The Modern Scholar: God Wills It!: Understanding the Crusades

De: Thomas F. Madden

Narrado por: Thomas F. Madden

As late as 1518, plans were laid by Pope Leo X and the monarchs of Europe to set aside their internal quarrels and once more embark on a holy crusade to wrest the Middle East from the Ottoman Turks. Finding accord and even enthusiasm for the enterprise, all was on course for a multiyear military campaign to push east from North Africa through Egypt and south through the Balkans to squeeze the Turks in a pincer movement and finally oust the Muslims from the Holy Land. The great plan, however, died when Europe was once again plunged into internal strife with the death of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, who had been a leader for the crusade.

For over 400 years, crusaders ("those signed by the cross"), out of Christian zeal, a declared love for their fellow man, and, in many cases, a simple desire for fortune, glory, and heavenly reward, marched to the Holy Land to battle both a real and perceived threat to their way of life and their religious beliefs. The story of the many crusades are filled with an unremitting passion to keep or return the home of Christianity to Christians. It is also filled with death, destruction, disorder, greed, avarice, and self-interest on all sides. Much of what occurred during the Crusades has come down to us today in the form of continued suspicion among religious ideologies - not only between Christians and Muslims, but also internally among Christian sects and, to some degree, among Muslim sects. There is certainly much to learn about our own history from a better understanding of the Crusades and what led so many to crusade.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2005 Thomas F. Madden (P)2005 Recorded Books

Another great course by Dr. Madden

I have studied the crusades extensively, and even so, learned a good deal in this course. Top marks!

Just what I was looking for!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would highly recommend this for the person (like myself) who wanted to know details of what caused the Crusades, how they were fought, how it impacted Christianity and Islam, and the motivations of both groups. Easy to listen to, told in story format with an easy to listen to voice. I feel I have a basis now to understand present world events in a more in a more informed manner....

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Modern Scholar?

Coming from a Christian background, I knew most of the foundation principles of Christianity. Lecture 2 describes the beginnings of Islam (from a description of how Muhammed began the religion) and was very interesting.

Excellent set of lectures!

I would recomand this to anyone who would like to understand the crusades.
They are well thought out and brilliantly delivered.

"Understanding the Crusades" says it all

This was exactly the book I was hoping to find: an extensive overview of what the Crusades were and what they meant. Not so much detail that would bore. And delivered extremely well. Loved this book. Thanks.

I wish I could have heard a preview of this book, as I couldn't decide what book was the one I wanted. I was lucky to find this one.

Boring rendition of potentially gripping material

I am a professor of history and generally love a good history lecture. I gave this a really good shot and listened to 9/10 of it, but couldn't even manage to finish. Granted, I do not specialize in medieval Europe and may not be as fascinated by that time and place as another listener, but in general I found the lectures to be very similar to one another, and rather devoid of information on how the crusades changed history. I was looking for something more engaging. At the end of some of the lectures a member of the audience asks a question; the questions are generally very interesting, and Professor Madden's responses are usually lacking in detail and somewhat perfunctory. Moreover, a picky point but one worth mentioning is that Professor Madden's voice is somewhat monotone.

excellent course on the Crusades

Prof. Madden is one of my favorites. This lecture series compares well with the best of the Great Courses for history.

I found this an interesting and fast paced history of the Crusades. I looked forward to every time I could sneak a listen. This is a time and place that feels very foreign to me and Prof. Madden brought it alive.

I appreciated that it was an overview of the Crusades, broadly construed, and for the first time I understood how different some of the events under the heading of "Crusades" really are. Prof Madden is an engaging lecturer and he tied his lectures well into the medieval history of Christendom and the Islamic world.

An Excellent education

These lectures are very well done by this outstanding author himself. I learned a tremendous overview of the crusades. I highly recommend it.

The good & bad in the Crusades from medival view.

Fare treatment of both, east, west, Christianity and Islam. insight into why each side attacked and why they seemed to favor the Muslim side after the first crusade. Really balanced view of each side. You really don't see villian's and heros, just players and layered circumstances of hopes and dreams on either side.

Little Detail

This book was adequate in laying out the foundations of the atmosphere and culture in which the crusades took place. However, it lacked a richness of detail that one would expect from an instructor with genuine enthusiasm for the subject. It was presented very much the way a professor would teach a class taken as a requirement, one in which he suspects the students harbor little interest. I have listened to many Great Courses classes and expected the same level of energy displayed by teachers of other topics. This lack of enthusiasmn resulted in straight-forward facts with no added color or nuance, something that, for me, took away from the strength of the topic. Otherwise, the lecture was clear, concise, and informative.

Incredible history, full of drama

The Crusades are poorly understood by most people today, and, too often, our views have been distorted by the prejudices of Enlightenment scholars, who detested anything connected to religion.

So it is refreshing indeed to hear Madden tackle the Crusades. Madden is unbiased and thoroughly entertaining as he tells the real story of the Crusades.

Ever hear of the Children's Crusade? A misnomer. It was composed of adults.

There were dark characters involved in the Crusades - a certain Frederick comes to mind - and a number of saintly individuals, such as King Louis, a man determined to live a moral life, rule justly, and take back Jerusalem.

Much recommended.