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Jay Rubenstein is Assistant Professor of History at the University of New Mexico.

Includes the name: Jay Carter Rubenstein

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I was surprised to see so many reviewers complaining that this book was dense- I thought it was almost too light. Rubenstein ends up doing a very nice job balancing scholarly respectability (occasional thematic chapters, massive footnotes in which he buries scholarly controversies) with attention grabbing detail (gore, religious zealotry, political shenanigans). His writing is, I think, almost too simple- I often had to go back and read something, not because it was difficult, but because he lulled me into thinking the whole thing would be grade-school simple and then I suddenly realized I'd just skimmed over whole paragraphs looking for the meat. But really it's mostly meat. Also, very well chosen illustrations and beautiful color reproductions.

If you junk the requisite "the crusades are relevant to today because of Samuel Huntingdon" garbage, even the conclusion is interesting- Rubenstein suggests that the first crusade gave some impetus to the 'birth of the individual,' the birth of nationalism and a few other important components of the high middle ages and early modern world.
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stillatim | 3 other reviews | Dec 29, 2013 |
The particular twist to this popular account of the First Crusade is the degree to which the author tries to recapture the apocalyptic mentality of the time in western Christianity, and which made this military campaign a mass social event. That said, and despite this book being judicious and well written, I also have to admit that it didn't capture my imagination the way I thought it would. To be a little more specific I found Rubenstein's examination of the context to the launch of the crusade more interesting than his account of the actual war.… (more)
 
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Shrike58 | 3 other reviews | Mar 15, 2012 |
I was intrigued when I read a good review of this book, since I had started reading some medieval literature last year, so I decided to get it. And it does indeed present a fascinating chronicle of a period and series of events I knew next to nothing about. Rubinstein, who received a MacArthur "genius" fellowship, tells the tale in a narrative fashion, supporting it with quotes I never imagined existed from contemporary writers, people who were actually on the crusade.

The story begins in the early 11th century. Vague millennial and apocalyptic ideas were circulating in Europe after 1000 years of Christianity, the caliph of Egypt ordered the destruction of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem in 1009, pilgrims increasingly started traveling to Jerusalem, and a priest named Peter the Hermit began preaching about the need to recapture Jerusalem, not only so that Christians could freely worship there but also because it would bring on the "Last Days" and the Apocalypse. The pope, Urban II, took up the cry, seeing a large military campaign as a good way to solve some of his political problems at home, and it was further enhanced by other preachers who roused crowds around Europe, but mostly in France. Various princes responded, each for his own reasons, and soon there were several nobles raising their own armies to make the trek to Jerusalem. Needless to say, before setting off to fight the unbelievers in the east, many took the time to turn on the unbelievers closer to home, namely the Jews, and the pre-crusade period saw a large increase in pogroms (not yet called that) and massacres.

So the armies, along with large groups of ordinary people, set off, on several routes across Europe, planning to meet up at Constantinople, where the story really takes off. Rubinstein describes the intricate politics once they got there, with some of the leaders seeking to make deals with Alexius, the Byzantine emperor, for his protection, and indeed they helped retake Nicea from the Turks for Alexius, although it is unclear whether the Niceans wanted to be retaken. Then it was on to the country of the "Saracens" and brutal battles and sieges ensued as the crusaders slogged their way over many months to Jerusalem. While it was interesting to learn about siege technology, the cruelty, and joy in cruelty, of both sides, but particularly the crusaders, was horrifying, and some of their behavior shocking. The 20th and 21st centuries have no monopoly on the disgusting actions of warriors in battle.

Mixed in with all this is the idea of holy war, that the Christian god is supporting the Crusaders, and that therefore they must behave in "Christian" ways (which doesn't seem to preclude cutting off the heads of the Saracens, or worse), so that their god will show them miracles. Surprisingly some miracles do seem to happen, while others are clearly faked. In addition, lots of people, priests and others, had all sorts of visions in which they were visited by various saints and even Jesus, and they believed these literally and used them to influence the leaders; some of the visionary visitors even suggested war tactics! Rubinstein takes a lot of time to discuss what he considers to be apocalyptic beliefs among some of the priests and other clerics accompanying the armies, and the political maneuverings among the different nobles leading the armies, both with each other and with the holy war contingent. He often discusses different versions of the events, as told by various contemporary writers, and tries to tease out the truth. This, along with the narrative of the crusade itself, is the crux of the book, and I found it remarkable how Rubinstein was able to pull all these threads together into a compelling story while also providing an explanatory framework.

As I finished the book, I realized I would have gotten more out of it if I hadn't read it over the course of a month, interrupting it with other books. There were a lot of people to keep track of, and I had to keep checking to remember who they were. It is interesting to look back at this period, now nearly a thousand years ago, from the perspective of today, particularly to see that political maneuvering has a very long history. And while it is easy, and perhaps unfair, to make direct connections, the kind of holy war the crusaders were undertaking, their hatred (and fear?) of the Saracens, has both echoes and repercussions today, and it is my understanding that there are some strands of the evangelical movement in the US that still believe the Apocalypse is coming. It hasn't, so far!
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rebeccanyc | 3 other reviews | Jan 27, 2012 |

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