One of our leading popular historians tells the enthralling story of the Crusades with all the brio and pace of a historical thriller. Populated by extraordinary characters and dramatically rendered set-pieces, Crusaders is page-turning narrative history at its very best.
Dan Jones, best-selling chronicler of the Middle Ages, turns his attention to the history of the Crusades - the sequence of religious wars fought between the late eleventh century and late medieval periods, in which armies from European Christian states attempted to wrest the Holy Land from Islamic rule, and which have left an enduring imprint on relations between the Muslim world and the West.
From the preaching of the First Crusade by Pope Urban II in 1095 to the loss of the last crusader outpost in the Levant in 1302-03, and from the taking of Jerusalem from the Fatimids in 1099 to the fall of Acre to the Mamluks in 1291, Crusaders tells a tale soaked in Islamic, Christian and Jewish blood, peopled by extraordinary characters, and characterised by both low ambition and high principle.
Dan Jones is a master of popular narrative history, with the priceless ability to write page-turning narrative history underpinned by authoritative scholarship. Never before has the era of the Crusades been depicted in such bright and striking colours, or their story told with such gusto.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781781858899
Number of pages: 608
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
Voyages, battles, sieges and slaughter: Dan Jones's tumultuous and thrilling history of the crusades is one of the best... Jones is exceptionally good at giving evocative snapshots of medieval life, sometimes poignant, sometimes pure Monty Python' - Sunday Times
This is rollercoaster history... Dan Jones has a nose for the dramatic, disgusting and bizarre... Every page of his extraordinary book provides vivid evidence of the Crusades' continuing ability to mesmerise' - The Times
A powerful story brilliantly told. Dan Jones writes with pace, wit and insight - Helen Castor
A fresh and vibrant account of a conflict that raged across medieval centuries - Jonathan Phillips
Compelling... Jones is adept at teasing out the array of motivations that propelled the crusaders on an arduous, often harrowing, journey to an uncertain, violent destination... An avowedly pluralist account in which equal weight is given to the experiences of Christians and Muslims... Jones has written an epic of his own here, as complex as it is compelling' - Prospect
Dan Jones has the priceless ability to write page-turning narrative history underpinned by authoritative scholarship. Never before has the era of the Crusades been depicted in such bright and striking colours, or their story told with such gusto - Edinburgh Reporter
The master of the Middle Ages turns his attention to the compelling saga of religious conflict - Radio Times
Crusaders excels not only in narrating this complex history in such a readable and immersive manner, but also in setting events in their wider contexts... Narratives of medieval knights in combat and conquest can run the risk of romanticising their actions through efforts to spark further interest from the reader, but Jones's treatement of the source material is measured under the engaging prose. Jones has drawn together a compelling work that is weighty in pages but always highly readable' - All About History
Dan Jones writes every history book as through it were a Netflix drama - Yorkshire Post.
His tale is steeped in scholarly research and lively writing. Were it not for the violence inherent to his subject matter, you might call it divine - Christian Science Monitor.
A distinct new perspective... A fantastic, scholarly book... Masterfully told and makes for a gripping read. A must for anyone with an interest in the period' - Pennant
[Jones] offers a 'tableau history' – a series of stories with wonderfully bizarre characters on both sides. It's impossible to be cynical about Jones the historian; he's enormously prolific, yet each book is impressively researched and beautifully written. He's a passionate writer, a rumbustious knight who loves his own literary crusade - The Times
Bloody battles and epic sieges abound in this energetic history of the Crusades, a series of adventures that still has ramifications today - Mail on Sunday
Typically breezy and well-paced... Jones sets out to entertain as well as inform, covering a great deal of ground' - Financial Times
The Crusades is a challenging era for the novice but it is brought thrillingly to life in this imaginative history from the broadcaster and best-selling author... Jones concludes with a timely reminder of the effect the period still has on our world' - Choice Magazine
Voyages, battles, sieges and slaughter: a dramatic history of the wars for the Holy Lands that brings the Crusades to fresh and compelling life - Sunday Times
A balanced view... Jones sticks to a strict academic approach. He mixes recitations of key events and personages with storytelling' - Catholic Universe
Skilfully balancing information and entertainment - The Week
Jones has assembled a panoramic, detailed and readable account of a vast sweep of history that must have taken a staggering amount of work - BookBrunch
Well written and researched. Complicated part of history cleverly told in a very readable format. Showcases individuals to drive the narrative. Thoroughly enjoyable highlighting the importance and impact even on... More
A truly excellent and skilled piece of writing, specifically regarding the people of the Crusades. This is an emphasis that Jones stresses in his title and his introduction, and I strongly agree with his aim to focus... More
Absolutely fantastic, full of loads of interesting information and reads well considering some of the complexity of the content, 100% worth a read if you are interested in that period
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