conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know a description for a book titled People of the First Crusade about Holy, Muslim, Crusaders with the genre: History, World?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: the author, an independent historian, absorbingly tells the strange tale of Christendom's First Crusade (109799) to liberate Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim rule. In an attempt to unify Latin Christendom and defuse the threat of a Muslim invasion from the East, Pope Urban II, in a speech at Clermont, France, in 1095, urged military leaders to form an army of liberation and free the Holy Land from Muslim control. The pope's speech sparked an excess of pious idealism that outstripped common sense: Invoking the protection of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, popular leaders like Peter the Hermit led the first Crusaders, unmilitary mobs of peasants, who indulged in a series of brutal atrocities (a sanguinary pogrom against the Jewish community of Mainz was only the most spectacular) before being scattered by Turkish forces. Knights like Stephen of Blois and Godfrey of Bouillon assembled a more professional but still motley Christian army, notable from the first for its violence and lack of discipline. Driven by an intense religious fervor, the Christian army conducted total war against Muslims and Jews, showing no mercy to the elderly, women, or children. They defeated the forces sent against them, captured the cities of Antioch and Nicaea, and concluded the campaign with a successful assault on the Holy City of Jerusalem. In each case, a wanton slaughter of the inhabitants followed. Through three years of costly struggle, faith that sometimes was little more than superstition sustained the Crusaders: After the fall of Antioch, a seer named Peter Bartholomew claimed to have uncovered the lance that pierced Jesus' side, which was believed to ensure the ultimate victory of the Crusaders. the author's account points up the irony of this war, in which religion was pressed into the cause of violence and brigandry, and concludes that ``God--Allah--is not best served, if at all, by fighting.'' A sobering narrative, well told, of a shameful episode that epitomized religious bigotry and intolerance. (22 illustrations, 7 maps, not seen) -- Copyright 1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Reverse the sentences.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: All rights reserved.. (22 illustrations, 7 maps, not seen) -- Copyright 1997, Kirkus Associates, LP.'' A sobering narrative, well told, of a shameful episode that epitomized religious bigotry and intolerance. the author's account points up the irony of this war, in which religion was pressed into the cause of violence and brigandry, and concludes that ``God--Allah--is not best served, if at all, by fighting. Through three years of costly struggle, faith that sometimes was little more than superstition sustained the Crusaders: After the fall of Antioch, a seer named Peter Bartholomew claimed to have uncovered the lance that pierced Jesus' side, which was believed to ensure the ultimate victory of the Crusaders. In each case, a wanton slaughter of the inhabitants followed. They defeated the forces sent against them, captured the cities of Antioch and Nicaea, and concluded the campaign with a successful assault on the Holy City of Jerusalem. Driven by an intense religious fervor, the Christian army conducted total war against Muslims and Jews, showing no mercy to the elderly, women, or children. Knights like Stephen of Blois and Godfrey of Bouillon assembled a more professional but still motley Christian army, notable from the first for its violence and lack of discipline. The pope's speech sparked an excess of pious idealism that outstripped common sense: Invoking the protection of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, popular leaders like Peter the Hermit led the first Crusaders, unmilitary mobs of peasants, who indulged in a series of brutal atrocities (a sanguinary pogrom against the Jewish community of Mainz was only the most spectacular) before being scattered by Turkish forces. In an attempt to unify Latin Christendom and defuse the threat of a Muslim invasion from the East, Pope Urban II, in a speech at Clermont, France, in 1095, urged military leaders to form an army of liberation and free the Holy Land from Muslim control.the author, an independent historian, absorbingly tells the strange tale of Christendom's First Crusade (109799) to liberate Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim rule
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the first five paragraphs for this book? Start with the sentence 'People of the First Crusade
  But the mental damage, in this time of constant danger, was even greater than the material loss'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: People of the First Crusade
  But the mental damage, in this time of constant danger, was even greater than the material loss. History is not well-placed to assess the fractures and the wounds of the mind. A cautious reading of old official documents, as one famous historian has complained, gives a very incomplete picture of 'the vicissitudes of the human organism', but there is a kind of indirect evidence that effectively reveals the interior of the mind where hopes and fears are laid bare. This evidence lies in the imaginations and the stories that men and women tell each other concerning the nature of their own society.
  In the course of a violent feud, Raoul advances on the town of Origny. When the day's work is done we are left with the picture of a society at its wits' end:
  Then Count Raoul called to his men. Take arms without delay,' he said, 'and ride speedily to reach Origny before night-fall. Spread my tent in the middle of the church; tether my horses in the porch; prepare my food beneath the aisles; fasten my falcons to the golden crosses, and make me a rich bed before the altar. I will lean against the crucifix and deliver the nuns up to my squires. This place, which the sons of Herbert hold so dear, I will destroy and ruin it utterly'
  At once, the knights start for Origny, for they dare not refuse. They cross the moats. They cut down the pallisade and trample it under foot. They cross beside the fishpond and rush to the very walls. Great was the alarm when the citizens see that their fortification is gone, and even the bravest of them was much cast down. But they man the walls, throwing stones and sharp stakes, killing many of Raoul's soldiers. By God! if they find Raoul, they will finish him off. Raoul is in a fury at this defence, and he swears that if one and all are not hanged and destroyed he will not give a fig for his own valour.
  When the work is done, Raoul returns to his tent. It was at his command that the nuns were burnt and roasted. Raoul dismounted, unlaced his bright golden helmet and ungirded his good sword of steel. He called for the seneschal who was wont to serve him. 'Prepare me food,' he ordered, 'roast peacocks and devilled swans and venison in abundance. Let us eat our fill. I would not be thought mean by my barons for all the gold in the city,' But the seneschal cried out in amazement: 'In the name of Our Lady, what are you thinking of? You are denying holy faith and your baptism and the majesty of God. It is Lent. It is the holy Friday of the Passion, when sinners should always honour the Cross. And we miserable men have burnt the nuns and violated the church. We shall never be reconciled to God unless his pity be greater than our wickedness.'
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know four more paragraphs? End with the sentence '
  Bohemond and his Normans, as was usual, were eager to get into action, but as Raymond of Aguilers wrote, the general mood in the army was more cautious:'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: We began to cross a damnable mountain, which was so high and steep that two men could not pass on the path. Horses fell over the precipice, and pack-animals linked together pulled one another down. As for our knights, they stood about in a great state of gloom, wringing their hands because they were so frightened and miserable. They did not know what to do with themselves, they were so burdened and weighted with coats of mail and armour. They tried to sell shields and helmets and breastplates for a few pence or for whatever they could get. If there were no buyers, they threw their arms away and went on. When we had crossed that accursed mountain we came to a city called Marash, and so at last our knights marched more easily and came into the valley which contains the royal city of Antioch, capital of Syria.
  The Turks and their allies had fallen back on Antioch, and there was much turmoil in the surrounding country as the invaders clashed with Muslim columns hurrying to the defence of the walls:
  When we came near to the Iron Bridge over the River Orontes our scounts found innumerable Turks hurrying to the defence of Antioch. Our men dashed at these Turks at once, and the barbarians were thrown into confusion and fled, leaving many killed. Having defeated them, by God's grace we took many spoils, horses, camels, mules and asses laden with grain and wine. At length the main body of our army came up and camped on the bank of the river. The gallant Bohemond took 4,000 knights to guard the city gates, so that no one could go to and fro secretly in the night. Next day, by about noon on Wednesday, 21 October, a strict blockade was put on three gates of the city, for we could not besiege it from the other side where a high mountain stood in our way.
  Bohemond and his Normans, as was usual, were eager to get into action, but as Raymond of Aguilers wrote, the general mood in the army was more cautious:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the last five paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Adele (wife of Stephen of Blois) 105, 110, 207-8 Adhemar, bishop of Le Puy 47, 70, 71, 78, 80, 84, 85, 124, 127, 133, 141, 142, 143, 146, 150-2, 173, 191, 213
  Fulcher of Chartres (chronicler) 50, 71, 73, 82, 85, 86, 87, 105, 111, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119 137, 179, 180, 188-9, 195, 213, 225-6, 227
  Robert, Duke of Normandy 70, 72, 73, 80, 83, 146, 153, 158, 164, 166, 169, 184, 185-6, 192, 193, 194, 196
  Tancred the Norman 70, 76, 118, 124, 126, 146, 153, 158, 162, 166, 169, 172, 173, 184, 185, 192, 194, 198-9, 202, 203, 208, 209
  Urban II, Pope 23, 24-9, 25, 33, 46-7, 48, 49, 50, 53, 68, 73, 192; address at Clermont 35-44, 49-50, 214; death 203