"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...

Malcolm Barber's classic The Trial of the Templars recounts the dramatic demise of this elite military force in the fourteenth century. Having fought against Islam in the crusades in the East for nearly two centuries, in October 1307 the members of this respected Order were arrested on the order of Philip IV, King of France and charged with serious heresies, including homosexuality and the denial of Christ. Finding resonances between the fourteenth-century trial and contemporary events, Ba...

Covering a colourful period of medieval history from the schism between the eastern and western churches to the death of Dante, The Two Cities provides an introduction to key topics such as:The CrusadesThe expansionist force of the NormansMajor developments in the way kings, emperors and popes exercised their powersA great flourishing of art and architectureThe foundation of the very first universitiesFour major ...

These articles seek to understand the attitudes and reactions of medieval society to both external threat and internal dissension, whether real or imagined. The crusaders encompass the Templars and the Knights of St Lazarus, members of military orders committed to the cause of perpetual battle for the faith; more reluctant secular knights urged into the complicated conflicts of Latin Greece by the papacy; and peasant enthusiasts from northern France, ultimately turning their frustration on...

In the second half of the twelfth century, the Catholic Church became convinced that dualist heresy was taking root within Christian society and that it was particularly strong in southern France. The nature and extent of this heresy and the reaction of the Church to the perceived threat have been the focus of extensive research since the mid-nineteenth century, research which has become especially intense in the last decade.Malcolm Barber's second edition of The Cathars (which firs...

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...

This book contains 42 papers delivered at the International Conference on Military Orders held at Clerkenwell, London, in September, 1992. There are five sections covering the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic Knights, the Spanish Orders, and the perceptions and role of the orders.The impact of the military orders on European History has been profound, both in what they achieved and in the way interpretations of these achievements have since shaped European perceptions. Their influe...

The book that inspired the stories of Gladiator & Gladiator II: Step into the ring with this classic, in-depth account of the ancient Romans' obsession with the bloody and brutal games."[ The Way of the Gladiator is] this crazy, tawdry, wild book about the Coliseum. . . . It hardwired in my brain the absolute similarities between who we are and who we were." —David Franzoni, Academy Award–nominated scree...

"A tremendous work of non-fiction" about the network that hid the "Angel of Death," the Nazi doctor who escaped justice for more than three decades ( Forbes).In 1985, six-year old Betina Anton watched Brazilian authorities apprehend her kindergarten teacher for allegedly using documents to bury in secrecy the remains of Josef Mengele, known worldwide for cruel human experiments and for sending thousands to the Auschwitz gas chambers. Decades later, as an ex...

THE REALITY OF SPACE SETTLEMENT: An astrophysicist ponders the ethics of living in space for anyone interested in space exploration and the philosophy of science.Before we embark on Star Trek-type missions, we must first ask: Can we truly do better in space than we’ve done here on Earth?We’ve pinpointed the destination, refined the technology, designed the habitat, outfitted our space residents. Are we forgetting something...

“A heart-pounding, mind-bending adventure.” —Ilyon WooA riveting biography of Alexander the Great’s final years, when the leader’s insatiable desire to conquer the world set him off on an exhilarating, harrowing journey that would define his legacy.By 330 B.C.E., Alexander the Great had reached the pinnacle of success. Or so it seemed. He had defeated the Persian ruler Darius III and seized the capital city of Persepolis. His exhausted and ...

Partly as a result of poor commanders and partly because the Romans had an innate and misguided belief in the invincibility of their legions, the first battles against the Cimbri were a series of disasters. These culminated in the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC when two Roman armies were utterly destroyed. Rome finally realized that their republic faced an existential threat, and made the necessary painful political and military changes that were needed to face that threat. Rome also found a ...