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The fascination with the Crusades

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

I’m a bit of a sucker for documentaries on the Beeb and honestly think no-one does them better, so I’m getting super-excited about the 3-parter that starts on BBC 2 tonight at 9.30pm.  And to make my life complete, it’s all about the Crusades.  A truly mesmerising period in history that has spawned a gazillion books and films, anything about the Middle Ages is right up my street.  From Robin Hood – Errol Flynn, mind you, not Kevin Costner – to The Name of the Rose (I loved both the book and the film), and from Nicholas Cage in the pretty rubbish Season of the Witch to our own Jack Ludlow, whose new trilogy Crusades kicks off in May with Son of Blood, I will happily watch and read pretty much anything about those dark days.

One might think that we already know everything about this 200-year old conflict but according to the BBC website, Dr Thomas Asbridge (pictured above) has unearthed new research including eyewitness testimony and contemporary evidence from both the Christian and Islamic worlds to shed new light on how these two great religions waged war in the name of God.  I suspect it’s going to be fascinating and I for one will be glued to the box.

Susie Dunlop, Publishing Director

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