Cat S. (catscritch) reviewed Defending the City of God: A Medieval Queen, the First Crusades, and the Quest for Peace in Jerusalem on + 158 more book reviews
Defending the City of God A Medieval Queen the First Crusades and the Quest for Peace in Jerusalem, by Sharan Newman
Think of the crusades and you immediate imagine blades clashing, sworn oaths and the ultimate belief in acting on Gods will and procuring a permanent place in Heaven. But thats only one side of the terribly convoluted conflict that took place time after time in the middle east. Newman reminds us that it wasnt always black and white. That there were cross-cultural lives caught in the cross-fire and quite often working just fine together, depending on who was currently in charge of any faction. It would appear that during the first crusade, many would be happy to live, work and intermarry together without the need to agree on one all-omnipotent higher power.
As usual, greed, family bonds and ethnic differences quickly fell into play and no one king ruled the holy land. There were, many kings, queens, cousins, popes and interlopers on all sides that had their own ideas and prejudices to overcome. It was quite lovely to read of strong female participants that fought with gender limited resources to better those of their subjects. Quite often with one foot in several camps, so you would hope they had a better understanding of those permanent religious divides we have come to take for granted. It doesnt have to be. And as
Newman points out, it quite often was a land and time of opportunity, prosperity and racial blindness - depending on the cooler heads of state. And how often were they removed? It is a time I would like to visit, but not a place I would ever feel safe to linger. So I appreciate all the colorful information.
Think of the crusades and you immediate imagine blades clashing, sworn oaths and the ultimate belief in acting on Gods will and procuring a permanent place in Heaven. But thats only one side of the terribly convoluted conflict that took place time after time in the middle east. Newman reminds us that it wasnt always black and white. That there were cross-cultural lives caught in the cross-fire and quite often working just fine together, depending on who was currently in charge of any faction. It would appear that during the first crusade, many would be happy to live, work and intermarry together without the need to agree on one all-omnipotent higher power.
As usual, greed, family bonds and ethnic differences quickly fell into play and no one king ruled the holy land. There were, many kings, queens, cousins, popes and interlopers on all sides that had their own ideas and prejudices to overcome. It was quite lovely to read of strong female participants that fought with gender limited resources to better those of their subjects. Quite often with one foot in several camps, so you would hope they had a better understanding of those permanent religious divides we have come to take for granted. It doesnt have to be. And as
Newman points out, it quite often was a land and time of opportunity, prosperity and racial blindness - depending on the cooler heads of state. And how often were they removed? It is a time I would like to visit, but not a place I would ever feel safe to linger. So I appreciate all the colorful information.
