No written source is entirely without literary artifice, but the letters sent from Asia Minor, Syria and Palestine in the high middle ages come closest to recording the real feelings of those who lived in and visited the crusader states. They are not, of course, reflective pieces, but they do convey the immediacy of circumstances which were frequently dramatic and often life-threatening. Those settled in the East faced crises all the time, while crusaders and pilgrims knew they were experi...

Dan Jones narrates in his inimitably vivid and authoritative fashion the remarkable story of the Knights Templar.'Exhilarating, epic, sword-swinging history' TLS'Jones is certainly an entertainer, but also a fine historian who knows how to render serious scholarship into accessible prose' The Times'Another triumphant tale from a historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist' O...

A highly readable look at the lifespan of the famous Knights Templar, who were warrior monks and the first disciplined, regulated, and uniformed standing army since antiquity throughout Europe and the Holy Lands—an economic force to be reckoned with and perhaps an institution guarding dark secrets. The origins of the concept of Holy War are explored, from Biblical times through the rise of Islam and the Christian movement, which inspired untold thousands to set out to recapture Jerusalem, ...

A look at the famed medieval Catholic order, with an emphasis on military history—includes numerous illustrations.There are many books about the Knights Templar, the medieval military order which played a key role in the crusades against the Muslims in the Holy Land, the Iberian peninsula, and elsewhere in Europe. What is seldom explored is the military context in which they operated. This book focuses on how this military order prosecuted its wars.The orde...

The Knights Templar are one of the most secretive and powerful religious orders in history: for over two centuries they were the elite fighting force of the Crusades. Highly trained, and adhering to a strict chivalric code, their success on the battlefield brought them both wealth and political influence. But it is the legends and secrecy surrounding the order and its Grand Masters that continue to fascinate historians and general readers alike.Secrets of the Knights Templar

"An enriching account of the expansion of the political and cultural frontiers of the Latin West in the central Middle Ages."— History TodayWhen the armies of the First Crusade wrested Jerusalem from control of the Fatimids of Egypt in 1099, they believed their victory was an evident sign of God's favor. It was, therefore, incumbent upon them to fulfill what they understood to be God's plan: to re-establish Christian control of Syria and Palestine. This bo...

The story of the First Crusade, as witnessed by contemporary writers'O day so ardently desired! O time of times the most memorable! O deed before all other deeds!'The fall of Jerusalem in the summer of 1099 to an exhausted and starving army of western European soldiers was one of the most extraordinary events of the Middle Ages. It was both the climax of a great wave of visionary Christian fervour and the beginning of what proved to be a fu...

Why did the medieval Church bless William of Normandy's invasion of Christian England in 1066 and authorise 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 unrav...

The dramatic, ultimately tragic history of the Knights Templar, the largest and most powerful military order of the Crusades.'A pleasure to read' SPECTATOR'Evocative, measured and engaging' EVENING STANDARDSifting myth from history, Piers Paul Read reveals the Templars - the multinational force of warrior monks, in their white tunics with red crosses over chainmail. They were not only unique among Christian institut...

Since the publication of the first edition of The Crusades: A Reader, interest in the Crusades has increased dramatically, fueled in part by current global interactions between the Muslim world and Western nations. The second edition features an intriguing new chapter on perceptions of the Crusades in the modern period, from David Hume and William Wordsworth to World War I political cartoons and crusading rhetoric circulating after 9/11. Islamic accounts of the treatment of prison...

This book is an essential exploration into the history of a legendary group of Crusaders, which are prominently featured in Dan Brown's recent best seller, The Da Vinci Code. The Knights Templar rose from humble beginnings to become the most powerful military religious order of the Middle Ages. Formed to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land, they participated in the Crusades and rapidly gained wealth, lands, and influence. Seemingly untouchable for nearly two centuries, they fell fro...

'Another island in the Great Ocean has many sinful and malevolent women, who have precious gems in their eyes.' In his Book of Marvels and Travels, Sir John Mandeville describes a journey from Europe to Jerusalem and on into Asia, and the many wonderful and monstrous peoples and practices in the East. He tells us about the Sultan in Cairo, the Great Khan in China, and the mythical Christian prince Prester John. There are giants and pygmies, cannibals and Amazons, headless humans and people...