The Dream and the Tomb: A History of the Crusades

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Cooper Square Press, 2000 - History - 421 pages
This is a comprehensive account of the eight religious wars between the Christian West and the Muslim East that dominated the Middle Ages. Calling themselves "pilgrims of Christ," thousands of Europeans from all stations in life undertook the harsh and bloody quest to reclaim Jerusalem, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and Christ's tomb for Christendom. Robert Payne brings to life every step of the Crusaders' thousand-mile journey: the deprivation; the desperate, rapacious, and brutal raids for food and supplies; the epic battles for Antioch, Jerusalem, and Acre; the barbarous treatment of captives; and the quarreling European princes who vied for power and wealth in the Near East. An epic tale of the glorious and the base, of unshakable faith and unspeakable atrocities, The Dream and the Tomb captures not only the events but the very essence of the Crusades.

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Contents

The Dream and the Tomb
17
In the Fields of Clermont
31
The Crusade of the Poor
45
Copyright

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About the author (2000)

Robert Payne's highly praised histories and biographies include The Rise and Fall of Stalin, the Life and Death of Lenin and Ivan the Terrible.

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