Crusaders

The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands

De: Dan Jones

Narrado por: Dan Jones

A major new history of the Crusades with an unprecedented wide scope, told in a tableau of portraits of people on all sides of the wars, from the author of Powers and Thrones.

For more than 1,000 years, Christians and Muslims lived side by side, sometimes at peace and sometimes at war. When Christian armies seized Jerusalem in 1099, they began the most notorious period of conflict between the two religions. Depending on who you ask, the fall of the holy city was either an inspiring legend or the greatest of horrors. In Crusaders, Dan Jones interrogates the many sides of the larger story, charting a deeply human and avowedly pluralist path through the crusading era.

Expanding the usual timeframe, Jones looks to the roots of Christian-Muslim relations in the eighth century and tracks the influence of crusading to present day. He widens the geographical focus to far-flung regions home to so-called enemies of the Church, including Spain, North Africa, southern France, and the Baltic states. By telling intimate stories of individual journeys, Jones illuminates these centuries of war not only from the perspective of popes and kings, but from Arab-Sicilian poets, Byzantine princesses, Sunni scholars, Shi'ite viziers, Mamluk slave soldiers, Mongol chieftains, and barefoot friars.

Crusading remains a rallying call to this day, but its role in the popular imagination ignores the cooperation and complicated coexistence that were just as much a feature of the period as warfare. The age-old relationships between faith, conquest, wealth, power, and trade meant that crusading was not only about fighting for the glory of God, but also, among other earthly reasons, about gold. In this richly dramatic narrative that gives voice to sources usually pushed to the margins, Dan Jones has written an authoritative survey of the holy wars with global scope and human focus.

©2019 Dan Jones (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Jones’s writing aims at a you-are-there effect . . . The immediacy of [his] book is enhanced by physical and psychological descriptions of the heroes and villains of the story . . . Some of Jones’s primary sources are little known, and even enthusiasts for the subject may never have heard of the Russian Daniel the Abbot, Saint Neophytos the Recluse, or La Chronique de Morigny."—The New York Review of Books

"Every page of [Dan Jones'] extraordinary book provides vivid evidence of the Crusades’ continuing ability to mesmerise...Amid the juicy anecdotes, the great strength of this book is the way in which it illuminates the human networks that underpinned the Crusades."—The Times (UK)

“Jones’ sweeping coverage of a conflict of three centuries’ duration hews to the highest standards of popular history. It is literate, thoroughly engaging, and serious, without condescension towards either its matter or its readers.”—Booklist (*starred*)

Mostly Insightful

Jones is a great historian, writer and presenter and, by taking on this difficult subject, he proves his quality yet again. This work was very thorough and thought-provoking. My only critique would be that he leans towards condemnation of the Christian side, which many historians do. He is often cynical of sources the extol or justify any Crusader action but accepts as fact any material that praises Jihadists (while alao being skeptical of reports of any Muslim brutality). Its hard to be fair when dealing with the Crusades (at the very end of the book he compares loan, crazed "Christian" attackers with whole "Islamic" terrorist organizations), but Jones does a great job explaining the minutiae to the layperson, even if he does tend towards the current Western trend of apology-by-guilt, cultural self-loathing and being overly harsh to your own while also being lavishly lenient to the other side.

Travel through the Crusader world - Dan Jones

Top marks for Dan Jones on his writing and narrating ability. I am a huge fan of author narrating their own work, it brings out the essential points not everyone can pick up on. Dan Jones created an elaborate maze of the Crusader realm and guided the reader through humanizing history’s major movers and shakers. I look forward to listening to more of his work.

In my opinion, this book is for both history buffs and those who occasionally like to slice their life up with an honest take on the decisions that reshaped our world and still resonate today in modern cultural conflict.

Fantastic History

Well researched, well read, allows one to think on how the crusades shaped what we call our world today.

A Great Balance Between Detail And Overview

I’ve read several nonfiction and historical fiction titles of the Crusader era and this was one of the better ones, maybe the best of the current books.

It balances historical detail with a strategic overview. You’ll get the interesting anecdotes along with the consequences of major events. It’s a fascinating chronicle.

Highly recommended. Mr Jones has several other worthy books on Audible. Give them a listen.

Simply Amazing!

This book was fabulous. I had already read The Templars and was very much looking forward to Crusaders and the book didn't disappoint. Jones writes a gripping account of the men and women who participated in the crusades and the effects of these adventures. He also narrates the book which allows me to know that everything is being pronounced correctly and brings it to life a bit more. You don't want to miss out!

Highly recommend

Entertaining and insightful throughout. Feel more educated about the subject while at the same time never feeling bored or tired. DAN JONES IS A 5 STAR MAN!!!

I loved it!

I'm a history buff as well as a sociologist, so this book was right up my alley. Insightful, prescient and skillfully narrated, this book was a joy from start to finish. Bravo!

Lively History

Dan Jones has a distinct talent for making distant times vivid and understandable. Topics not ordinarily of interest are engrossing in his recounting.

Interesting

A little slow but very informing. It is worth your effort os perservire.and you will surely k
Leasrn a new detail or two.

In-depth and Interesting

I thoroughly enjoy Dan Jones’ ability to bring academic knowledge to an interesting story. I’m on constant watch for new Dan Jones material available on Audible.