Product Description

Why did the medieval Church bless William of Normandy's invasion of Christian England in 1066 and authorize cultural genocide in Provence? How could a Christian army sack Christian Constantinople in 1204? Why did thousands of ordinary men and women, led by knights and ladies, kings and queens, embark on campaigns of fanatical conquest in the world of Islam? The word 'Crusade' came later, but the concept of a 'war for the faith' is an ancient one. Geoffrey Hindley instructively unravels the story of the Christian military expeditions that have perturbed European history, troubled Christian consciences and embittered Muslim attitudes towards the West. He offers a lively record of the Crusades, from the Middle East to the pagan Baltic, and fascinating portraits of the major personalities, from Godfrey of Bouillon, the first Latin ruler of Jerusalem, to Etienne, the visionary French peasant boy who inspired the tragic Children's Crusade. Addressing questions rarely considered, Hindley sheds new light on pressing issues surrounding religious division and shows how the Crusades have helped to shape the modern world and relations between Christian and Muslim countries to this day.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #235280 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Geoffrey Hindley lectures internationally on medieval history. His many books include The Shaping of Europe, Saladin: A Biography, The Book of Magna Carta and A Brief History of the Crusades. He also co-founder of the Society for the History of Medieval Technology and Science. He lives in France.

Customer Reviews

A Short But Enjoyable History
This book, as remarked by the reviewers below is very concise, but what else would a `Brief History Of...' be if anything but?
The book does indeed pre-suppose some knowledge on the readers' part, but this is easily overcome by following Hindley's superb narrative.
One virtually flies through the centuries of conflict, and the key events are expanded upon.
It really is a very good starting point for the beginner, and will encourage the curios to further reading; Runciman's Magnum Opus on the Crusades or Christopher Tyreman's ambitious effort. However, if you do buy this and enjoy it as much as I have, I suggest The First Crusade by Thomas Asbridge as your next port of call.
Further, I would also encourage the reader not to interpret the Crusades in as contemporary sense as other reviewers may suggest, but `enjoy' the period in isolation.

Great intro to Crusades
This is an easy-to-read, concise introduction to The Crusades over the centuries that manages to deal with the main issues in surprising depth. All the main players are here. Maybe there could have been a little bit more info on the battle tactics and a few more maps, but then again, it is a BRIEF history and it does it with panache.

Thankfully, Hindley also refuses to take the simplistic view of some of his peers that Western success was a foregone conclusion - it wasn't.

Definitely recommended for newcomers to the subject.

Not for the beginner
Exceptionally well researched book, and well written too. However, this book assumes a lot of knowledge and is not introductory. As another reviewer has mentioned, characters are constantly introduced and discarded on the fly, with little character development.

If you want a general chronology of events occurring during the crusading period, this book is perfect. However, if you want an in-depth look at the issues driving the constant wars that were faught during this period, this book is at best a starting point.