Religious Crusades

Narrated by Derek Perkins From a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (The New Yorker) comes the most authoritative, readable single-volume military history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land. Nine hundred years ago, a vast Christian army, summoned to holy war by the Pope...

“Crusade” means a war for the sake of the Cross, a war to protect Christian people from persecution and death on account of their faith in Jesus Christ. Everyone has heard of the crusades of the Middle Ages. But few know of the crusade fought for this same purpose in Spain during the early twentieth century. This is the story of that crusade, now honored in no other book in the English language. Most people who know of the Spanish Civil war do not understand why it was fought or how it was really won. This book will tell you. There is no story like it in the history of the twentieth century.

The work comprises Villehardouin's "Conquest of Constantinople", which recounts the controversial Fourth Crusade, which descended into an attack on the Eastern Christians of Byzantium. In "Life of Saint Louis", Joinville draws on his friendship with King Louis IX of France to describe the campaigns in the Holy Land.

Drawing from both Christian and Islamic sources, Reconquest and Crusade in Medieval Spain demonstrates that the clash of arms between Christians and Muslims in the Iberian peninsula that began in the early eighth century was transformed into a crusade by the papacy during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Successive popes accorded to Christian warriors willing to participate in the peninsular wars against Islam the same crusading benefits offered to those going to the Holy Land.

Is a fight against equality and for privilege a fight for religious supremacy? Andrew L. Seidel, a constitutional attorney and author of the critically acclaimed book The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American, dives into the debate on religious liberty, the modern attempt to...

Unlock the secrets of a forgotten faith with Catharism: A Beginner's Guide. This compelling book takes you on a journey through the mysterious world of the Cathars, a medieval Christian sect that challenged the powerful Catholic Church with their unique beliefs and austere lifestyle. Imagine discovering a hidden history, rich with intrigue and drama. Picture yourself delving into a world where spirituality meets rebellion, where ordinary people stood up against immense power. This book is not just about history; it’s about understanding a profound spiritual movement that has influenced ...

Bloomsbury presents Byzantium and the Crusades by Jonathan Harris, read by John Sackville. Jonathan Harris’s classic text chronologically surveys Byzantine history in the time of the Crusades. The book reveals the attitudes of the Byzantine ruling elites towards the Crusades and their ultimate...

Crusading fervor gripped Europe for over 200 years, creating one of the most extraordinary, vivid episodes in world history. Whether the Crusades are regarded as the most romantic of Christian expeditions, or the last of the barbarian invasions, they have fascinated generations ever since, and their legacy of ideas and imagery has resonated through the centuries, inspiring Hollywood movies and great works of literature. Even today, to invoke the Crusades is to stir deep cultural myths, assumptions and prejudices.

With subtlety and exceptional sensitivity, historian Zoë Oldenbourg analyzes the complicated tangle of currents and ideas that motivated the Crusades. As Oldenbourg describes them, the Crusades were not simply a religious phenomenon, nor were they motivated by pure aggression. They were the result of a religious climate that led people of all walks of life to leave their homes and follow the unattainable ideal of heaven on earth.

What does it take for a people to survive exile, persecution, and centuries of conflict—yet still rise to reclaim their homeland? For thousands of years, the history of Israel has been shaped by both triumph and tragedy. From the covenant of Abraham to the reigns of David and Solomon, from exile under mighty empires to the fight for independence in 1948, the story of Israel is one of resilience, faith, and determination. It is a journey marked by hope against all odds, and by strife that has tested the very core of a nation’s identity. Israel: A History of Hope and Strife takes readers ...

In the ruins of Jerusalem, four men—Jew, Christian, Muslim, and one who believes in nothing—fight not only for survival but for meaning. Amid shattered faiths and rising fear, obedience becomes the new god. When River refuses to kneel, he becomes more than a man: he becomes a question. In a world where order demands sacrifice, what will you give to sleep in peace? A gripping literary novel set during the Crusades, The Shore of No One explores the tension between living and obeying, faith and fear, freedom and control. For readers of philosophical and historical fiction who seek stories ...

"Life is like leaping flames. Its circumstances change shape so quickly—one moment dancing, the next dwindling into embers. . . " Andreva de Beringer leaves the abbey in Toulouse to care for her grandmother, but she arrives in Lavelanet to find a village gripped by the terror of the Inquisition. While Andreva strives to hold on to her family, her faith, (and the man she loves,) all around her Good Men must fight for the same—as well as for life itself. In the right place, but at a dreadfully wrong time, and under the wrath of the Inquisition, might this faith-filled but naïve girl be ...

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Crusades and Silk Road, then this audiobook is for you. In part one, you'll learn all about the military expeditions of the Middle Ages. In part two, you will learn about the Silk Road and its significance. Includes two books: The Crusades and The Silk Road.

In the fog-shrouded forest, an outcast seeks only solitude. Feared for his unnatural height and horrifying scars, the creature made from stitched-together flesh asks nothing of the world but to be left alone. But when a savage evil descends upon a nearby village, tearing its people apart with inhuman ferocity, the terrified locals look to the woods for a scapegoat. Led by a fanatic priest consumed by grief, a holy war is declared against the "Demon of the Forest." The creature, wrongly accused, becomes the target of a hunt fueled by faith and terror. Forced to flee, the creature discovers ...

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.

The great series The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant is one of the most monumental achievements in historical writing. In its eleven massive volumes, it tells the story of Western civilization from its origins to the age of Napoleon. This volume, The Climax of Christianity, is taken from The Age of Faith, the fourth in the series. It covers the years between 1095—the launching of the First Crusade—and 1300: the age of Dante Alighieri, whose epic poem Divine Comedy is one of the greatest treasures of our civilization.

Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) - one of the most prominent Catholic authors of his time - gives a common-sense explanation of why the Crusades were necessary and why they ultimately failed. Writing in 1937, following the demise of the Ottoman Empire, Belloc believed that the West had finally gained the advantage over its mortal foe; however, he also includes a prophetic warning concerning the eventual resurgence of Islam and its enduring desire to destroy Christendom.

The quest for the old scrolls is on. The stakes are high. No one is safe. France, 1798. Cavalry Captain Pascal de Charney is summoned by his father, Roland, before leaving to Egypt with Napoleon’s army. Roland wishes Pascal to perform a task for him. Israel, 2010. Yossi Luria is an ex-cop turned private investigator, who still hurts over his dismissal from the police force. Jeanne de Charney, an enchanting Frenchwoman from Normandy, steps in to hire his services. She presents him with a batch of intriguing old letters from Pascal, which she has uncovered while searching in her family’s ...

*** NOW AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOBOOK ON AMAZON *** A NEW GOSPEL THREATENS THE VATICAN’S EXISTENCE Centuries apart, two young men set out on paths put to them by God. Both are certain it’s their destiny. Both are equally committed to ruling their kingdoms. But here the similarities end. One finally sees what lies at the end of the road, the other does not. One saves the world, the other falls prey to his vanity. All Yeshua longs for is to bring about God’s Kingdom on earth. But the Almighty seems reluctant to assist. Is he not to become the Messiah everyone thinks he is? Likewise, Pierre ...

If you want to understand what the Crusades were, why they happened, and why they still shape the modern world, this book gives you a clear and grounded explanation. It covers Christian crusading, Islamic expansion, Jerusalem, holy war, and medieval power struggles without turning history into propaganda.