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A History of the CrusadesSeries

This monumental historical series delves into the complex narrative of the Crusades, exploring their profound impact on the medieval world. It challenges romanticized notions, shifting the focus eastward to uncover the dramatic and often brutal realities of these expeditions. Readers will be immersed in the political machinations, religious fervor, and cultural clashes that defined this tumultuous era. This is a compelling historical account that reveals the true nature of medieval conflicts.

A History of the Crusades
A History of the Crusades. Vol.3
A History of the Crusades. Vol.2

Recommended Reading Order

  1. 1

    A History of the Crusades

    The First Crusade and the Foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

    • 391 pages
    • 14 hours of reading
    4.4(85)Add rating

    Sir Steven Runciman's three volume A History of the Crusades, one of the great classics of English historical writing, is being reissued. This volume deals completely with the First Crusade and the foundation of the kingdom of Jerusalem. As Runciman says in his preface: 'Whether we regard the Crusades as the most tremendous and most romantic of Christian adventures, or as the last of the barbarian invasions, they form a central fact in medieval history. Before their inception the centre of our civilization was placed in Byzantium and in the lands of the Arab caliphate. Before they faded out the hegemony in civilization had passed to western Europe. Out of this transference modern history was born.'

    A History of the Crusades
  2. 2

    A History of the Crusades. Vol.2

    • 448 pages
    • 16 hours of reading
    4.2(41)Add rating

    The second volume of Steven Runciman's classic, hugely influential trilogy on the history of the Crusades 'There was magic about. Saladin himself was troubled by terrible dreams...' Steven Runciman's unrivalled history of the Crusades is a classic of learning and vivid, compelling storytelling, which brilliantly brings to life the personalities, battles, massacres, triumphs and follies of these epochal events. In this second volume of his trilogy Runciman tells the story of the foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the disastrous, bloody Second Crusade and the inexorable rise of the crusaders' nemesis, Saladin. 'The pre-eminent historian of the Byzantine Empire and of the Crusades ... a surefooted guide who could render the past visible and familiar' Daily Telegraph 'He tells his story plain ... always pleasurable to read' Gore Vidal

    A History of the Crusades. Vol.2
  3. 3

    A History of the Crusades. Vol.3

    4.1(35)Add rating

    The third volume of Steven Runciman's classic, hugely influential trilogy on the history of the Crusades 'The whole tale is one of faith and folly, courage and greed, hope and disillusion' Steven Runciman's triumphant three-volume A History of the Crusades remains an unsurpassed account of the events that changed the world and continue to resonate today. This final volume of the trilogy begins with the glamorous Third Crusade and ends with the ruinous collapse of the crusader states and the degeneration of their ideals, which reached its nadir in the tragic destruction of Byzantium. 'When historical events are written about with this sort of command, they take on not only the universality of a fairy tale but also a certain moral weight. Runciman writes both seductively and instructively about the dignity and beauty of different religious beliefs and about the difficulties of their co-existence' Independent

    A History of the Crusades. Vol.3