God's Battalions
The Case for the Crusades
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Narrated by:
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David Drummond
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By:
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Rodney Stark
About this listen
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.
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The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history.
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Comprehensive
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A Brief History of the Samurai
- Brief Histories
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- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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From a leading expert in Japanese history, this is one of the first full histories of the art and culture of the Samurai warrior. The Samurai emerged as a warrior caste in Medieval Japan and would have a powerful influence on the history and culture of the country from the next 500 years. Clements also looks at the Samurai wars that tore Japan apart in the 17th and 18th centuries and how the caste was finally demolished in the advent of the mechanized world.
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An Excellent History of the Samurai
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God's Wolf
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In a 2010 terrorist plot, Al-Qaeda hid a bomb in a FedEx shipment addressed to Reynald de Chatillon, a knight who had died centuries ago in the Crusades. A reviled figure in Islamic history, often portrayed as the very epitome of brutality, Reynald remains as controversial - and as vividly present in the minds of many in the Middle East - as the story of the Crusades themselves.
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A great look into the life of a great crusader
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Mongol leader Genghis Khan was by far the greatest conqueror the world has ever known. His empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean to Central Europe, including all of China, the Middle East, and Russia. So how did an illiterate nomad rise to such colossal power and subdue most of the known world, eclipsing Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon?
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Well Researched but Poorly Written
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An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.
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A Balanced, Entertaining, and Informative History
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Omits slave trade
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The War of the Three Gods
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The War of the Three Gods is a military history of the Near and Middle East in the seventh century - with its chief focus on the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius (AD 610-641) - a pivotal and dramatic time in world history. The Eastern Roman Empire was brought to the very brink of extinction by the Sassanid Persians before Heraclius managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the Sassanids with a desperate, final gambit.
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Filled in some blanks
- By Cory on 10-19-15
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The emperor Justinian reunified Rome's fractured empire by defeating the Goths and Vandals. At his capital in Constantinople, he built the world's most beautiful building, married the most powerful empress, and wrote the empire's most enduring legal code, seemingly restoring Rome's fortunes for the next five hundred years. Then, in the summer of 542, he encountered a flea. The ensuing outbreak of bubonic plague killed 5,000 people a day in Constantinople and nearly killed Justinian himself.
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More history than Disease
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History's Greatest Generals
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Whether it is Hannibal of Carthage marching elephants across the Alps and attacking the heart of Rome, Khalid ibn al-Walid boasting an undefeated military career and destroying the Persian Empire while subduing the Byzantines, or Russian General Alexander Suvurov and his elevation of the bayonet to a work of art that could cut down any European army, great military leaders have exerted tremendous influence on society. This book will look at the lives of the 10 greatest military commanders in history.
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Great Book
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Wars of Scottish Independence: A Captivating Guide to the Battles Between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, Including the Impact Made by King Robert the Bruce
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Explore the captivating events and people of the Wars of Scottish Independence. The borderland between Scotland and England has historically been a site of struggle, violence, and conflict. This was acutely so during the First Scottish War of Independence. The tumult during this medieval period was grand, presenting a historical stage filled with memorable larger-than-life figures such as Edward I, William Wallace, also known as "Braveheart”, and Robert de Bruce. In this audiobook, you'll discover the revolutionary events that formed both Scottish and English history.
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Good historical look at the borders of Scotland
- By Willy Staples on 10-04-18
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What listeners say about God's Battalions
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bryan Colebrook
- 01-02-24
Excellent & Revealing
This book tells the true history of the many crusades, that they are not teaching in schools, yet should be.
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- Mpotter
- 10-20-16
a wonderful quick summary of The Crusades
I have read a previous Rodney Stark book and this one was equally exceptional. As an amateur historian I have found it is shocking how twisted the chronically of History has become in the last hundred years or so. Rodney Stark is a refreshing breath of air. this is a excellent quick read to help a person understand the not politically correct aspect of all of the Crusades. the performance of this audio version was really well done and did not detract from the book.
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- Boomer
- 01-29-22
Excellent narration, but…
The editing was lacking in some places. Misspeaks and redos were left in place, sometimes making for an awkward break in the narration.
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Overall
- Rick
- 03-25-10
Balanced and informative
Great introduction to the Crusades though a tough topic to delve into via audio.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Dan
- 05-07-11
Truth at last
It was great to hear the truth behind the crusades. Thank you Proffesor Stark.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Ky
- 01-20-17
Timely and important
Such a good book! So important to debunk the myths and bigotry of our times through education and open mindedness.
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- Jack O
- 05-17-17
Great review of the Crusades
As usual, Rodney Stark does a superb job telling what really happened in history. An enlightening review of the truth about the Crusades.
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- JAusten Fan
- 06-17-24
Clear, detailed, and persuasive
This book provides an exceptional summary of existing research and expertly rebuts the more recently imagined histories of the crusades.
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Overall
- Tad Davis
- 01-06-10
A lively and useful introduction
"God's Battalions" has the unfortunate subtitle, "The Case for the Crusades." That makes it sound more polemical than it appeared to me as I listened to it. Rodney Stark seems to be arguing, not that the Crusades were a righteous cause, but that the European participants THOUGHT they were a righteous cause, and that we should take their declared motivations seriously. It's not so much pro-Crusades as it is anti-anti-Crusades.
Stark doesn't think the Crusades were a cynical grab for land and power. By analyzing family connections and financial data, he argues that most people who went on the Crusades did so at tremendous cost, sometimes bankrupting themselves in the process, for little or no material gain. He concludes from this that they truly felt they were participating in a "higher cause."
Stark's strong suit is using sociological and economic data to fill in the historical picture. Surprisingly, he manages to do this without turning the book into a dry thesis: he sticks to a strong narrative line, filled with battle descriptions, anecdotes, and extensive quotes from letters and other contemporary documents. Most of all, he tries to be specific: which families were involved, which groups participated in pogroms, which factions (Christian and Muslim) set off the conflict, when did accusations of conquest and colonialism first arise.
The narrative is crafted into a compact and comprehensible outline that makes the book a useful introduction to the subject. Of course, I have to admit, in saying that, that this IS the first book I've read on the subject. I was drawn to it by the liveliness of the writing (and the excellence of David Drummond's narration) more than anything else. Even if Stark's analysis fails to stand up over time, he has included a wealth of information in a concise and very well-organized format.
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43 people found this helpful
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- Michael
- 08-06-12
enjoyable listening, well-written
Would you listen to God's Battalions again? Why?
yes. I think the authors case is well-built overall. It's another area where the rhetoric of modernity had me blinded a bit. Stark is a good myth buster.
What did you like best about this story?
Much less like a textbook and much more like an enjoyable read. The author goes through all five crusades breaking down some of the biases which we moderns have picked up. Interacts with 19th and 20th century arguments.
I found myself very much agreeing with the author's perspective from my limited study of the time.
What does David Drummond bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
very nice job of clear reading.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
sure, but it's not exactly a suspenseful thriller.
Any additional comments?
I think many historians in the years to come will see that Stark is basically right in much of his perspectives. It's good to know that the dark ages weren't really so dark. this work was also very balanced and showed some of the horrors of war and siege warfare.
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