History of the Crusades, from its origins to the final Muslim victory over the Crusaders in 1291.

Overview: 'God wills it!' With that cry of medieval knights a new era in European history began. Across Europe a wave of pious enthusiasm led many thousands to leave their homes, family, and friends to march to a distant land in a great struggle for Christ. Yet the crusades were more than simply a holy war. They represent a synthesis of attitudes and values that were uniquely medieval-so medieval, in fact, that the crusading movement is rarely understood...

After King Philip IV of France declares the Templar knights outlaws and by way of murder and imprisonment seizes their assets, Sir William Sinclair leads the survivors to temporary sanctuary in Scotland, where they team up with Robert Bruce and after a rousing victory at Bannockburn seek out the fabled land of Templar lore--Merica.

"The latest novel from #1 internationally best-selling author Paulo Coelho is a classic of inspiration and reflection, a meditation on life, love, and the significance of change. A novel of philosophical reflection set in Jerusalem during the time of the Crusades. Here a community of Christians, Arabs, and Jews who have long lived together harmoniously have been warned of an imminent attack and certain destruction. Contemplating their demise, the...

"This Very Short Introduction, originally published as Fighting in Christendom, presents a clear and lively discussion of the Crusades and the debates and the controversies that surround them. Bringing together issues of colonialism, cultural exchange, and economic exploitation, Tyerman challenges our assumptions about the Crusades and encourages us to re-evaluate the relationship between past and present."--Jacket.

History of the Knights Templar, the Christian warrior monks who occuped the scared Temple Mount in Jerusalem after the First Crusade. Over the past thousand years, the bloodiest game of the king-of-the-hill has been for supremacy on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the site of the ancient Temple of Solomon. This book recounts the stirring saga of the Knights Templar, the Christian warrior-monks who occupied the sacred Mount in the aftermath of the...

Throughout the Middle Ages crusading was justified by religious ideology, but the resulting military campaigns were fueled by concrete objectives: land, resources, power, reputation. Crusaders amassed possessions of all sorts, from castles to reliquaries. Campaigns required material funds and equipment, while conquests produced bureaucracies, taxation, economic exploitation, and commercial regulation. Wealth sustained the Crusades while material objects,...