The First Crusade: The Call From The East

I would not have bought or read this book if I hadn't read Jay Rubenstein's Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse earlier this year. And I have to confess that I more or less skimmed through it. Frankopan is a scholar of and fan of Alexios, the Byzantine emperor at the time of the first crusade, and in this book he argues that it was Alexios's plea to Pope Urban II that led the pope to call for the crusade and that Alexios oversaw at least the staggered scheduling of the arrival of different armies in Constantinople, their provisioning, and some of their initial targets once they reached Asia Minor. He gives short shrift to much of what happened during the crusade itself. I don't know enough (nor do I care to show more know enough) about the politics of the era to know if Frankopan has placed the emphasis properly. It is clear to me that Rubenstein's focus on the apocalyptic thinking behind some of the crusaders' actions doesn't conflict with Frankopan's focus on Alexios, and I found that earlier read much more interesting, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. show less

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