Synopses & Reviews
This book tells the story of the momentous campaign that led to the Muslim capture of Jerusalem in 1187, following the disastrous Crusader defeat at Hattin, where Saladin's troops destroyed the Christian army. These events resulted in the collapse of the kingdom of Jerusalem and sparked off the Third Crusade under Richard I.
The authors also give detailed portraits of the two most intriguing warrior types involved in the conflict: the Knight Templar and the Saracen Faris. The authors reveal what it was really like to fight in the Crusades as they examine the motivation, training, weaponry and combat experiences of these formidable adversaries.
Saladin's military successes and his unification of the Crusaders' Islamic enemies had effects that last to the present day in the idea of tawhid, unity, that is still invoked by Arab leaders.
About the Author
Helen Nicholson is Reader in history at Cardiff University. She has written extensively on the history of the military orders, the crusades in general and the Templars in particular. Her best-known publications include 'The Knights Templar: A New History' (Sutton Publishing, 2001) and 'Templars, Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights: Images of the Military Orders 1128-1291' (Leicester University Press, 1993).
David Nicolle was born in 1944, the son of the illustrator Pat Nicolle. He worked in the BBC Arabic service for a number of years before gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and a doctorate from Edinburgh University. He later taught world and Islamic art and architectural history at Yarmuk University, Jordan. He has written many books and articles on medieval and Islamic warfare, and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years. David lives and works in Leicestershire, UK.