Having defeated both the Crusaders and the Mongols, the Mamluk leader, Sultan Baibars, wanted to destroy the Crusaders once and for all. In 1268, he attacked Antioch, one of the most strongly fortified Crusader cities. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade....
In 1260, the Mamluk victory over the Mongols at the battle of Ain Jalut saved Islam. Under the leadership of their new Sultan, Baibars, they now turned their attention to destroying the Crusaders. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
In 1258, the Mongols sacked Baghdad, possibly the largest city in the world at that time and the centre of Islamic culture. It seemed as if Islam was doomed. But the powerful army of the Mamluks in Egypt was mustering to confront the Mongols. A great battle was about to be fought. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade....
In the mid-thirteenth century, the Mongol Empire was the most powerful state on the planet. In 1256, a huge Mongol army advanced into the Middle East. Its first major objective was Baghdad, one of the largest and most splendid cities in the world at the time. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade....
The Seventh Crusade was the last major military effort by Western Europe to recover Jerusalem. Brilliantly successful to begin with, it met fierce opposition from the Egyptian Mamluk army, led by its brilliant general Baibars, who was poised to seize power in Egypt and establish a Mamluk empire that would ultimately destroy the Crusaders. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the...
In this episode, we hear how the last major Crusade - the Seventh Crusade - led by King Louis IX of France, achieved outstanding success initially only to fail along the banks of the River Nile. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
In the the first half of the thirteenth century, it seemed as if nothing could stop the Mongols. Their empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Mediterranean. Yet hopes grew in Europe that they would convert to Christianity and unite with the Kings of Europe in the greatest of all Crusades. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade....
This episode launches a new series, "Mongols and Mamluks," by focusing on the extraordinary life of Genghis Khan. It chronicles his unique ability to unify disparate clans, establish a sophisticated legal code (the Yasa), and build an unparalleled military force. The narrative details his extensive conquests, from China to the devastating war with the Khwarezmian Empire, culminating in his death and the enduring legacy of an empire founded on both strategic genius and brutal ruthlessness.
In this episode we reach a turning point in the history of the later Crusades, as the Crusaders face a devastating battle against Ayub, Sultan of Egypt. This marks not just the beginning of the end for the Crusaders but the start of the rise to power of the Mongols and the Mamluks, both of which will come to dominate the thirteenth century. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of t...
In 1239, the Barons' Crusade arrived in Palestine to help the Kingdom of Jerusalem. But it achieved little and, in 1244, Jerusalem was captured and sacked by a group of Turkish nomads. It would be nearly 700 years before a Christian army regained the city. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade....
The Lombard Wars were a period of civil war in the Crusader states between the German Emperor Frederick II's Lombard troops and the Crusader barons in Cyprus and Palestine. Why did the Muslim states not attack the Crusaders when they were weakened by civil war? Find out in this episode. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade....
The German Emperor Frederick II has achieved the impossible - the recovery of Jerusalem for Christendom. But is there rejoicing in the West? Not at all. For Frederick has been excommunicated and is reviled both in the West and in Outremer. The next events will reveal how superficial his victory has been. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade....
The German Emperor Frederick II was an unusual medieval monarch. He shocked contemporaries by keeping a harem in his court at Palermo, and was excommunicated three times by the Pope. Yet he was the only monarch to succeed in recovering Jerusalem. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade....
The Fifth Crusade is poised for victory in Egypt. But its final offensive ends in catastrophe. Find out what went wrong in this episode. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
The Fifth Crusade has struck at Egypt. Can its fanatical leader, Cardinal Pelagius, achieve the greatest victory since the First Crusade? Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
The Fifth Crusade isn't as well known as it should be. It was actually one of the most significant military expeditions that set out to recover Jerusalem. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
This episode looks at one of the strangest episodes in the whole history of the Crusades when, in 1212, groups of children in France and Germany followed child preachers on a wildly unrealistic expedition to liberate Jerusalem. It provides a fascinating insight into the medieval mind, dominated by a belief in miracles and a yearning to seek a better life. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes t...
How did the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade rule their new city of Constantinople and their lands in Greece? And how did the break-away Byzantine states oppose them? Find out in this episode. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
The Fourth Crusade was initiated as a plan to attack Egypt. But with the Crusaders short of money, and the emergence of a Byzantine pretender, claiming that he would help the Crusaders if they helped him, things started to develop somewhat differently. With the scheming Venetians in the background, the Crusaders looked east not to the Holy Land but to the glittering city of Constantinople. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine W...
The First Crusade had saved Byzantium. Now the Fourth Crusade would be directed against it. How and why did this happen? Find out in this episode. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
Ever heard of the German Crusade of 1197? Probably not. It must be one of the most overlooked Crusades. And yet it could have been a game-changer. Discover why in this episode. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War , my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.
In this episode, we move onto what can be called the Second Age of the Crusaders, that is the period after the Third Crusade, when the Crusader states were weakened but still controlled the coast of Palestine. After Richard the Lionheart's departure from the Holy Land in 1192, it wasn't long before his great rival, Saladin, also died, an event that would reshape medieval Islam and the entire Middle East. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of ...
In this episode, we hear how Richard the Lionheart was close to giving up on ever capturing Jerusalem. He had defeated Saladin at the Battle of Arsuf, but he knew that Saladin's army was still numerically superior to his, and that even if captured Jerusalem, it would be virtually impossible to hold it against the might of a united Islamic state that stretched from Aleppo to the Sudan. Yet Richard was both a gifted soldier and an adventurer, and he couldn't resist making one last throw of the dic...
King Richard the Lionheart has won a great victory over Saladin at the Battle of Arsuf in 1191. The tide seems to have turned in the Crusaders' favour. The road to Jerusalem lies open. Or is it? Saladin's army has been defeated but not destroyed. The Crusaders remain divided in their loyalties between King Guy and Conrad of Montferrat, and between the English and French Kings. In this episode, we hear how the path ahead for King Richard was fraught with problems. Please take a look at my website...
In this episode, the Kings of England and France arrive in the Holy Land. Richard the Lionheart leads the English while Philip II leads the French. Not only are the two men enemies but they find the surviving Crusaders are also divided between King Guy and Conrad of Montferrat. Yet for once, Islam is united against them, under the leadership of Saladin, the most gifted Islamic ruler for centuries. The scene is set for a conflict that will pass into legend, both in the Middle Ages and even still ...
In this episode, we hear about the journey of the English and French Kings to the Holy Land to try to save the last Crusader states from Saladin. The English King was Richard the Lionheart, who has passed into history as one of the most heroic of all the Kings of England. He is also central to the folk story of Robin Hood, the legendary English outlaw, that has featured in so many films. But what was he really like? Find out in this episode. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com ...
Frederick Barbarossa's Crusade had failed miserably when the German Emperor accidentally drowned in a river while crossing Turkish-held Anatolia. The Crusaders left in the Middle East were desperately hanging onto Tyre, Tripoli and Antioch. Quarrels between them undermined their hopes of resisting Saladin. But at the moment of despair, there was an unexpected development that would give the Crusades a whole new lease of life. Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can do...
In this episode, we hear how, on receiving news of Saladin's great victory at Hattin in 1187, and his taking of Jerusalem, the Monarchs of the West pledged to stop fighting each other and to march East on a Crusade to recover Jerusalem for Christendom. First among them was the German Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa. He set out with a great army, taking the land route to Constantinople. But his passage through Anatolia would lead to a most unexpected outcome. Please take a look at my website nickho...
Saladin had been victorious. In 1187, he defeated the main Crusader army at Hattin and recaptured Jerusalem. Despite his compassionate treatment of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, sparing the entire Christian population, and even allowing most to leave the city on payment of a small ransom, there was horror in the West. The aged Pope Urban III, is said to have died from shock. His successor, Gregory VIII, called for the end of all warfare between the rulers of Christendom for seven years, in order...
In this episode, we hear how Saladin followed up his great victory at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. Having surrounded and captured most of the Crusader army, including King Guy, the way ahead now seemed relatively easy. But some Crusaders had escaped from Hattin and were now trying to rally resistance in the Crusader castles and towns. Saladin's main target was the City of Jerusalem, where Balian of Ibelin was leading a desperate attempt to save the city and its inhabitants from what seemed like...
