God's Battalions : The Case for the Crusades

by Stark, Rodney

• ISBN13: 9780061582615
• ISBN10: 0061582611
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-01-14
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression.Stark reviews the history of the seven major Crusades from 1095 to 1291, demonstrating that the Crusades were precipitated by Islamic provocations, centuries of bloody attempts to colonize the West, and sudden attacks on Christian pilgrims and holy places. Although the Crusades were initiated by a plea from the pope, Stark argues that this had nothing to do with any elaborate design of the Christian world to convert all Muslims to Christianity by force of arms. Given current tensions in the Middle East and terrorist attacks around the world, Stark's views are a thought-provoking contribution to our understanding and are sure to spark debate.

Table of Contents

Introduction Greedy Barbarians In Armor?	p. 1
Muslim Invaders	p. 11
Christendom Strikes Back	p. 35
Western ôIgnoranceö Versus Eastern ôCultureö	p. 55
Pilgrimage And Persecution	p. 77
Enlisting Crusaders	p. 99
Going East	p. 119
Bloody Victories	p. 141
The Crusader Kingdoms	p. 163
The Struggle To Defend The Kingdoms	p. 183
Crusades Against Egypt	p. 219
Conclusion Mission Abandoned	p. 237
Bibliography	p. 249
Notes	p. 26
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