The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land by Thomas Asbridge (PDF)

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Asbridge can’t help but tell a ripping yarn, often breezily dramatic, whipping the narrative along’ The TimesA superb and definitive one-volume account of the Crusades, the impact of which still resonates to this day. In the eleventh century, a vast Christian army, summoned to holy war by the Pope, rampaged through the Muslim world of the eastern Mediterranean, seizing possession of Jerusalem, a city revered by both faiths. Over the two hundred years that followed this First Crusade, Islam and the West fought for dominion of the Holy Land, clashing in a succession of chillingly brutal wars, both firm in the belief that they were at God’s work.The Crusades tells the story of this epic struggle from the perspective of both Christians and Muslims, reconstructing the experiences and attitudes of those on either side of the conflict. Mixing pulsing narrative and piercing insight, it exposes the full horror, passion and barbaric grandeur of the crusading era.‘A dramatic and powerful look at both sides of the story’ Sunday Times ‘A compelling narrative… A masterful conclusion’ Observer

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐getting authentic info about the crusades again shows the greed cupidity and stupidity of humans, the foolishness of religions, and the need for humanity to finally grow up.

⭐Asbridge does an excellant job explaining the societal factors impacting the Crusades as well as evaluating the possible motivations of the actors on both sides. This is a very balanced look at an important period in history. In recent years, many Western scholars (Reston, for instance) have depicted Islam as pure and the Crusaders as rapacious and unadulterated evil. Asbridge is evenhanded in his treatment of the West and Islam, which is a refreshing approach, since rarely is one side all good and the other all bad. The Crusades continue to be very relevant to modern issues involving the West and Islam and I would highly recommend this book as a good survey of an important period of this relationship between the two.

⭐A very long book (over 1500 pages) covering the Crusades from the first to the third one. Very well presented, with detailed information that made me feel like the main characters were presented with all their frailties, fears and hopes. Spent the whole holiday reading just this book, could not put it down.A worthwhile read for everyone interested in the Crusades.

⭐WebbWeaver was asked by Simon & Schuster UK to review this title based on a 100 page excerpt and reference materials with maps. We graciously accepted their request and we were quite pleased.We began our journey into The Crusades with Chapter 13, ‘To Crusade’ and continued through Chapter 16 ‘Lionheart’.In late summer of 1187 Archbishop Joscius of Tyre, set sail for the West. Since Saladin’s overtaking of the Holy Land, the most powerful men in the Latin world had become compelled to take up the cross and engage in the campaign and call to arms known throughout history as The Third Crusades. Among the most powerful were Frederick Barbarossa, Emperor of Germany and Phillip II Augustus, the young King of France. But it would be Richard the Lionheart, King of England who would rise as champion of the christian cause and challenge Saladin. The two would meet head to head in the Third Crusades, pitting King against Sultan.Saladin’s rise to power had grown quickly but his taking of Jerusalem marked the beginning of his real trials of leadership and would almost certainly become his downfall. It was much easier to conquer a land than to rule it. The battle between Christendom and the Jihadists is highlighted in great detail, re-enforced with artwork and maps that strategically place the reader directly in the heart of the conflict as it unfolds. We are witness to the first battle where the Christians are finally in a position to go on the offensive and begin the task of attempting to reclaim that which has been taken by Saladin but, a shift in the tides results in mass casualties and the Christians are defeated on the plains of Acre.The turn in Christendom’s favor begins when three and a half years after taking up the cross, King Richard I of England, finally sails into Palestine on June 8, 1191, bringing with him much needed supplies, re-enforcements and positive morale for the weary. Abandoned by the King of France, Richard the Lionheart would step up as a leader and king making the world know his intentions to reclaim the lands Saladin had taken.After the execution of over 2,600 Saracens due to a broken treaty he and Saladin had entered into together, Richard the Lionheart was free to lead the Third Crusades on to victory. He would do this with the help of many including, the Templars, Poitevins, Normans and the English.Though he may not be responsible for the turn in The Third Crusade, it is widely believed that Richard’s contribution of outward gallantry just may have been the deciding factor in the direction the Crusades would take. The battle at Acre would indeed drive Saladin’s forces into retreat however it would not signal the end of the Third Crusades, though it would bring Richard the Lionheart to the brink of victory.The Crusades is an intricately and beautifully woven tapestry of historical proportions.Though we have not had the pleasure of reading the book in its entirety, the small part of the journey we took with the writer was entrancing and enlightening. We are quite anxious to read more on the Crusades and that interest was sparked by our reading of three small chapters from The Crusades.WebbWeaver is giving The Crusades:The War For The Holy Land a 4-star rating. We would recommend this to any history lover and anyone who has ever wondered about or questioned the past. Pick up Thomas Asbridge’s book, you are sure to be pleased.CK Webb & DJ WeaverWebbWeaver Reviews

⭐This book was hard going because it was so detailed but I appreciated that and it made you really think about the horror of the wars are people’s mindsets and cruelty.

⭐The author goes straight into the first crusade, without the boring bits, he really gets into the nitty gritty, and then onto the second crusade. Most of the book however was about the most famous crusade the third one with Richard the Lionheart verses Saladin. There is over 100 pages alone on this. The fourth, fifth and sixth crusades are mentioned towards the end, but I feel not enough was written about them, especially when Baybars of Egypt defeats them. Overall I felt the book read like a novel, was a page turner and is certainly one of the best books I have ever read on the crusades. It certainly will give Dan Jones’s book a good run for its money.

⭐For over a thousand years inter-religious strife has been focused on the city of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Jerusalem is a holy place for the three Abrahamic religions and therefore is a jewel fought over. Conquered by Islamic forces in the 7th century, Christian pilgrims were still able to access the holy places but by the 11th century the papacy felt that Jerusalem should be rules by Christians. Thus began two centuries of warfare for possession of the Holy Land involving the elite of the European nobility and a succession of Muslim rulers.This is a superb book, meticulously researched and full of detail. What is really important about this book is the fact that it offers a balanced view of the times. Most books focus solely on the ‘Franks’ but Asbridge also considers the muslim situation in depth, neither side was truly focused and both were riven by issues related to leadership. This aspect gives a depth to the history which is refreshing. Asbridge also expands the view to consider the hijacking of the word ‘crusade’ in modern times. This is a definitive history of a relatively short but violent series of encounters.

⭐Having read many volumes of historical books I found this book both informative yet slow going and ended up taking 6 Months of intermittent reading to complete. Great book for reference but keeping this readers interest not so great

⭐Although 800 pages or so, it does not read that way. Asbridge has succeeded in bringing the Crusades to life in a scholarly fashion without over complicating a layered and textured subject. The writing is light but not without detail, and it is often enlivened by excellent use of anecdotes. To use a well-worn phrase it wears it’s scholarship lightly, and as such is an excellent though thorough introduction. Asbridge is an excellent story-teller as anyone who watched his BBC series on the Crusades (this is the book of the series if you were in any doubt). I always believe a good ‘narrative style’ title is the best way to study any historical topic. Were I a student again, I would start here and move on to Prof Housley’s ‘Fighting for the Cross’ which is also an important though readable work, which approaches the subject in general, thematically. For greater detail than Asbridge, move on to Tyerman’s ‘God’s War’, also work by J. Riley-Smith. I cannot recommend this title strongly enough to the titular reader.

⭐I’ve never really read much about the crusades, but Thomas Asbridge’s book completely filled in that gap in my historical reading. Packed full of detail, I can see why it was a major tv series. Brilliantly written, this is a great book to read.

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