The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge—a renowned historian who writes with “maximum vividness” (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker)—covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, readable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history. From Richard the Lionheart to the mighty Saladin, from the emperors of Byzantium to the Knights Templar, Asbridge’s book is a magnificent epic of Holy War between the Christian and Islamic worlds, full of adventure, intrigue, and sweeping grandeur.
The Crusades
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Author of The First Crusade (2004), British historian Asbridge widens his vista to the entire 1195–1291 duration of the crusading era, giving prominence in the holy-war epic to antagonists forever famous: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. Each leader’s role as standard-bearer of his cause reflects Asbridge’s significant emphasis on the entanglement of secular politics with the overt religious aspect to the wars between Latin Christianity and Islam. Crass considerations of dynastic power were never separate from the calculations of these champions and their successors, and partly indicate Islam’s desultory pace in expunging the Christian states established by the First Crusade. In addition, medieval warfare’s high-risk character—in which a single encounter, such as the 1098 siege of Antioch or the 1187 Battle of Hattin, could completely turn the strategic tables—goes far in Asbridge’s able hands to informing readers about the course of the Crusades. With perceptive commentary about spiritual motivations behind crusading and perspectives from contemporary Islamic sources, Asbridge constructs a comprehensive, sophisticated, and arresting analytical narrative rewarding to any level of historical interest, whether recreational or scholarly. --Gilbert Taylor
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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) )
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More About the Author
Thomas Asbridge is Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary, University of London, and the author of The First Crusade and The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land. He lives in England.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
82 of 86 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
First and foremost, The Crusades is a great read. From page one, it pulls you in with a narrative that reads more like a great adventure novel than true history. I for one, did not know much about the Crusades prior to this. As i progressed, I found myself investigating more and more details from other sources to further gain insight into the battles and backstory. That is not to say there are not plenty of details in the book as it is. It is very rich. The way Asbridge divided up each piece of the story really worked to make the journey concise, literate and educational. For a fan of history, The Crusades is as good as it gets.
48 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A good, readable history of The Crusades has escaped me to this point, for whatever reason. I was very excited when Tynerman's God's War was released a few years ago, and quickly became disenchanted when I tried slogging through it and realized what a boringly-written brick it was. Couldn't finish it. Runciman's classic volumes, which have been the definitive essential reading for half a century now, are still valid, entertaining reads but have been long since over-taken by newer evidence and much fresher, more-encompassing interpretations. As a read, they're still great fun. As good history, they're quite biased and lacking today.
So, when I saw a shiny new tome promising a complete revisiting of long-held assumptions, I couldn't resist. Asbridge's chronology is straightforward; starting with a quick survey of Islam's rise and subsequent takeover of the Christian Holy Land, he moves to Europe to set the scene of the medieval papacy and nascent western kingships that would bring about the concept of Crusading. In a nice touch, he continues to revisit the contemporary meanings, definitions and assumptions behind crusading as it developed from an event without even a name ("crusading" was a later appellation) to the currently-understood form. From these basics, he moves us through each of the main five Crusades, deftly describing the expected peoples, places, and battles. He strikes a good balance between talking about the most important figures and key battles versus the less-glamorous but as-important topics such as trade and societal makeup that, while harder to make exciting, are very important when trying to gain a full understanding of the events.
Very crucially, he spends as much time covering the Arab viewpoint as he does the Christian. He also properly gives notice to the fact that, while western sources are fairly voluminous by the standards of the era, the Crusades just didn't have a major impact on the Muslim world at the time, and therefore sources from the Muslim POV are much less available. That said, he does an admirable job of situating the reader as best he can in the Muslim frame of mind during each crusade, giving admirable detail on outside pressures that might've existed, any internal dynastic or civil events that had bearing on their interactions with the Crusaders... other histories I've read of this era often fall flat in this particular regard.
He closes with an excellent overview of how the Crusades have themselves been viewed throughout history, both in the West and in the Muslim World; this may have been my favorite part of the book as it's not a topic I've ever seen covered before, much less so well.
The writing style is nice and lively as well. It reads almost like a strong historical fiction narrative, a testament not only to the author's skill but to the inherent drama of the period.
BOTTOM LINE: This will be my only answer for anyone asking for a recommendation on the period for probably years to come.
So, when I saw a shiny new tome promising a complete revisiting of long-held assumptions, I couldn't resist. Asbridge's chronology is straightforward; starting with a quick survey of Islam's rise and subsequent takeover of the Christian Holy Land, he moves to Europe to set the scene of the medieval papacy and nascent western kingships that would bring about the concept of Crusading. In a nice touch, he continues to revisit the contemporary meanings, definitions and assumptions behind crusading as it developed from an event without even a name ("crusading" was a later appellation) to the currently-understood form. From these basics, he moves us through each of the main five Crusades, deftly describing the expected peoples, places, and battles. He strikes a good balance between talking about the most important figures and key battles versus the less-glamorous but as-important topics such as trade and societal makeup that, while harder to make exciting, are very important when trying to gain a full understanding of the events.
Very crucially, he spends as much time covering the Arab viewpoint as he does the Christian. He also properly gives notice to the fact that, while western sources are fairly voluminous by the standards of the era, the Crusades just didn't have a major impact on the Muslim world at the time, and therefore sources from the Muslim POV are much less available. That said, he does an admirable job of situating the reader as best he can in the Muslim frame of mind during each crusade, giving admirable detail on outside pressures that might've existed, any internal dynastic or civil events that had bearing on their interactions with the Crusaders... other histories I've read of this era often fall flat in this particular regard.
He closes with an excellent overview of how the Crusades have themselves been viewed throughout history, both in the West and in the Muslim World; this may have been my favorite part of the book as it's not a topic I've ever seen covered before, much less so well.
The writing style is nice and lively as well. It reads almost like a strong historical fiction narrative, a testament not only to the author's skill but to the inherent drama of the period.
BOTTOM LINE: This will be my only answer for anyone asking for a recommendation on the period for probably years to come.
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By Kevin Brown
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Crusades is a fine historical work. It lacks some of the detail of the author's earlier work (The First Crusade) but it also covers a much longer time frame. I really enjoyed the in-depth personal accounts of the historical figures in the earlier book that are somewhat lacking in this work. I also feel that the author doesn't spend enough time on the importance of the Military Orders (Templars and Hospitallers). However the author does spend a great deal of time examining broader cultural issues which more than make up for a certain lack of insight into individual personalities. The author spends a significant amont of time assessing changing viewpoints over historical periods (i.e. does Richard Lionheart deserve to be considered a hero, was Saladin a true believer in jihad or a political opportunist, etc.) I enjoyed the analysis which is thought provoking and well researched. I highly recommend both works.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Here's your in-depth look at the Crudades.
Really enjoyed this book and if you want to know what really happened in the crusades, then this is your book.
Published 1 month ago by Shamrock
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive History
Fantastic and in depth history of the Crusades. While there are other, more detailed accounts out there, this is the best one volume history of the events that I've read.
Published 1 month ago by J. Mclernon
4.0 out of 5 stars
A comprehensive treatment of a time I knew little about.
I wanted to know more about the Crusades and this certainly is a great introduction.
I think we are seeing today the results of what happened in that time.
I think we are seeing today the results of what happened in that time.
Published 1 month ago by Dave Boggess
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good overview with some detail
Easy read and helps understand the conflict and its proper context. Seems to possess good objectivity and balanced perspective. Recommended.
Published 1 month ago by Lloyd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
This book gives an excellent overview of the Crusades and is well written. I would definitely recommend it to someone who wants to learn about the religious wars of that time.
Published 1 month ago by Lawrence Wales
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Why choose this rating - The product is EXcellent
What did you dislike - Nothing
To whom would you recommend this product - Anyone interested
What did you dislike - Nothing
To whom would you recommend this product - Anyone interested
Published 2 months ago by Robert G. Buice
5.0 out of 5 stars
An impartial book and balanced arguments
You can hardly talk of Islam versus Christianity without being accused of pariality. As a Christian Arab, born in Palestine, a few hundred meters from the place where both the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by R. Soudah, Mr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best intro to Crusades, an excellent read
I've been reading and comparing Asbridge's "The Crusades" with Madden's book on the Crusades The New Concise History of the Crusades (Critical Issues in World and International... Read more
Published 2 months ago by C.N. Cotten
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome book!
Asbridge does an excellant job explaining the societal factors impacting the Crusades as well as evaluating the possible motivations of the actors on both sides. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Patrick McGee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good History of the Crusades
The Crusades generally refers to a series of conflicts between Christians in Europe and Muslims in the Middle East that took place between the late eleventh century and the late... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Andrew Collins
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
