Fighting for Christendom: Holy War and the Crusades

In this excellent popular history, medieval historian Tyerman offers a short introduction to the Crusades, touching on the most salient features and helping readers understand why it's so important to ferret out from all the lore what really happened. While it's a tall order to present more than four centuries of wars spanning three continents, Tyerman rises to the task with aplomb, noting early on that "much of what passes in public as knowledge of the Crusades is either misleading or false."

(Publishers Weekly) 

 

 

 

"A brief but informative history of the Crusading movement...dispels many popular myths. Tyerman argues that the wars were but one manifestation of the Holy War movement, which also included intra-European conflicts, such as the Reconquista of Spain, the intra-Christian crusades against the Albigensians and the Hussites, and even continuing through the 17th-century Balkan wars against the Turks.... This illuminating work is highly readable." (Library Journal)