The story of the Crusades from both sides
921397
I read this book together with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/God-s-War/dp/0674023870/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">God's War</a>&nbsp;by Christopher Tyerman, because Amazon reviews gave the impression that this is the more readable book but Tyerman's is more thorough. They were right about that. Asbridge vividly narrates events, focusing particularly on the First, Third, and Seventh Crusades. He also analyzes why things happened the way they did, without going into the dry details that Tyerman does.

One major conclusion is that the First Crusade was both a ridiculous near-disaster and an improbable success, but Europeans remembered only the success. That memory bred what you might call a "crusading mentality", especially among crusaders newly arrived from Europe, that was obsessed with bold, aggressive moves. Leaders who chose slower, wiser courses of action lost the confidence of the enthusiast armies, contributing to disasters like the Battle of Hattin and the breakup of the Third Crusade.

The other strength of the book is that it alternates between the European and Muslim perspectives, going into detail about how Islamic rulers reacted to the crusades. Although the First Crusade was a shock to them, they didn't initially care very much; Jerusalem was holy to Muslims, but the land wasn't very valuable in other ways. Once the crusader states were established, Muslims tended to coexist with them, albeit awkwardly, partly because they were a lucrative gateway to trade with Europe. Asbridge argues that Saladin only promoted the recapture of crusader territory as a way of justifying his seizure of power in Egypt and Syria, and he was never enthusiastic about it. Only the Mamluk rulers of Egypt treated the crusaders as infidels to be driven out at all costs.

Though Asbridge never quite says it outright, a major insight I drew from this book is that the crusader states were destroyed by ordinary medieval politics. States in medieval days, both in Europe and the Middle East, were always attacking and seizing territory from each other. The European nobility who ruled the crusader states were at a disadvantage in those struggles because their numbers were so few when an active crusade wasn't backing them up. That reality, at least as much as religious enmity, doomed the crusader states to be swallowed by neighboring Muslim kingdoms.

Asbridge, unlike Tyerman, doesn't go into outgrowths of crusading in Europe, like the Albigensian Crusade in southern France or the campaigns of the Teutonic Knights in Eastern Europe. That's not a problem in itself, but Asbridge's limited scope may have led to the two main criticisms I have. One is that, after spending a great deal of space on the dramatic Third Crusade, he gives comparatively brief treatment of the Fourth. The sack of Constantinople by the crusaders is the strangest twist in the history of crusading, and you really need to get into the details to see it as anything other than an inexplicably stupid move. Asbridge seems to be so focused on the Near East that he doesn't feel like going into great detail about a crusade that never reached it. The other flaw is his assertion at the end of the book that the crusades had been virtually forgotten by the end of the Middle Ages. There were feeble attempts to launch a crusade against the Turks as late as the 1460s, and, as Tyerman shows, outgrowths of crusading ideology lasted even longer.

Read Asbridge if you want a vivid, detailed story, seen from both the European and Muslim sides. Read Tyerman if you want to analyze the European perspective in depth, especially the abstract ideology of crusading, and don't mind that it's a less compelling read.
1857037
An engaging look at the Third Crusade (1187-1192) and the main players: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. An entertaining read about two of the greatest warriors of the East/West dichotomy, Richard with his unmatched strength and skill in battle, and Saladin with his generosity, compassion and military leadership.
3744532
I learned more about the eight crusades in Lars Brownworth's popular history of this subject than I have in any academic course I have taken. Outremer and the Levant  were thoroughly explained so that the reader can visualize the rather complicated geography of the eastern Mediterranean coast in relation to the Crusader States.  I thought the Cast of Characters was a reference tool that was easy for the reader to return to time and again as he read the book with its multitude of central figures from popes and emperors to Prester John and Yolande. Last but not least, is the Epilogue which Brownworth treats with respectful provocation and a timely analysis.  A highlight of the book!
4642155
Anyone wanting to learn something about the Crusades is in a bit of a quandary: either dive into the deep end with one of the major histories, or be content with briefer accounts in encyclopedias or general history books. In the first case, you're likely to be overwhelmed; in the latter, to come away feeling unsatisfied.

I think Madden has done a pretty good job of staying the middle course. By carefully balancing dry facts with colorful details, he manages to cover the main events without being dull. The book leaves me wanting to know more, but in a good way, because he has succeeded in highlighting so many fascinating aspects of the times.

One caveat: the book is (perhaps by necessity) weak on military detail. Numbers of troops are seldom given, major battles are dealt with in a sentence or two, and we learn little about the siege engines that played so large a part in these campaigns.
2268880
While I am only half-way through the book, God's Crucible is great history (I would ignore some of the negative reviews written here in Amazon, as they are agenda driven-e.g. Seth Franzman's reviews are consistently negative about any book that even credits Islam and Muslims.  Reading his review, I question whether he even read the book).  God's Crucible is wonderfully written with great prose.

As a matter of history, I find the book very well balanced.  It points out the flaws, as well as the achievements, of the early Muslim empires; as it does for the early Christians and contemporaneous Jews. It is interesting to see that all empires, regardless of religious orientation (Christian, Jewish, Islamic) are subject to the failings of human nature.  So you read of leaders displaying great heroism and compassion, and others of cruelty and ignorance.  One interesting historical note, is the cooperation among Jews and Muslims in Muslim expansion into the holy lands and beyond, as well as Muslim expansion into Spain.  Driven twice from Spain (we know of their expulsion from 1492 and beyond), but also from Visigothic spain (pre-Al Andalusia).  Once I finish this book, I will write a more complete review.
983542
an intriguing story that contrast s evil and good in the lives of religious men. The Crusades were not the often the honorable event .
1748308
"God's Battalions" summarized and provided an excellent history of the Crusades, the social relationships and the technological strengths of the three parties involved; the Crusaders, the Muslims and the Byzantines.  It also puts into perspective and provides an alternative picture to the anti-Western stories about the Crusades that are current in many parts of academia and the media.  It is an excellent book for those starting their research into why Islam has been at war with Western Civilization for 1400 years.
2875267
Roger Crowley, author of the excellent&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/1453-The-Holy-War-for-Constantinople-and-the-Clash-of-Islam-and-the-West/dp/1401308503/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West</a>, continues his history of the clash between Islam and Christianity after the Middle Ages in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Empires-of-the-Sea-The-Siege-of-Malta-the-Battle-of-Lepanto-and-the-Contest-for-the-Center-of-the-World/dp/0812977645/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World</a>. While some Americans know that Europe thwarted the Ottoman land invasion at Vienna, few realize that the Ottoman threat hung over the Mediterranean Sea for much of the 16th century. Crowley deftly covers several of the major sea battles between the Ottoman Empire and Hapsburg Spain, including the siege of Malta and battle of Lepanto.

Crowley has a gift for writing historical narrative. His writing is extremely readable and fluid. History comes alive with several personalities, including Barbarossa the Muslim corsair/pirate who brought terror to coastal Europe; the stern La Valette, Knight of St. John, who raised the drawbridge at Malta to ensure that the fortress defenders would not retreat; and Don Juan, the dashing Spanish prince who pushed his unwilling fleet towards battle at Lepanto. The focus of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Empires-of-the-Sea/dp/0812977645/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Empires of the Sea</a>&nbsp;is, of course, the battles, and these are narrated with gripping detail. Crowley lets readers really feel like they are on the galleys, from the way the arrows stuck out of the deck to the noise of the cannons.

My only complaint about&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Empires-of-the-Sea/dp/0812977645/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Empires of the Sea</a>&nbsp;is that it doesn't provide much background about the Ottoman or Hapsburg Empires. I understand Crowley had to limit that background information he provides in order to focus on the narrative and battles. Still, I suspect many readers will know next to nothing about these empires, which might make them reluctant to invest in the narrative. Fortunately, I did remember quite a bit from my university history courses, but still I felt I could use a brief refresher on key events like the Battle of Vienna, which Crowley barely mentions but defined Ottoman-European relations during the 16th century. I guess my point isn't so much a criticism of Crowley's book as much as it is a suggestion that readers at least browse an article about the history of the Ottomans and Hapsburgs before taking on this book.

Overall, if you generally don't like to read books about European history, Roger Crowley's books might change your mind. If you do like history, then&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Empires-of-the-Sea/dp/0812977645/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Empires of the Sea</a>&nbsp;will be as exciting and enjoyable as watching the space battles in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Star-Wars/dp/B001EN71DG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Star Wars</a>.
3105134
This novel, set during the years 1187-92, centers on the Second Crusade to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule, of which Richard I Lionheart of England was a central character. Though he plays a major part in the book, its primary focus is Balian of Ibelin, Lord of Nablus (born, as so many participants in that Crusade were, in the European kingdoms of Outremer established after the victorious First Crusade), his wife Maria Comnena, her daughter Princess Isabella of Jerusalem (the younger daughter of the first Frankish king of that domain), Isabella's husband Humphrey, Lord of Toron, and Balian's squire Ernoul, a would-be poet and historian. In the wake of the Frankish defeat at Hattin, which led to his two-year imprisonment by the Muslims under Saladin, Guy of Lusignan, the reluctant current King of Jerusalem through his marriage to Isabella's older sister, finds himself embroiled in a rivalry with Conrad, Marquis of Montferrat, who has established himself as deliverer and lord of Tyre and is eager to hand it over to a European king--preferably Philip Augustus of France or the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, who are both his cousins--and thereby consolidate his own position. But Conrad has other ambitions too, including the throne of Jerusalem. Since Guy has a powerful backer of his own--his family has sworn fealty to Richard--it looks as if only political maneuvering will secure it for him. But when Guy's queen dies unexpectedly, another route opens up. If Conrad can secure Isabella as his wife, he'll have a legitimate claim to the throne. That she is happily married matters not a whit to him.

What's most tragic about the unfolding story isn't the European loss of the conquests of almost 50 years earlier, but the fate of Isabella and the grief of her family. Conrad--a villain of the kind you love to hate--is so thoroughly slimy that you wish this were the era of King Arthur and some bold and valorous knight would offer to rescue the "damsel in distress." Unfortunately, even after Isabella is unexpectedly relieved of him, none does, and she remains a helpless pawn.

Shelby portrays the Second Crusade as not so much a military but a political effort, and succeeds in providing his readers with a comprehensible explanation of its failure, caused chiefly by the internecine squabbling among the Crusaders, who, while united by a common religion, all seemed more interested in advancing their personal programs. He also finds time to portray something of the character of Richard, accepting the modern scholarship which argues that he was homosexual and never consummated his marriage to Princess Berengaria of Navarre, and showing both good and bad aspects to this famous ruler who never really ruled England. Richard's great rival Saladin, too, has an important role and is sympathetically portrayed as a human being who was in many ways superior to those he fought. Though not as upbeat as many, this is a superior historical novel, well researched and tightly written. Readers who enjoy it should also seek out the author's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Knights-of-Dark-Renown/dp/0345021045/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Knights of Dark Renown</a>.
4030028
This is an excellent, compelling book on the period leading up to the Battle of Hattin and and the subsequent fall of Jerusalem to Saladin.

This is a balanced presesntation, which shows respect to both the Christians and the Moslems.  Most books on the crusades seem to be written with an agenda:  to show Moslems and/or Christians as either brutal or heroic one-dimensional characters, to praise or condemn religious faith, or to draw parallels with a current event.  The author avoids these tendencies and presents a story of real people facing real problems while dealing with other real people.

I had this book set aside, to be read when I had nothing else available.  Once, however, I picked it up, I could not lay it down.  It is that well done.
208360
This is the second volume of a two-part series on the history of Christianity from the very beginnings of the church to the present day.  It is well-written with a real eye for the facts and gives the reader a sense of the story of Christianity world-wide.  It is written in great detail; it's somewhat overwhelming for casual reading but well worth it.  If you want to know the story of Protestantism, Catholicism, and Greek Orthodoxy this is the way to go.
2784955
Beyond just being an attack on Islam as a religion, this book attempts to rehabilitate the crusades into something wonderful.  As such its worth reviewing some parts of the crusades.

The first crusade ended at Jerusalem with the extermination: men, women and children of all the muslims of the city.  As for the Jewish population, they took shelter in the main synagogue.  The Crusaders deliberately set fire to the building and rather deliberately set about burning every person inside.  The crusades also left a trail of dead jews in their wake all the way from Germany to Jerusalem.  Contrary to the book, there is nothing good that can be said about the crusades and a whole lot wrong that left unsaid by the book.

In the later crusades, far more christians were killed than muslims by the crusaders.  They destroyed christian cities, set up kingdoms over christians and wrecked churches.  As today, it wasn't enough to be christian, you had to be the right kind of christian or you were as likely to be killed as jews or muslims.

Anyone who claims to have a graduate degree in middle east history should know these facts.  Any book that tells christians that the crusades were good is as anti-jewish as it is anti-muslim.
4836714
There were many reasons men and women went on the crusades. I had never read about those who stayed in the Holy Land, and this book provided a fascinating look at the Europeans who made it their home. The multiple love stories are set in a time and place that are not familiar,with a way of life that made each moment of breath precious. The 12th century in and around Jerusalem was dangerous, full of promise, and exotic. I highly recommend this book to any others who, like me, are slightly obsessed with the Middle Ages..
1236941
This book surveys in a readable fashion the long history of al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) from its beginnings in the 8th century through its Golden Age and decline, to Ferdinand and Isabella's expulsion of the Jews and their conquest of the last Muslim stronghold, Granada, in 1492. The survey is spiced with enough colorful anecdotes and little-known facts to keep your interest.

The author's goal is to take a close look at the convivencia - the "living together" of Muslims, Christians and Jews in medieval Spain. It was here that the three great monotheistic faiths engaged - and collided - for the first time on Western soil.

Lowney, a former Jesuit and banker with degrees in medieval history and philosophy, believes the story of religio-ethnic cooperation in al-Andalus has great relevance in today's strife-torn world. He demonstrates that Christians, Muslims and Jews can live together in peace, because they did so in medieval Spain.

Lowney does not try to sugarcoat the "Golden Age." He points out that convivencia was not without its problems, and that it at times broke down in spasms of bloody violence. He demonstrates that cooperation among Muslims, Christians and Jews in al-Andalus was a matter of self-interest, motivated not by idealism or charity but by each community's recognition that survival often depends on getting along.

Lowney shows how, in this atmosphere, the three communities grew in wisdom and prospered economically. Fascinating parallels emerged. The Muslim philosopher Averroes and the Jewish sage Maimonides made similar though unconnected journeys toward a philosophy of reason. Both men pointed the way toward tolerance, and yet both fell victim to the intolerance of others. As Lowney shows us time and again, man has the freedom to choose which path he will take.

[A version of this review appeared in Saudi Aramco World, Sep/Oct 2005]
50523
Very nice historical book.  Provides more in-depth treatment of the subject that other books on the Crusades.  A must have for any library where the reader is interested in the actual history of this period.
1727977
The story is based on real historical events and characters in the early days of the Protestant Reformation, and is told from the perspective of the Anabaptist movement, specifically the persecution of Anabaptist by the Catholics with the complicity of Lutheran.

The story is told in first person by one who was involved in all major (tragic) events in the Anabaptist movement.  The antagonist is a mysterious spy, Q, sent by Archbishop Carafa (who later became Pope John IV), who infiltrated the movement, and precipitated the tragic ends of both the Peasants' War and the Munster Rebellion. The fist half of the book is mostly centered around these two historical events, and the second half about the unveiling and pursuit of Q.

As pointed out by several readers, the narratives jump back and forth in time.  Fortunately, every chapter begins with a specific date, making it easier to follow.  However, the first person narrative is annoying at times.  I would say, the first half more historical, and the second half more adventurous and captivating.  To me, it is a good history lesson and an excellent story.
925538
Eusebius's History of the Church is a must-read for any student of the foundation of the Christian religion throughout the World. Eusebius is like a modern day reporter covering key historical events through research, first had accounts, and eyewitness accounts from the people who were there, including himself.

He covers the incredible cruelty of Rome in its multiple persecutions of Christians throughout the Roman empire through the time of the Emperor Constantine when Christians were finally recognized as a legitimate religion and very close to the state church of the Roman Empire.

As is often the case with free books, this FREE Kindle edition was not particularly well formatted and I probably should have taken off another star for that. In addition,

Eusebius's presentation was a bit strange with some very long chapters and some chapters which were only one or two paragraphs. And there were lots of holes in some of his stories. Nonetheless, it was a good read by a recognized historian who was there when many of the events he describes actually happened.