Dr Thomas Asbridge and The Crusades on BBC 2

One of the most popular articles on the blog has always been a book review by Malaise Ruthven of Thomas Asbridge’s book about the Crusades – The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land.

Tonight on BBC 2 we have the opportunity to watch Dr Asbridge as he retraces the steps of the first crusaders. If you miss it I am sure it will be available on BBC iPlayer (which is only available in certain countries). Click the picture below to watch a trailer.

Asbridge introduces the epic story of the Crusades – a tale of religious fanaticism and unspeakable brutality, of medieval knights and Jihadi warriors; of castles and kings; of heroism, betrayal, and sacrifice.

He explains how, using fresh evidence, eye-witness testimonies and contemporary accounts – from both the Christian and Islamic worlds – we are able to re-examine this epic medieval drama, and how he has retraced the steps of the Crusaders from a small town in France to the magnificent cities of the Holy Land, bringing to life the human experience of the Crusades, and shedding new light on how it was that two of the world’s great religions waged war in the name of God.

Find out more about the programmes here.

Dr Thomas Asbridge is an internationally renowned med ieval historian and author of the critically acclaimed books The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land and The First Crusade: A New History. In the course of his research, he has travelled extensively across the Middle East and walked from Turkey to Jerusalem along the route of the First Crusade.

Thomas studied for a BA in Ancient and Medieval History at Cardiff University, and then gained his PhD in Medieval History at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is now Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary, University of London and director of the groundbreaking MA in Islam & the West.

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