusade in 1099. For once, the title of the book actually matches the main subject of the book. Although the book gives a good background summary of the events leading up the the siege of Jerusalem, I was quite please to see the majority of the book actually dealt with the siege. (This after reading too many books that dealt with the main subject toward the last third of the book.)

The book appears to be well researched and easy to read. The first third of the book that dealt with the background material are presented in a clear but concise way that make it easier to understand and yet moving the reader to the main subject. There are plenty of maps to help with the narrative. I found the book to be understandable and highly enjoyable. The author tried not to make any judgment on the conducts of the Crusaders or their Muslim foes. People of those times do things that was acceptable for that period.

Overall, this is a good introductory book dealing with the First Crusade and their primary objective, capture of the city of Jerusalem. Its pretty amazing considering the odds that they were successful in the first place.

With those words, Pope Urban II began the crusading era in Western Europe, one that was to last for several hundred years. The stated intent of the initial crusade was recapturing Jerusalem (and the holy places contained therein) from the Muslim occupiers, and Europeans of all social status heeded the call and marched East. Of course, the crusaders almost immediately sullied the religious aspect of the trip by slaughtering the Jewish inhabitants of several cities, and also the inhabitants of the Eastern cities they captured on their way to Jerusalem.

This book retells that first crusade, from beginning to end, with great emphasis on the seige and taking of Jerusalem, and the wholesale massacre that took placd when the city fell. The principal players are spelled out and also the tactics used in the seige. There were just too many names to really remember, and occasionally the tactics confused me, but the story line was quite interesting.

The author contrasts the crusaders actions in Jerusalem with the humane actions of Saladin when he retook the city almost 100 years after the initial capture. It's a sad reflection on how the Western folks used religion to justify mass murder, and is certainly a stain that may be reflected in the actions and activities of today's world.

This author has a decent grasp on the military aspect of the First Crusade but not anything else that pertains to the crusade. He paints the crusaders as a bunch of barbarians who have no morals at all. What a jerk! This is not even close to the truth. If you believe that Christianity is to blame for causing the crusades and believe that the crusaders were bloodthirsty heathens, then this is the book for you! But if not, I recommend a book by Rodney Stark called God's Battalions. This book sets the crusades in the correct perspective.

Heck the crusaders were all Catholic but I'm a protestant and I believe that they had the right to do what they did in calling a crusade. Without the crusades, Europe would have become dominated by Islam many centuries ago. This author teaches at a Catholic college but has no respect for the crusaders? Come on! Why don't you teach yourself some real history MR. Kostick instead of being "politically correct."