The First Crusade: A New History 1st Edition

by Thomas Asbridge (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0195189056

ISBN-10: 0195189051

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On the last Tuesday of November 1095, Pope Urban II delivered an electrifying speech that launched the First Crusade. His words set Christendom afire. Some 100,000 men, from knights to paupers, took up the call--the largest mobilization of manpower since the fall of the Roman Empire.
Now, in The First Crusade, Thomas Asbridge offers a gripping account of a titanic three-year adventure filled with miraculous victories, greedy princes and barbarity on a vast scale. Readers follow the crusaders from their mobilization in Europe (where great waves of anti-Semitism resulted in
the deaths of thousands of Jews), to their arrival in Constantinople, an exotic, opulent city--ten times the size of any city in Europe--that bedazzled the Europeans. Featured in vivid detail are the siege of Nicaea and the pivotal battle for Antioch, the single most important military engagement of
the entire expedition, where the crusaders, in desperate straits, routed a larger and better-equipped Muslim army. Through all this, the crusaders were driven on by intense religious devotion, convinced that their struggle would earn them the reward of eternal paradise in Heaven. But when a hardened
core finally reached Jerusalem in 1099 they unleashed an unholy wave of brutality, slaughtering thousands of Muslims--men, women, and children--all in the name of Christianity.
The First Crusade marked a watershed in relations between Islam and the West, a conflict that set these two world religions on a course toward deep-seated animosity and enduring enmity. The chilling reverberations of this earth-shattering clash still echo in the world today.

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Editorial Reviews

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"This lively account of the Crusade looks set to replace Steven Runciman's classic 1951 account of the expedition as the best introduction to the subject....Asbridge's book gives exactly the sort of fast-flowing narrative the story demands. He writes clearly and vigorously, with a fine eye for
telling detail. Having walked considerable parts of the itinerary the Crusade followed, he presents a vivid picture of the landscapes they passed through. He admires the crusaders' hardiness and extraordinary boldness without condoning cruelties they inflicted....Recommended to a general reader who
wants an introduction to the Crusades."--Hugh Kennedy, The New York Times Book Review

"Asbridge combines fast-paced history writing, evocative prose and lucid research for a first-rate history of the First Crusade....Brilliantly re-creates the three-year history of the First Crusade, chronicling its difficulties and victories, not downplaying its brutality but emphasizing its
genuinely religious impulse."--Publishers Weekly

"Balances persuasive analysis with a flair for conveying with dramtic power the crusaders' plight throughout the nine-month siege of Antioch....Stunning...should revitalize the study of this fascinating period in European history."--Christopher Silvester, The Financial Times

"Rousing....Asbridge knows this territory well. In 1999, he even walked 350 miles of the crusaders' route."--Christian Science Monitor

"Asbridge, in keeping with his aim to produce a popular history, writes with maximum vividness."--Joan Acocella, The New Yorker

"Asbridge has produced a taut, clear and exciting narrative, which also manages to convey the best of modern Crusader scholarship....His pace is tremendous, and he has a remarkable feel of place. It certainly helps that, like so many Crusaders nine centuries ago, Asbridge has himself walked 350
miles from Antioch towards Jerusalem."--The Guardian

"Although well researched, the book wears its scholarship lightly and reads like a work of fiction, complete with vivid characters."--The Herald (Glasgow)

"Asbridge achieves vivid characterization and gripping storytelling without sacrifice of scholarship. Interweaving analysis, narrative, evocative description and occasional wry humor, he tells us--as no other book on the subject really does--who the crusaders were, how they behaved, how they killed
and died and, most surprisingly of all, how they survived and triumphed."--Felipe Fernández-Armesto, author of Millennium and Civilizations

"There is an underlying assumption among commentators looking at the confrontation between Islam and the West that it has been engendered by the events of September 11, 2001. Thomas Asbridge, by tracing the roots to the First Crusade in his lucid and provocative 'new history,' helps us to understand
the present by explaining the past."--Akbar S. Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies American University

About the Author

Thomas Asbridge is Lecturer in Early Medieval History at Queen Mary, University of London. An acknowledged expert on the history of the Crusades, he has traveled extensively in the Near East following the route of the First Crusade.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (September 29, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195189051
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195189056
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.42 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.2 x 1.13 x 6.14 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #259 in Middle Eastern History (Books)
- #682 in Military History (Books)
- #750 in Christianity (Books)

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Thomas Asbridge

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Thomas Asbridge is Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary, University of London, and the author of 'The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones' (2014), 'The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land' (2010) and 'The First Crusade: A New History' (2004). He studied for a BA in Ancient and Medieval History at Cardiff University, and then gained his PhD in Medieval History at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Thomas wrote and presented a BBC documentary, 'The Greatest Knight: William Marshal', and a landmark three-part documentary series 'The Crusades' for the BBC, filmed on location across the Near East and Europe. He has also appeared in many other internationally broadcast television documentaries and radio programs, and has worked as a historical consultant for HBO and Company Pictures. He now lives in southern England.

For more information visit: www.thomasasbridge.com

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Brown 45

Driven by religious fervor with a few other perks

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2018

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The book is well written and the material seems well researched. I bought the book as the result of taking a class where I had to analyze Three historical documents reporting on Pope Urban’s speech at Clermont in 1095. At the time I did not know the difference between Pope Urban and Urban Outfitters. It didn’t take much to know I needed a lot of background material to understand a very complicated era. Unfortunately information about the events that formed the first crusade come from those that were there, not there or those who just made up facts to support their position. As a historian Thomas Asbridge’s status, to take the available info and translate it into a comprehensive book that tells a story of an era that has been poorly and/or falsely portrayed in history. There’s no doubt the principles in this book were not stupid but they were superstitious, gullible, and poorly educated. What they did by today’s standards are totally unacceptable but by the standards of the day were unfortunately commonly accepted. Asbridge does a good job defining the motivations separating greed and bloodthirst from religious fervor. It was also often difficult to follow all the names and places. It would have been nice to have a glossary/dictionary to help pronounce the names and understand the relationships. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who would be interested in medieval history

3 people found this helpful

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Jordan M. Poss

Outstanding new history

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2007

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Thomas Asbridge's new history, The First Crusade, is a breath of fresh air. Few topics in history have been as mistreated and misused as the Crusades, giving rise to a great deal of popular rhetoric that has all but obscured the actual events themselves. Asbridge's book, however, cuts through the great majority of the myths and confronts the reader with real 11th-century men with real 11th-century concerns and beliefs.

What struck me about the book was how carefully Asbridge highlighted the differences between modern and medieval modes of thought. This would seem to be an obvious goal of the historian, but too often a writer will criticize his subjects based on 21st-century values rather than examining the subject through his own. A few other reviewers have mistakenly said that Asbridge "justifies" or makes excuses for Crusader "atrocities." Nothing could be further from the truth. Asbridge simply puts the reader into the mind of the 11th-century warrior, repeatedly reminding the reader that, while we might cringe at the thought of civilian deaths today, during the Crusading era that was a way of life. This constant reminder of the differences between the past and present places Asbridge's history among the very best that I have read.

One of the most important aspects of Asbridge's work is that he carefully entwines medieval piety with medieval concerns for prestige, landholdings, and booty. The result is a very well-realized glimpse into the medieval mind, where seemingly contradictory concepts held simultaneous sway for centuries.

The book isn't perfect. Asbridge leaves little to no room for coincidence in the events he writes about. "All the evidence suggests," he says of the arrival of much-needed timber at Jaffa, "that the crusaders had not anticipated the fleet's arrival, but it would be incredible, almost miraculous, if such a timely boon had been wholly unplanned." In my admittedly limited experience, what all the evidence suggests is often the best interpretation. On a similar note, Asbridge seems to enjoy reading between the lines, conjecturing thoughts and motivations for figures--Urban II and Raymond of Toulouse in particular--that are possible, yes, but only possible.

The greatest of the book's few weaknesses lies in Asbridge's picking and choosing of when to take the Crusaders at their word. He repeatedly tells us that the medievals exaggerated the size of armies, that they tended to gloss over embarassing episodes, and that they tended to downplay the Christians' level of involvement with the Muslims, but buys unreservedly into Crusader stories of the slaughter in Jerusalem, something evidence from the Muslim perspective suggests has been grossly exaggerated.

But overall, despite one or two minor (and I emphasize minor) flaws, I really enjoyed Asbridge's book and found it to be among the best Crusade histories in recent memory. If only every crusade could get such a carefully-crafted treatment.

Highly recommended.

13 people found this helpful

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The First Crusade Examined

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2012

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Asbridge is a well read historian and it shows in his book The First Crusade. While I found his analysis well explained and thorough, I did think his detail of the actual events was lacking as compared to Stephen Runciman. But his analysis and the level of detail he does provide balance well. He provides good analysis into how Pope Urban II may have rationalized the proclamation of the First Crusade. Asbridge discusses the motivations of the crusaders and their preparations. He covers the People's Crusade and the journey of the crusaders toward Constantinople. He tells of the progress of the crusade from Constantinople through the victory at Jerusalem and defeat of the Egyptian vizier al-Afdal near Ascalon.

I found his assertions of the motivations for Pope Urban to preach the First Crusade reasonable and well explained. I did think he dismissed the threat of the invasion of Islamic peoples too quickly. Power during medieval times regularly ebbed like the waves of the ocean. To say that the vacuum of power in the Islamic lands prior to the Crusades meant there was no threat or urgency is naive.

After the great examination of Pope Urban II, I found the early part of the description of the crusade a little lacking. However, Asbridge's explored at great depth the siege of Antioch and battle for power between Bohemund and Raymond of Toulouse. Asbridge has examined Antioch in more detail in his book The Creation of the Principality of Antioch, 1098-1130 .

Asbridge writes with authority, but he does not examine the differences between first-hand accounts. He makes frequent end note references to first-hand accounts, but they are usually jumbled and you would not be able to determine what information he is getting from where unless you have access to these sources.

There is a lot of contemporary and modern work available for the Crusades. I would recommend A History of the Crusades Vol. I: The First Crusade and the Foundations of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Volume 1) by Stephen Runciman for the most comprehensive telling of the First Crusade. I would also recommend The First Crusade: "The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres" and Other Source Materials (The Middle Ages Series) by Edward Peters for the best compilation of firsthand accounts of the First Crusade.

7 people found this helpful

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John

Disgusted by the dishonesty and attemps of subversion

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 2, 2019

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I read this book once when I was new to history, and I didn't find too much at fault with it though I did start to find it a little dry as it went on. Since then I have studied history and religion a lot, researched many anthropological subjects, and received academic training. I thought I would go back to this book out of just being really interested again in brushing up on the era of the crusades.

This book is incredibly biased, of course The Guardian rates this very high and praises it, it is a book more about preaching a certain ideology and a pathological point of view rather than a genuinely historical one. No attempt is missed to blame Christianity and to portray it as the highest evil ever to scourge our planet. Of course, there is NOTHING negative about Muslims in this book, it actually praises Muslims many times, describing them as more sophisticated, peaceful, accepting, and ultimately no where near as bad as the Christians. First hand accounts from Christian writers are instantly said to be lies and "pure propaganda". Literally, this is how the book describes accounts of Muslim warriors raping people during siege. A paragraph later, a deal of attention is given to describe how rape, murder, torture, and the hunger for war was just "everyday life" to a Christian at the time. It does this while scoffing at the idea people where raped by Muslims or brutally circumcised when it is a historical fact. It describes Christian crusaders and pilgrims as "chillingly barbaric" for the simple reason of trying to take Jerusalem back after being sieged by Muslims. But there is not a single bad word or calling of barbarians to Muslims, which is absolutely ridiculous and a clear double standard. Basically the author hates Christians and the West but sympathizes massively with Muslims and Jews to the point of sheer pathology separated from reality.

What this book has done is very wrong, because it is inaccurate and omits information when it doesn't serve the authors personal political (and clearly marxist) views. The author is anti-western, anti-christian, and above all, against honest speculation and the passing of genuine truthful information uncontaminated by ideological trends.

Seriously, this book is disgusting. I can't bare to read it any longer after actually being educated on the subject and this not just being my first book on the topic. "A New History" is an appropriate title as I feel the author is compelled to try and change history and out perceptions of it rather than tell us what it really is.

68 people found this helpful

Matthew Turner

Excellent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2015

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A readable account of the First Crusade. Other reviewers have explained the synopsis and contents of the book. I will add that I found this to be a readable, easy-to-understand account of the First Crusade. The horrors of Medieval war are made clear, as well as the motivation of the crusaders and why they succeeded, often against impossible odds. Some of the problems were of their own self-doing. I found the beginning of the book particularly useful, such as explaining the concept of a 'Just War', the right of conquest and just how real hell and sin were to the medieval mind. The maps are clear and concise and the photographs are in colour and add to the experience of reading the book. Recommended.

13 people found this helpful

Gerald Gray

A Great Account of the First Crusade

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2021

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I like history and if you want to read a concise but not boring book about the First Crusade this is the book.

3 people found this helpful

Leo

Great and enjoyable book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2017

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This account of the first crusade is a very enjoyable yet very valuable book. The tale of the crusaders and the description of the society which produce the very motivation and mind set of the participants is vivid and well constructed. 5 stars

5 people found this helpful

xerones

A good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2022

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An excellent, readable summary of turbulent times which still have impact after almost 1000 years

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