Crusades

[Martin,Younger]

This is kinda of the subject but i saw a preview on the new movie Kingdom of Heaven witch this movie is over the crusades. I have been interested about the crusades for a long timeand I only know a little about the crusades but i want to know if any one knows any good web site's or good books over the history or the crusades. I know it to be one of the bloodest wars over religion and it lasted for a 100 years but i do not know who fought in the war witch countrys. I have heard the the templer knights fought in the crusades but i doun't know and i would also like some info on the templer knights.

[Jaron Bernstein]

You might want to try the Osprey military history series. They provide very solid and short general overviews for a broad framework which you can then use to pick a more specific aspect to delve into from there.

Look up "osprey" on a google search and go from there.

[JohnGallego]

I found John J. Robinson's "Dungeon, Fire and Sword" extremely interesting. It is specifically about the Knights Templar in the crusades, but seeing as how their entire existance is so intricately tied to that area of the middle east, and every crusade since the first, it's also a great retelling of just about everythign of importance during the crusades.

[James Hudec]

"Dungeon, fire and sword"? That doesn't sound too promising. <img src="/forum/images/icons/mad.gif" alt="" />

I'd like to recommend "The Monks of War" by Desmond Seward.

[JohnGallego]

Never judge a book by it's cover, or so it goes <img src="/forum/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" />

John J. Robinson is a member of the Medieval Academy of America and the Royal Overseas League of London. He's also published several other book on medieval history including Born in Blood.

What I'm getting at here is that this is not fiction, as the title might suggest, but a historical and engaging acocunt of the Knights Templar in the crusades.

I would NOT have recommended the book otherwise.

Here's what the Washington times had to say about it:

"Robinson's account of one of the medieval world's most famous military orders serves as a reminder that history can be more enthralling than even the most imaginative fiction."