Title: A Brief History of the Crusades: Islam and Christianity in the Struggle for World Supremacy

Author: Geoffrey Hindley

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publisher: Robinson

Format: Paperback

Pages: 300

Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Why did the medieval Church bless William of Normandy’s invasion of Christian England in 1066 and authorize cultural genocide in Provence? How could a Christian army sack Christian Constantinople in 1204? This title unravels the story of the Christian military expeditions that have perturbed European history.

Review:

I bought this book so long ago while I was still an undergrad getting my history degree. I took a class on the crusades, so a lot of this was review for me, but it was still nice to refresh and review a subject that I’m fascinated by.

The crusades played such a big role in society. Not only did it provide a connection with the east and west, but opened up trade routes of both goods and knowledge and learning.

The book itself does a good job of telling the crusades like a story so that the reader remains engaged, while also providing information like the role of women and children during the crusades, and what life would have been like for the people living in the European middle eastern settlements like Jerusalem, Acre, and Tyre.

If this is subject that fascinates you, then this is a pretty good book to read if you want to know what the crusades were all about!

Happy reading!