[Read by Sarah Nichols]
Looking into the past, the Crusades seem incomprehensible. What combination of religious fervor, hatred of people of different faiths, and gall led Europeans of 1100 AD to make their way thousands of miles to conquer the Holy Land? Why did they continue for 200 years? How did the Crusades change the world?
The intriguing story is peppered with colorful characters. Over the centuries, this well-researched and written book argues, crusaders saw — and participated in — the evolution of warfare and the transformation of society from feudal fiefdoms to nations and empires. The story of the Crusades is a reminder, too, of the horrors wrought in the name of religion. The Crusades are seen by many Christians today as an exercise in fanaticism, an episode in which the teachings of Christ were used to justify the horrors perpetrated on innocents. That judgment is accurate, but not the whole story. The whole story is in these pages.
A fascinating, fast-paced study The blood spilled – and bodies trampled over – in the name of God is unfathomable. It has been said that more wars have been fought over religion than over any other cause. That didn’t start, nor end, with the First Crusade more than 900 years ago. But the Crusades – the holy wars – waged over a period of two centuries changed the world, and civilization, forever. Author Abigail Archer, in The Crusades, brings historical perspective to this often-brutal, but also enlightening age. This overview…
A well-written overview of the Crusades Evidently this book has a few errors in the description. I downloaded it on iTunes, because I use an iPad for reading, and the book has 212 pages in the iTunes edition, I cannot imagine it having less in the Kindle edition. The book is not an exhaustive study of the Crusades, I am an historian and the Crusades are not my specialty, but I was interested in the book because of its title and presentation online. The book is actually a very good overview of the Crusades; if you are looking for blow…
A Quick Overview I guess anyone that thinks the Crusades can be covered in just over 100 pages might be a little delusional. This book was never meant to be an in-depth study, of course. I would say this could be used as an outline for the Crusades and maybe a guide into which point you may desire to study further Because of the nature of the subject, you are literally bombarded with dates, characters,and kingdoms.Read this one first, before you really jump in on in-depth study of these events.