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

Brief Histories

By: Geoffrey Hindley

Narrated by: Deryn Edwards

Why did the medieval Church bless William of Normandy's invasion of Christian England in 1066 and authorise cultural genocide in Provence? How could a Christian army sack Christian Constantinople in 1204? Why did thousands of ordinary men and women, led by knights and ladies, kings and queens, embark on campaigns of fanatical conquest in the world of Islam?

The word 'Crusade' came later, but the concept of a 'war for the faith' is an ancient one. Geoffrey Hindley instructively unravels the story of the Christian military expeditions that have perturbed European history, troubled Christian consciences and embittered Muslim attitudes towards the West. He offers a lively record of the Crusades, from the Middle East to the pagan Baltic, and fascinating portraits of the major personalities, from Godfrey of Bouillon, the first Latin ruler of Jerusalem, to Etienne, the visionary French peasant boy who inspired the tragic Children's Crusade.

Addressing questions rarely considered, Hindley sheds new light on pressing issues surrounding religious division and shows how the Crusades have helped to shape the modern world and relations between Christian and Muslim countries to this day. Geoffrey Hindley lectures internationally on medieval history. His many books include The Shaping of Europe, Saladin: A Biography, The Book of Magna Carta and A Brief History of the Crusades.

He also co-founders of the Society for the History of Medieval Technology and Science. He lives in France.

©2004 Geoffrey Hindley (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Not bad

This is a good source to learn about the Crusades, but seems to be severely one-sided and focuses on the Christian angle, without much focus on what the Muslims were doing.

A Good Read

Any additional comments?

An excellent overview of the crusades. I would definitely recommend this book to any who are interested in the topic.

The Eternal War

Would you consider the audio edition of A Brief History of the Crusades: Islam and Christianity in the Struggle for World Supremacy to be better than the print version?

I have only the audible version...i bought the book for reference and study...the subject matter is so detailed it has benefitted me more to listen thsn to read and has givev me a revelation of wshat is happening today: my conclusion is the fanaticism of religios belief is so convoluted that war in these areas will never stop...I want the Trump Wall around our nation and long live isolationism..!

Which scene was your favorite?

Richard The Lion Hearted.....Saladin (?) thr muslim...Both still live today.."listen to the clashing of Swords, Hercules"!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Beginning Of Modern Life

Any additional comments?

I learned a lot....;

Confusing in audio format

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I found it very difficult to follow the flow of this book. Incidents were described "serially" rather than "chronologically" so that someone who died in one story line would play a prominent role in a story line much later in the book. In written form, this might not have been an issue, but I found it a confusing listen.

What didn’t you like about Deryn Edwards’s performance?

The reader did an okay job some times, but seemed to lack interest in the contents of the book. As an example, when starting a new chapter, the words "Chapter Two" or whichever was read almost as part of the previous sentence rather than being emphasized.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

As I mentioned above, this book would probably be fine in written form. There were lots of details throughout and despite my confusion I did learn a few interesting details.