The Crusades

The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land

By: Thomas Asbridge

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history. From Richard the Lionheart to the mighty Saladin, from the emperors of Byzantium to the Knights Templar, Asbridge's book is a magnificent epic of holy war between the Christian and Islamic worlds, full of adventure, intrigue, and sweeping grandeur.

©2010 Thomas Asbridged (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Derek Perkins is, as always, a matchless narrator. One could relish this production entirely for the music of his pronunciation." ( AudioFile)

Learned more from this than in the past 60 years.

This book taught me more than just about any other historical piece I have read. It manages to masterfully put the Crusades in a format that shows the personalities on both sides that created the political conditions that fueled the hundred years of violence between two competing religions, philosophies and political systems for dominance of Palestine and its religious sites, holy to both sides.

Profound Narrative with Modern World Impact

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

I have recommended this audiobook to friends, who like me, appreciate in-depth research presented authoritatively in easily-digested narrative.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the detailed accounts of the actors, attitudes, motivations and locations of the events we know as the Crusades, presented from Western AND Muslim points of view.

What does Derek Perkins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Derek Perkins' proper pronunciation helped greatly in my understanding of the material as I followed his narration in the hard-copy book. His pronunciation of French and Arabic names aided in a more thorough understanding of the historic figures and Middle Eastern locations of the Crusades.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Though this book provoked no extreme reactions like laughter or tears, I came away with a feeling of complete satisfaction for having spent the time listening to the accounts of a two hundred year span of human history.

Not for the Casual History Reader

This book was well-researched with a lot of depth. If you already have some knowledge of the Crusades and want to expand, this book is great. If you’re looking for an introduction to the Crusades, you might want something a little less dense.

A fascinating and and objective historical book

The book is extremely interesting. It provides all needed and perfectly balanced information about all the crusades. The narrator also does an excellent job in reading this non-fiction book in such a way that you have an impression to listen to an action one.

History of the Crusades

I had never read or studied anything about the Crusades. The fact that I knew of their historical existence testifies to the impact they had on Western and Islamic Cultures. I very much appreciated the Book’s attention to detail and effort to present this topic from both the “Latin” (Western European) and “Near Eastern” (Islamic) perspective. Together, it helped me understand the dynamic forces in the two cultures at the time that caused the historical Events known as the Crusades.

A refreshing rendition that - thank goodness -

abandons most Modern Scholars’ penchant to lay blame on one side or the other...and usually upon the Christians. Conclusions and assessments are fair, even handed and mostly based on just the facts. Eye opening details on economic cooperation and individual diplomacy (as well as machinations) between respective leaders. Highly recommended!

Crusades -A Holy War???

By the end of the book I felt the Crusades had little to nothing to do with religion. Perhaps the first two but, other than that, I truly doubt it. By the time I get to the fifth crusade I realized it was a place for European nobility to make war and kill Arabs (and anyone else — even other Christians!!) for 200 years.

It boils down to men needing to fight men. I think they were very violent people back then - because they had to be - and they could gorge themselves on blood and glory in the Middle East. And it helped the Europeans become rich and have higher standing when they got back to Europe (if). There was no holy war if I look at it in the aggregate. That was background noise. The Middle East was already very warlike before the crusades arrived so it was simply a perfect storm. I know I’m oversimplifying it but by the end of the book you might feel the same.

I find the author’s conclusion sort of unaffected by the entire contents of his book. He seems to make a political statement based on one word used by a President in a speech 20 years ago. It is a good argument but hanging by a thread compared to the body of his work and not hindered by other important / relevant socio economic facts about the Middle East which aren’t even discussed since they’d be inconvenient. I don’t entirely disagree with it but it seemed weak.

That being said, he is an extraordinary author and storyteller. I will listen to more of his stuff so long as Derek narrates. Top ratings for this book.

Anyone who loves history needs to listen to this.

I felt like I was back in college, but no homework to do. Such great details of significant historical figures.

Comprehensive

What did you love best about The Crusades?

This book is amazingly thorough. I knew a little about the first three crusades but I've always wanted to learn more about those in detail and the other crusades that followed. This book does it and more. You go over major and minor characters throughout all of the crusades. A big focus, however, is on the first three crusades- the first one and third one in particular. It's no surprise though as these were the most successful crusades (from the perspectives of the Franks) with perhaps the largest roster of memorable historical figures in the era such as Pope Urban II, William of Tyre, Godfrey of Bouillon, Baldwin I of Jerusalem, Raymond I of Tripoli, Saladin, Baldwin IV of Jerusalem aka the Leper King, Philip II of France, Richard the Lionheart, and Frederick II.

Of these, I truly enjoyed the stories of Godfrey of Bouillon, Saladin, Baldwin IV, Richard the Lionheart, and Frederick II. These characters appear as the story of the crusades unfold, starting from the beginning of the first crusade in 1095 to the Siege of Acre in 1291. Before this, I could tell you a little about the first three crusades but this book goes through all the crusades in detail, and even matters outside of the crusade such as the mongol invasion and the rise of the Mamluks as a counter-measure. I really enjoyed hearing about these non-directly-related crusader events and all the events that occurred between all of the major battles and wars. There were even some surprised to me such as the success (by diplomatic means) of the Sixth Crusade by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.

If you want a comprehensive historical account of the crusades, and don't mind waiting patiently through everything in between the major wars and battles (because there's tons of that), then grab this, you won't regret it.

Gripping and Engaging History of the Crusades

I highly recommend this audiobook in the book in general. The narrator of the audiobook has a great British accent and he also accurately handles the French names and terms. His book takes you back to the Middle Ages! Kudos to the other Thomas Asbridge and the great narrator Derek Perkins.