The Crusades Audiobook By Thomas Asbridge cover art

The Crusades

The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land

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The Crusades

By: Thomas Asbridge
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge—a renowned historian who writes with “maximum vividness” (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker)—covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, readable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history. From Richard the Lionheart to the mighty Saladin, from the emperors of Byzantium to the Knights Templar, Asbridge’s book is a magnificent epic of Holy War between the Christian and Islamic worlds, full of adventure, intrigue, and sweeping grandeur.

 Europe Medieval Germany Suspenseful Inspiring

Featured Article: The 20 Best History Audiobooks You Never Heard in School


While history is by definition the study of the past, no subject tells us more about the present, or is as exciting to follow in contemporary times. The range of subgenres within history writing is huge. Some authors cover a massive scope, while others zoom in to examine tiny, overlooked elements in a new way. Unlike your history class of old, these selections don’t demand memorization of names and dates. Read on for the best in our catalog.

Featured Article The 20 Best History Audiobooks You Never Heard in School
Balanced Perspective • Comprehensive History • Excellent Pronunciation • Detailed Research • Objective Analysis

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There are a few topics that get short shrift in Asbridge's account, like the Albigensien Crusade and the People's Crusade. But if you want a comprehensive history of the wars fought in the Middle East, he's your guy. Asbridge writes with great narrative pace without sacrificing detail; he clarifies both the complex political history of Outremer and the moment-by-moment action of the great battles and sieges. The story is filled with great personalities - Saladin, Richard Lionheart, the sad Louis King of France, the brutal Baybars. A final chapter reflects on how the crusades have been used as reference points in later history. Derek Perkins' reading is brisk and interesting.

Comprehensive

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Really good, with well researched and objective content. However, there are a few small problems. The author gets the characteristics of European arms and armor completely wrong. He says that mail was very poor armor, when in fact it is very effective, taking tremendously powerful hits and keeping the wearer safe. His view of European swords is also wrong, viewing them as crowbars rather than the agile weapons they truly are. This shows a disturbing lack of personal research of the primary sources. All one has to do is read contemporary accounts and handle accurate reproductions to know how wrong this segment was.
Also, the author consistently mentions different units of currency throughout the book but with no comparison of the currency or what a unit of the currency was worth. This information might be in the physical book.

Solid and objective history with minor innacuracie

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I’ve been in church all my life and have heard many sermons. Hearing the first hand account from surviving Crusaders of the hell they went through in defense of Christianity is inspiring to say the least. To hear of how Richard the Lionheart would have “sold London if I could” in order to better fund the Crusade, is inspiring. How these men, sold possessions and family heirlooms in order to fund the Crusade because of their religious piety is an inspiration. Derek Perkins does an outstanding job narrating and the amount of recording you get for your audible credit is well worth it. I constantly recommend this book to my Christian friends in person and on the Internet.

Very Encouraging for any Christian

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Thomas Asbridge avoids bias and corrects misconceptions. Amazing book, and great performance by Derek Perkins!

Best Book on the Crusades Yet

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Very good and detailed narrative of the entire medieval crusade. While the battle descriptions are fine, the really interesting part was the European and Middle Easter Christian and Muslim political machinations.

Crusaded

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