The Dream and the Tomb: A History of the Crusades

This is a comprehensive account of the eight religious wars between the Christian West and the Muslim East that dominated the Middle Ages. Calling themselves "pilgrims of Christ," thousands of Europeans from all stations in life undertook the harsh and bloody quest to reclaim Jerusalem, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and Christ's tomb for Christendom. Robert Payne brings to life every step of the Crusaders' thousand-mile journey: the deprivation; the desperate, rapacious, and brutal raids for food and supplies; the epic battles for Antioch, Jerusalem, and Acre; the barbarous treatment of captives; and the quarreling European princes who vied for power and wealth in the Near East. An epic tale of the glorious and the base, of unshakable faith and unspeakable atrocities, The Dream and the Tomb captures not only the events but the very essence of the Crusades.

Author: Robert Payne
Publisher: Cooper Square Press
Published: 09/18/2000
Pages: 458
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.33lbs
Size: 8.93h x 6.04w x 0.91d
ISBN: 9780815410867

About the Author
Robert Payne's highly praised histories and biographies include The Rise and Fall of Stalin, the Life and Death of Lenin and Ivan the Terrible.