First Crusade

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 the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T'ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.

Beginning in 1095 and culminating four bloody years later, the First Crusade represented a new kind of warfare: holy, unrestrained, and apocalyptic. In Armies of Heaven, medieval historian Jay Rubenstein tells the story of this cataclysmic event through the eyes of those who witnessed it, emphasizing the fundamental role that apocalyptic thought played in motivating the Crusaders.

Spring, 1096. Europe’s princes march their armies toward the Holy Land. They are accompanied by tens of thousands of pilgrims, led by a fiery preacher Peter the Hermit. Their destination is Jerusalem, the holiest of all Christian cities. Their goal is to conquer the Muslim occupation. History will call them the First Crusade. Among the pilgrims is Oderic of Rheims, a Benedictine monk from Eastern France. He's devoted to the cause, but the Crusade will test every vow he swore to the Church. His poverty will be challenged by greed, his obedience tempted by blood lust.

The notable German historian and monk Ekkehard of Aurach was also a crusader. He wrote a comprehensive world history text, but upon returning from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1101, he rewrote his portion on the First Crusade. "On the Opening of the First Crusade" is an excerpt from his larger work on the war, titled Hierosolymita. Modern scholars of history hold his contributions in high respect for his meticulous attention to detail and broad scope.

Through Jimmy’s story, you’ll discover a simple, daily system that turns small, doable actions into extraordinary achievements. Whether your dream is financial freedom, better health, or a complete life reset, The 5-Year Crusade gives you the tools to make it happen—one day at a time.

"Crusade" was first published in 1968 in The Farthest Reaches. Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) is regarded as one of the most-influential science fiction writers of all time. He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

The First Crusade is one of the best-known and most written-about events in history, but in this new book Dr Peter Frankopan asks vital questions that have never been posed before. This is the only book to address the history of the First Crusade from the perspective of the East, examining the role of the Byzantine Empire and its ruler, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.

The 14th century reflects two contradictory images: on the one hand, a glittering time of crusades and castles, cathedrals and chivalry, and the exquisitely decorated Books of Hours; and on the other, a time of ferocity and spiritual agony, a world of chaos and the plague.

In the second half of the tenth century, Byzantium embarked on a series of spectacular conquests. By the early eleventh century, the empire was the most powerful state in the Mediterranean. Yet this imperial project came to a crashing collapse fifty years later, when political disunity, fiscal mismanagement, and defeat at the hands of the Seljuks and the Normans brought an end to Byzantine hegemony. By 1081, Byzantium's very existence was threatened.

Black Widows: Season 1 includes the complete first season of six Black Widows episodes, previously only available separately: The Black Widows are an infamous, all-female mercenary unit. Aboard their heavily-armed ship Medusa, they embark on secretive missions throughout the crumbling Confederacy as it wages a terrible and bloody civil war. Each of the Widows is an elite operative, with skills and expertise that command a high price. Their very names spread fear and terror into the hearts of their foes. Episode 1 The lives of Syala and her twin sister Arana are changed forever on the day ...

Throughout the Gulf War of 1991, unprecedented restrictions on the media’s access to the battlefield kept the true story of that brief, brutal conflict from being told. Now, after two years of intensive research, Rick Atkinson has written what will surely come to be recognized as the definitive chronicle of the war.

Of the many campaigns during the Middle Ages, few are as remarkable or seemingly impossible to win at the start as the First Crusade (1095-99), and the true crowning achievement of that crusade, which resulted in two centuries of Western European Christian states in the Middle East and the permanent firing of the European imagination, was the conquest of Jerusalem on July 15, 1099 after three weeks of siege.

The story of the wars and conquests initiated by the first Crusade and its successors is itself so compelling that most accounts move quickly from describing the Pope's calls to arms to the battlefield. In this highly original and enjoyable new book, Christopher Tyerman focuses on something obvious but overlooked: the massive, all-encompassing, and hugely costly business of actually preparing a crusade.

‘To rid Bath of scorpions, first one must create an image of a scorpion curled up backwards as if stinging itself . . . ’ Writer, scientist, philosopher and dabbler in magic Adelard of Bath travelled widely throughout the Mediterranean world, wrote about what he had learned, and produced pioneering translations of important Arabic texts. Simon Webb’s highly accessible biography of this celebrated Bathonian sets his life against the background of the twelfth century in Europe and the Middle East; a time of growing enlightenment, but also of superstition, instability and conflict.

Before the First Crusade ignited in 1095, Christian Europe waged centuries of forgotten battles against Muslim expansion—the Proto-Crusades. From Charlemagne’s audacious 778 campaign in Spain to El Cid’s triumphant conquest of Valencia in 1094, these fragmented yet fervent efforts laid the groundwork for the crusading movement. In The Proto-Crusades: Christian Europe’s First Responses to Muslim Aggression, Orr unveils a gripping saga of kings, popes, and warriors who defied the tide of conquest in Iberia, Sicily, and the Byzantine East. Through vivid narratives and meticulous ...

1096. The Pope has called for a crusade to free Jerusalem, and half the warriors of Europe have responded. Among them is the Norman, Count Bohemund, one-time enemy of Byzantium. In company with his warrior nephew, Tancred of Lecce, Bohemund must once more cross the Adriatic to the lands of the Byzantine Empire. His first task, pushing back the infidel Turks, calls for an uneasy alliance with old enemy Emperor Alexius. But can the Crusaders trust the wily Emperor?

A soldier calls names on a cold river bank. A captive walks across a bridge of boats. A treaty page gets a seal. This is the world inside these pages. The story covers the wars along the early Christian-Muslim border from 630 to 1095. You will see raids, ransoms, city deals, and the care of shared holy places. The narrative is clear and fast. It draws on Arabic, Greek, and Latin writers. Coins, laws, and letters add detail. Archaeology helps with dates and places. You will meet rulers and scouts, monks and judges. You will stand in Jerusalem in 638, watch Tarsus open its gates in 965, and ...

Jenn has lived and trained at Spain's Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun. Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch.

Isaac Lestroud, admiral of the Exilium Space Fleet, has spent the last three years working with Ambassador Amelie Lestroud to build an alliance against the Rogue Matrices, AIs bent on converting every world into a paradise, regardless of whether anyone lives on it. As Isaac hunts the Rogue that destroyed one of their allies’ homeworlds, Amelie begins negotiations with a potential new ally that could tip the balance.