Product Description

In 1095 Pope Urban II called upon Christians to march under the banner of the Cross and save their brothers in the East from the advance of Islam. This vision of crusading Christianity dominated the events of the next two centuries and brought together people of all ages and backgrounds, sworn to spread Christianity and wrest the Holy Land from the Infidel. First published to accompany the acclaimed BBC television series, ‘Crusades’ tells the compelling, often horrific, story of the fanatics and fantasists, knights and peasants who were caught up in these fervent times. It reveals how Muslims, Jews and Christians were massacred, and how the Crusades sowed the seeds of ‘jihad’, the holy war for Islam, a legacy that endures today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43719 in Books
• Published on: 1996-07-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
TERRY JONES is most famous as a member of Monty Python. He has directed several feature films including Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life. He is the author of several children's books and of two books on medieval England: Chaucer's Knight and the highly acclaimed Who Murdered Chaucer? He has been praised as “a natural story-teller, inventive and mesmerising”. ALAN ALEIRA was co-producer on the BBC's Crusades series. He has worked as a BBC radio and television producer, specialising in history since 1962. His credits include Battle of the Somme (Japan Prize 1978) and Armada (Royal Television Society Best Documentary Series, 1988). He is the author of The People's England, The Invergordon Mutiny and The Heart of the World.

Customer Reviews

Great introduction
As others have said this is a great introduction to the topic. You'll learn all about folks you've heard of like Saladin and Richard the Lion Heart but also some who perhaps you haven't such as Nur el Din or Tancred.

The book is a quick and easy read written in a light style but still information dense. You learn a lot in a short time and if you're interest is piqued then you know what you need to know to find out more. As long as long as you don't mind the sometimes humorous approach taken by the authors it easily earns its 4 stars.

An excellent primer on the crusades for all readers.
This book gives a fascinating account of the period when crusading fever gripped Western Europe. It is vital reading for all Muslims who should know exactly why in 1096, the forces of Christendom marched thousands of miles to Al-Quds. After reading this, I would strongly urge people to read Amin Maalouf's account 'The Crusades Through Arab Eyes' to understand the Muslim perspective of the Crusades.

The Crusades: accele'rated' version
An excellent introduction into this somewhat "heavy" topic, all packed into a paperback. It offers a concise and matter of fact interpretation of both the Muslim and Christian perpectives. But unlike many history books, it is light reading, often with 'laugh-out-loud' moments. I missed the TV series, but having read the book, can imagine that it was also well received. I now feel ready to tackle the heavy texts...