Nine hundred years ago, European history was transformed when the Pope summoned a vast Christian army to seize Jerusalem. For the next two centuries, Christians and Muslims would be locked in deadly combat over possession of a city both revered as a holy place. In this fast-paced narrative history, Thomas Asbridge tells the story of the chillingly brutal wars known as the Crusades. For the first time, Asbridge examines the Crusades from the perspective of both religious groups, unveiling a world of heroes, assassins, poet-warriors, and spiritual visionaries. From Richard the Lionheart to Saladin and from the forests of Lebanon to the deserts of Egypt, The Crusades reveals the horror, passion, and barbaric grandeur of this brutal era and how its events continue to affect world politics today. Thomas Asbridge is the author of The First Crusade: A New History, which was published to wide acclaim. He is a professor of medieval history at the University of London. “Brilliant, authoritative, and accessible, Thomas Asbridge’s The Crusades is a must read.” — Professor John L. Esposito, author of The Future of Islam