What do you think?
Rate this book
The First Crusade: The Call from the East
FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SILK ROADSDiscover 'the most significant contribution to rethinking the origins and course of the First Crusade for a generation' (Mark Whittow, TLS )'Filled with Byzantine intrigue, in every sense this book is important, compellingly revisionist and impressive' Simon Sebag MontefioreIn 1096, an expedition of extraordinary scale and ambition set off from Western Europe on a mass pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Three years later, after a journey which saw acute hardship, the most severe dangers and thousands of casualties, the knights of the First Crusade found themselves storming the fortifications and capturing the Holy City. Against all the odds, the expedition had returned Jerusalem to Christian hands.Frankopan paints a strikingly original picture of this infamous confrontation between Christianity and Islam. Focusing on Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, a truly fresh interpretation of a very old story emerges that radically alters our understanding of the entire crusade movement.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2011
159 people are currently reading
2,740 people want to read
About the author
Peter Frankopan
35books1,500followersPeter Frankopan studied History at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he was Foundation Scholar, Schiff Scholar and won the History Prize in 1993, when he took an outstanding first class degree. He did his D.Phil (Ph.D) at Corpus Christi College, where he was elected to a Senior Scholarship before moving to Worcester College as Junior Research Fellow in 1997. He has been Senior Research Fellow since 2000 and is Director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research at Oxford University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Anthropological Institute, and the Royal Asiatic Society.
Peter has held visiting Fellowships at Dumbarton Oaks (Harvard) and Princeton, and has lectured at universities all over the world including Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, NYU, Notre Dame, King's London and The Institute of Historical Research. He writes regularly for the national and international press about current affairs and about how history helps to explain the present. His work has been translated into twelve languages.
Peter chairs a collection of family businesses in the UK, France, Croatia and the Netherlands, including A Curious Group of Hotels which he set up with his wife Jessica in 1999.
He is actively involved with several charities, mainly in the areas of education, international development, gender studies and classical music. Both he and Jessica are Companions of the Guild of Benefactors at Cambridge University. He has been a Governor of Wellington College since 2006.
He chairs the Frankopan Fund, which has awarded more than a hundred scholarships and awards to outstanding young scholars from Croatia to study at leading academic institutions in the UK, USA and Europe.
A chorister at Westminster Cathedral as a boy, music scholar at school and choral scholar at Cambridge, he is an accomplished musician and has recorded many albums as a singer and instrumentalist.
A keen sportsman, Peter won blues at both Oxford and Cambridge for minor sports, and represented Croatia internationally at cricket. He plays for the Authors CC, a team of writers whose members has included PG Wodehouse and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In recent years, the team has toured India and Sri Lanka, and played against the Pope's 1st XI - St Peter's CC - in England and in Rome.
In the summer of 2013, Bloomsbury published The Authors XI. A Season of English Cricket from Hackney to Hambledon. It was as one of The Guardian's Books the year, and was one of Hilary Mantel's Books of the Year in the Observer.
Peter has held visiting Fellowships at Dumbarton Oaks (Harvard) and Princeton, and has lectured at universities all over the world including Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, NYU, Notre Dame, King's London and The Institute of Historical Research. He writes regularly for the national and international press about current affairs and about how history helps to explain the present. His work has been translated into twelve languages.
Peter chairs a collection of family businesses in the UK, France, Croatia and the Netherlands, including A Curious Group of Hotels which he set up with his wife Jessica in 1999.
He is actively involved with several charities, mainly in the areas of education, international development, gender studies and classical music. Both he and Jessica are Companions of the Guild of Benefactors at Cambridge University. He has been a Governor of Wellington College since 2006.
He chairs the Frankopan Fund, which has awarded more than a hundred scholarships and awards to outstanding young scholars from Croatia to study at leading academic institutions in the UK, USA and Europe.
A chorister at Westminster Cathedral as a boy, music scholar at school and choral scholar at Cambridge, he is an accomplished musician and has recorded many albums as a singer and instrumentalist.
A keen sportsman, Peter won blues at both Oxford and Cambridge for minor sports, and represented Croatia internationally at cricket. He plays for the Authors CC, a team of writers whose members has included PG Wodehouse and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In recent years, the team has toured India and Sri Lanka, and played against the Pope's 1st XI - St Peter's CC - in England and in Rome.
In the summer of 2013, Bloomsbury published The Authors XI. A Season of English Cricket from Hackney to Hambledon. It was as one of The Guardian's Books the year, and was one of Hilary Mantel's Books of the Year in the Observer.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
October 30, 2012
I have mixed feelings about this book, but I like more things about it than I dislike/have doubts about.
Mr. Frankopan does an excellent job dispelling some myths that have been around for a loooong time, but in making his case, I think he goes a little too far at times in the other direction. This is somewhat understandable as more than a few of his points go against the prevailing understanding of the events leading up to the Crusade. His dissection of the Byzantine political situation in Anatolia in the ~15 years leading up to the arrival of the first Crusade armies is an invaluable correction to many of his peers in the field of Crusade studies. It was interesting to see how both Alexios and Pope Urban II were in very parallel predicaments, Alexios having to deal with the attempted insurrection from Diogenes and Urban having to find a way to assert himself over the 'anti-Pope' Clement III.
It is obvious Mr. Frankopan knows his subject, and beyond that, he also shows his ability to connect dots which should have been connected a long time ago. For example, pretty much every book or paper I have read on the First Crusade talks about the mysterious ships coming in to provision the armies along the way, in Antioch through the port of St. Simeon, or at Arqa, or Jerusalem. The chroniclers of the Crusades are vague on where these ships came from or identify them solely by the nationality of the crew. Frankopan points out (what seems obvious in hindsight) how the Byzantine general who accompanied the army to Antioch, Taticius, had left only a few weeks prior to the ships arrival at Antioch, and promised to send help. Considering how many foreigners were in the service of the Byzantine emperor, it seems obvious these were ships sent by Alexios Komnenos or Taticius, probably from Cyprus. The Latin chroniclers essentially needed a scapegoat to cover for the selfish ambitions of men like Bohemond, who wished to ignore the oaths made to Alexios and keep cities they conquered on the way to Jerusalem for themselves, instead of returning them to Constantinople. So the exaggerated and outrageous claims (for example, Alexios arming the captured at Nicaea and sending them back out to attack the Franks) in the Latin chronicles heavily influenced Europe's view of the Eastern Roman Empire for centuries to come,and may even provide some insight as to how something as heinous as the sack of Constantinople in the 4th Crusade could have ever happened.
Mr. Frankopan does an excellent job dispelling some myths that have been around for a loooong time, but in making his case, I think he goes a little too far at times in the other direction. This is somewhat understandable as more than a few of his points go against the prevailing understanding of the events leading up to the Crusade. His dissection of the Byzantine political situation in Anatolia in the ~15 years leading up to the arrival of the first Crusade armies is an invaluable correction to many of his peers in the field of Crusade studies. It was interesting to see how both Alexios and Pope Urban II were in very parallel predicaments, Alexios having to deal with the attempted insurrection from Diogenes and Urban having to find a way to assert himself over the 'anti-Pope' Clement III.
It is obvious Mr. Frankopan knows his subject, and beyond that, he also shows his ability to connect dots which should have been connected a long time ago. For example, pretty much every book or paper I have read on the First Crusade talks about the mysterious ships coming in to provision the armies along the way, in Antioch through the port of St. Simeon, or at Arqa, or Jerusalem. The chroniclers of the Crusades are vague on where these ships came from or identify them solely by the nationality of the crew. Frankopan points out (what seems obvious in hindsight) how the Byzantine general who accompanied the army to Antioch, Taticius, had left only a few weeks prior to the ships arrival at Antioch, and promised to send help. Considering how many foreigners were in the service of the Byzantine emperor, it seems obvious these were ships sent by Alexios Komnenos or Taticius, probably from Cyprus. The Latin chroniclers essentially needed a scapegoat to cover for the selfish ambitions of men like Bohemond, who wished to ignore the oaths made to Alexios and keep cities they conquered on the way to Jerusalem for themselves, instead of returning them to Constantinople. So the exaggerated and outrageous claims (for example, Alexios arming the captured at Nicaea and sending them back out to attack the Franks) in the Latin chronicles heavily influenced Europe's view of the Eastern Roman Empire for centuries to come,and may even provide some insight as to how something as heinous as the sack of Constantinople in the 4th Crusade could have ever happened.
June 10, 2020
Επιτέλους κυκλοφόρησε και στα ελληνικά (σε μια πολύ καλή μετάφραση του Γιάννη Βογιατζή) το μνημειώδες έργο του Π. Φρανκοπαν για την Πρώτη Σταυροφορία και την μορφή του Αλεξίου Α Κομνηνού. Καθηγητής Παγκόσμιας Ιστορίας στην Οξφόρδη και σημερινός Διευθυντής Ίδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος (ΙΣΝ) του Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research, ο Φρανκοπαν, με αυτό το βιβλίο, επεδίωξε και πέτυχε την στροφή της σύγχρονης ιστοριογραφιας στη μελέτη του Βυζαντίου την περίοδο των Σταυροφοριων και κυρίως στο πρόσωπο ενός εκ των μέγιστων αυτοκρατορων, πολιτικών και διπλωμάτων, του Αλεξίου Κομνηνού.
Χάρη στη γνωστή ικανότητα να Άγγλων ιστορικών να γράφουν σε απλή και κατανοητή στο κοινό γλώσσα, όχι όμως εις βάρος του ιστορικού περίγραμματος, και βασισμένος σε μια πληθώρα πηγών και άλλων συγγραμμάτων (η βιβλιογραφία του είναι πραγματικά πλήρης) ο Φρανκοπαν στρέφει την προσοχή όσον αφορά την Πρώτη Σταυροφορία στο πρόσωπο του τότε Αυτοκράτορα του Βυζαντίου, υπογραμμιζοντας, αποκαλύπτοντας, και τονίζοντας τον καίριο και κύριο ρόλο του (μαζί και σε συνεργασία με τον τότε Παπα Ουρβανο) στην σύλληψη, σχεδίαση και υλοποίηση αυτής της εκστρατείας που οδήγησε την μεσαιωνική Ευρώπη σε μια νέα εποχή!
Ουσιαστικά αυτό το 200 σελίδων βιβλίο (250 στα ελληνικά) έρχεται μετά από πολλά χρόνια να ξαναδιαβάσει τις πηγές και να θέσει το ερώτημα σχετικά με τον κομβικό και σημαντικό ρόλο του Βυζαντίου στην οργάνωση και διεξαγωγή της επιτυχημένης Πρώτης Σταυροφορίας. Και να αποδείξει ότι κάθε άλλο παρά κατά του Βυζαντίου ήταν, ότι μάλλον ωφέλησε την Αυτοκρατορία που παραπεε μετά το 1090 και ουσιαστικά πέτυχε να θέσει την ογκώδη και συντριπτική δύναμη των δυτικών ιπποτών (απογόνων ειδολολατρων πολεμιστών μέχρι πριν 100 χρόνια) στην υπηρεσία της Αυτοκρατορίας κ του Χριστιανισμου.
Ουσιαστικά ξανασυστηνει την ιστορία των Σταυροφοριων στο αναγνωστικό κοινό, με σκοπό να αναδείξει ότι αυτή η εκστρατεία κάθε άλλο ήταν μια πορεία θρησκοληπτων μανιακων αλλά μάλλον μια καλουπολογισμένη και καλό οργανωμένη επιχείρηση των βυζαντινών με σκοπό την ανακαταληψη των εδαφών της Μ Ασίας που είχαν χαθεί από τους Σελτζουκους Τούρκους, την σταθεροποιηση της οικονομίας, την πάταξη των απειλών σε Βαλκάνια και Ασία και την εδραίωση του ίδιου του Αλεξίου ως μοναδικού ηγεμόνα! Η βυζαντινή στρατηγική που απαιτούσε οι πόλεμοι να γίνονται πάντα μέσω τρίτων...
*Το μοναδικο μειονέκτημα της ελληνικής έκδοσης αποτελεί η τιμή του βιβλίου (26�) δικαιολογημενη για τα δικαιώματα και την αξία του έργου αλλά αποτρεπτική για έναν αναγνώστη με περιορισμένη οικονομική δυνατότητα!
Χάρη στη γνωστή ικανότητα να Άγγλων ιστορικών να γράφουν σε απλή και κατανοητή στο κοινό γλώσσα, όχι όμως εις βάρος του ιστορικού περίγραμματος, και βασισμένος σε μια πληθώρα πηγών και άλλων συγγραμμάτων (η βιβλιογραφία του είναι πραγματικά πλήρης) ο Φρανκοπαν στρέφει την προσοχή όσον αφορά την Πρώτη Σταυροφορία στο πρόσωπο του τότε Αυτοκράτορα του Βυζαντίου, υπογραμμιζοντας, αποκαλύπτοντας, και τονίζοντας τον καίριο και κύριο ρόλο του (μαζί και σε συνεργασία με τον τότε Παπα Ουρβανο) στην σύλληψη, σχεδίαση και υλοποίηση αυτής της εκστρατείας που οδήγησε την μεσαιωνική Ευρώπη σε μια νέα εποχή!
Ουσιαστικά αυτό το 200 σελίδων βιβλίο (250 στα ελληνικά) έρχεται μετά από πολλά χρόνια να ξαναδιαβάσει τις πηγές και να θέσει το ερώτημα σχετικά με τον κομβικό και σημαντικό ρόλο του Βυζαντίου στην οργάνωση και διεξαγωγή της επιτυχημένης Πρώτης Σταυροφορίας. Και να αποδείξει ότι κάθε άλλο παρά κατά του Βυζαντίου ήταν, ότι μάλλον ωφέλησε την Αυτοκρατορία που παραπεε μετά το 1090 και ουσιαστικά πέτυχε να θέσει την ογκώδη και συντριπτική δύναμη των δυτικών ιπποτών (απογόνων ειδολολατρων πολεμιστών μέχρι πριν 100 χρόνια) στην υπηρεσία της Αυτοκρατορίας κ του Χριστιανισμου.
Ουσιαστικά ξανασυστηνει την ιστορία των Σταυροφοριων στο αναγνωστικό κοινό, με σκοπό να αναδείξει ότι αυτή η εκστρατεία κάθε άλλο ήταν μια πορεία θρησκοληπτων μανιακων αλλά μάλλον μια καλουπολογισμένη και καλό οργανωμένη επιχείρηση των βυζαντινών με σκοπό την ανακαταληψη των εδαφών της Μ Ασίας που είχαν χαθεί από τους Σελτζουκους Τούρκους, την σταθεροποιηση της οικονομίας, την πάταξη των απειλών σε Βαλκάνια και Ασία και την εδραίωση του ίδιου του Αλεξίου ως μοναδικού ηγεμόνα! Η βυζαντινή στρατηγική που απαιτούσε οι πόλεμοι να γίνονται πάντα μέσω τρίτων...
*Το μοναδικο μειονέκτημα της ελληνικής έκδοσης αποτελεί η τιμή του βιβλίου (26�) δικαιολογημενη για τα δικαιώματα και την αξία του έργου αλλά αποτρεπτική για έναν αναγνώστη με περιορισμένη οικονομική δυνατότητα!
July 20, 2024
Baš lepo provedeni vreli julski dani čitajući o čuvenom putovanju desetine hiljada vitezova da osvoje Jerusalim krajem 11. veka. Putovanje na granici fantazmagorije o ljudima koji su prodavali svoja imanja kako bi finansirali putešestvije uz obećenje očišćenja, a onda na istom počinili svaki mogući greh, sa sve turom koja je u pojedinim trenucima toliko loše išla da su bili prisiljeni da kuvaju čičak, jedu ljudsko meso, piju konjsku krv i blato. Ne zna se koliko je ljudi iz Evrope krenulo u Prvi krstaškirat ali se procenjuje da ih je stiglo manje od trećine pred zidine Jerusalima. I dalje sam fasciniran kreativnošću srednjovekovnog čoveka šta sve može da se uradi sa odsečenom glavom neprijatelja.
Knjiga je dinamična, očigledno napisana sa radošću prema predmetu istraživanja, ubrzana i sažeta. Ono što je novina u odnosu na verovatno 1000 drugih knjiga napisanih o krstaškom pohodu što Frankopan insistira da pravi pokretač pohoda za oslobađanje Jerusalima nije bio papa Urban II i vateni govor u Klermonu, nego vizantijski imperator Aleksije I Komnin i da se njemu treba dodeliti centralno mesto u sagledavanju pohoda. Frankopan je baš strastven u odbrani Aleksija od viševekovnih kleveta zapadne istoriografije, da bi ga sigurno u tome blagoslovila, da je imala priliku da pročita, i Ana Komnin, Aleksijeva ćerka i autorka „Aleksijade�, bisera vizantijske književnosti u kome je slavila vladavinu svog oca. Meni kao laiku, argumenti izgledaju validno, iako Frankopan ponekad upada u fanboying.
A „Laguna� kao „Laguna�, sada su odlučili da ne štampaju napomene i literaturu već da čitaoca upute na njihov sajt.
Knjiga je dinamična, očigledno napisana sa radošću prema predmetu istraživanja, ubrzana i sažeta. Ono što je novina u odnosu na verovatno 1000 drugih knjiga napisanih o krstaškom pohodu što Frankopan insistira da pravi pokretač pohoda za oslobađanje Jerusalima nije bio papa Urban II i vateni govor u Klermonu, nego vizantijski imperator Aleksije I Komnin i da se njemu treba dodeliti centralno mesto u sagledavanju pohoda. Frankopan je baš strastven u odbrani Aleksija od viševekovnih kleveta zapadne istoriografije, da bi ga sigurno u tome blagoslovila, da je imala priliku da pročita, i Ana Komnin, Aleksijeva ćerka i autorka „Aleksijade�, bisera vizantijske književnosti u kome je slavila vladavinu svog oca. Meni kao laiku, argumenti izgledaju validno, iako Frankopan ponekad upada u fanboying.
A „Laguna� kao „Laguna�, sada su odlučili da ne štampaju napomene i literaturu već da čitaoca upute na njihov sajt.
June 1, 2019
Peter Frankopans relatively short History (coming in at 200 page, plus appendices) of the infamous First Crusade deals primly with the Byzantium aspect of it being called by Pope Urban II during the very late 11thC. This was unusual because of the religious schism between the Eastern and Western Roman Empire, however Alexios I Komnenos was facing revolts between the Turks and Steppe Nomads across his empire, and asked the Pope for help. Unprecedented. It reads more like dissertation than anything, but still informative and interesting, albeit a bit of a dry wade to get through. I much preferred his latest two books on the Silk Roads, which are reviewed here. This study does not cover Islam that much, or at least does not focus on what the success the First Crusade had throughout our History. 3 stars, ok, but wanted something more lighter to be honest.
July 3, 2021
This was a surprisingly short and interesting read regarding the First Crusade, a topic which has been discussed extensively since its occurrence almost a millennia ago. However, Peter Frankopan takes the reader along a different route than most. This book is Byzantine-centric, instead of the traditional focus on the Catholic Church and the Crusaders. Frankopen argues that the genesis for the First Crusade came from Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komenos, who pleaded with Pope Urban II for help in restoring Asia Minor and other lost territories from the muslims. The Byzantine Empire was near collapse, having lost nearly all of its territory in the years prior. The prize of capturing Jerusalem interested the crusaders, and the Byzantines needed all of the help they could get. Interestingly enough, all of this occurred several decades following the Great Schism.
What ultimately happened was, against all of the odds, the reconquest of Jerusalem in 1098 and the restoration of many important cities and territories to Byzantine hands. Despite famine, disease, mistrust amongst the crusaders and Byzantines, and overwhelming odds, the Crusaders achieved their goal in taking back the holiest city in Christianity. The First Crusade led to several crusader states, including the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which would last for nearly 200 years. It also put the Pope as a central figure in European politics and power, a role that still lasts to some extent to the present day.
However, the First Crusade would lay the seeds for future catastrophes, culminating in the Fourth Crusade and sack of Constantinople in 1204, which is one of the most perplexing events in western history. Mistrust for the Byzantines grew with this crusade and the subsequent ones, and Emperor Alexios's legacy was tarnished for centuries by western writers, including even Edward Gibbon, as he was blamed for seemingly everything that went wrong for the western knights on their journey.
One has to think how would history be different had the eastern and western churches stayed together. Would the middle east be largely Christian today? Would modern day Greece span across Asia Minor? What would the descendants of the crusader states have looked like had they lasted? It's interesting to be brought back into a time where places like Antioch, Syria, and Asia Minor were largely Christian.
All in all, a short and well written read.
What ultimately happened was, against all of the odds, the reconquest of Jerusalem in 1098 and the restoration of many important cities and territories to Byzantine hands. Despite famine, disease, mistrust amongst the crusaders and Byzantines, and overwhelming odds, the Crusaders achieved their goal in taking back the holiest city in Christianity. The First Crusade led to several crusader states, including the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which would last for nearly 200 years. It also put the Pope as a central figure in European politics and power, a role that still lasts to some extent to the present day.
However, the First Crusade would lay the seeds for future catastrophes, culminating in the Fourth Crusade and sack of Constantinople in 1204, which is one of the most perplexing events in western history. Mistrust for the Byzantines grew with this crusade and the subsequent ones, and Emperor Alexios's legacy was tarnished for centuries by western writers, including even Edward Gibbon, as he was blamed for seemingly everything that went wrong for the western knights on their journey.
One has to think how would history be different had the eastern and western churches stayed together. Would the middle east be largely Christian today? Would modern day Greece span across Asia Minor? What would the descendants of the crusader states have looked like had they lasted? It's interesting to be brought back into a time where places like Antioch, Syria, and Asia Minor were largely Christian.
All in all, a short and well written read.
April 21, 2021
detailed and interesting historical look at the 1st crusade
March 15, 2015
Accounts of the First Crusade have always tended to begin with Urban II's call at Clermont for Europe's knights to go on an armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem...and forgotten about the Levantine background--- Byzantium, the Seljuk Turks, the Fatimids in Egypt, and the tangle of local politics and warfare. Frankopan's "The First Crusade: The Call from the East" addresses that lapse. He points out that the Crusade began with the collapse of the Byzantine position in Asia Minor in the early and mid-1090s, and emphasizes that it was the Byzantine emperor Alexios Komnenos who first sought allies and Frankish cavalry not so much for Jerusalem as for Antioch and Nicaea and other Byzantine cities lost to the Turks. Frankopan highlights the story of how the Frankish leadership first agreed to turn over captured cities to imperial control and then slowly turned on Alexios, with Frankish and Norman lords and bishops treating Alexios as a hindrance both to the expedition to Jerusalem and to the growing territorial ambitions of men like Count Bohemond of Taranto, the Norman warlord who emerges as the villain of the tale, the man most responsible for the unravelling of the Crusade's original mission.
Frankopan is a fine writer, and "The First Crusade" is a straightforward, well-told tale. Now the book does assume a fair amount of knowledge on the part of readers--- about the Normans in Sicily, about the endless fractures inside the Muslim world, about papal politics around Urban II. It's not an account for beginners, and while Frankopan has a masterful grasp of primary sources, his account of the actual fighting on the route from Constantinople to Jerusalem could profit from more military analysis.
Still--- a book that does remind readers that the First Crusade didn't happen in a local vacuum, that the Frankish armies riding into the Levant came at a Byzantine call and rode into a set of local conditions that have been neglected by all too many accounts.
Frankopan is a fine writer, and "The First Crusade" is a straightforward, well-told tale. Now the book does assume a fair amount of knowledge on the part of readers--- about the Normans in Sicily, about the endless fractures inside the Muslim world, about papal politics around Urban II. It's not an account for beginners, and while Frankopan has a masterful grasp of primary sources, his account of the actual fighting on the route from Constantinople to Jerusalem could profit from more military analysis.
Still--- a book that does remind readers that the First Crusade didn't happen in a local vacuum, that the Frankish armies riding into the Levant came at a Byzantine call and rode into a set of local conditions that have been neglected by all too many accounts.
January 3, 2019
A concise (only 200 pages) account of the First Crusade which is both well argued/organised and engaging. The book’s central hypothesis is to write a Byzantine-centric view of the Crusade, in particular concentrating on the figure of the Emperor Alexios and how circumstances in his empire dictated the timing and nature of the appeal made to the West as well as some of the subsequent course of events (but not all, given the unpredictability of the large force unleashed).
May 4, 2020
Μια εμβριθής μελέτη και απόδοση σε απλή γραφή της ιστορίας της Α' Σταυροφορίας υπό διαφορετικό πρίσμα από τις προηγούμενες, αυτού που επανατοποθετει τη σημασία του Βυζαντίου και του Αλεξίου Κομνηνού στην έμπνευση, οργάνωση και τελική της επιτυχία.
Εξαιρετικό ανάγνωσμα.
Εξαιρετικό ανάγνωσμα.
December 27, 2023
El libro está escrito en una prosa muy fácil de entender, pese a la complejidad del tema y los muchos personajes y acontecimientos el autor logra que sea fácil seguir sus ideas, el texto es una nueva mirada de la primera cruzada vista más desde el lado oriental bizantino que centrándose en los caballeros occidentales.
En la introducción se nos habla acerca del llamado del papa Urbano II al llamado de cruzada, su gran oratoria y el uso de descripciones atroces que hacían supuestamente los trucos contra los cristianos orientales. Por su parte en el imperio bizantino tenemos a Alejo I que tenía una gran presión externa por parte de los turcos y dificultades internas debido a su subida al poder por un golpe de estado.
En un estado de la cuestión Frankopan habla que no se escrito mucho sobre los orígenes como tal que llevaron a la primera cruzada, para ello menciona que las fuentes de han distorsionado mucho debido al gran énfasis que se hace en el papa y lo conocida y numerosas que son las fuentes latinas, en comparación con la complejidad de las fuentes orientales.
El primer capítulo es sobre la Europa en vísperas de la primera cruzada está primera tuvo un gran impacto en el viejo continente en el poder del papa y la idea del caballero, en este territorio tenemos una gran fragmentación y poca unión, por su parte el papá se encontraba enfrentado a un rey muy poderoso como Enrique IV que apoyaba a otro "anti papa".
La iglesia occidental estaba en un gran cisma con la ortodoxa debido a sus diferencias, pero fue urbano II el que tendió puentes con el emperador Alejo, que luego se vio ayudado con los rumores que corrían de la esposa de Enrique y el apoyo de su hijo a él.
El segundo capítulo sobre Constantinopla nos habla de las maravillas de esta ciudad, nos edificios, su defensas, su control sobre los precios y vendedores, una ciudad que Atria a muchas personas de todas Europa, ello la hacía ante todo una ciudad Cosmopolita. Pese al auge económico de este lugar la presión de los perchegos y turcos era constante, la gran derrota en manzcikert muestra la debilidad bizantina.
La expansión turca llevo a una gran presión de la ciudad a causa de los refugiados, había así inflación y crisis económica que se agravaba por una escasez de alimentos debido a los campesinos que iban a la guerra. Luego de esto se nos cuenta cómo Alejo I subió al poder en un golpe con el que logró hacerse del poder, donde elimino la oposición y puso a familiares en cargos importantes, aunque luego su gran énfasis en lo militar llevo a un gran oposición violenta.
El tercer capítulo es sobre la relación turco bizantina que contrario a lo que se cree no era tan mala como muchos suponen por un gran tiempo fue cordial y alejo logro llegar a acuerdos con los turcos pero esto iba a llegar a su fin con la toma turca de Nicea, pero la caída más importante fue la de Antioquía un lugar de gran importancia simbólica, estratégica y económica. Los turcos siempre respetaron a los cristianos de allí, la muerte de Suleiman hacia difícil establecer acuerdos con varios líderes turcos deseoso de expandirse.
El siguiente capítulo sigue ampliando el tema sobre el colapso de Asia menor, donde la muerte de otro sultán turco lleva a una guerra civil de dos años donde era difícil llegar a acuerdos con varios jefes locales, los perchegos seguían presionando las fronteras lo cual era aprovechado por los turcos un gran pérdida fue la de Nicomedia, aunque luego fue recapturada los bizantinos no tenían mucha experiencia en los asedios.
El quinto capítulo es sobre el intento de golpe de estado a Alejo, los principales actores que llevaron a cabo esto fueron sus miembros de su propia familia que estaban cansados de las derrotas de este en Asia menor, Alejo al subir los impuestos llevo a una gran presión que resultó en la rebelión de Creta y Chipre, las amplias concesiones a los mercaderes venecianos enojo mucho a la élite comercial, luego de intento de golpe de estado purgo lentamente a la élite que lo rodeaba.
El sexto capítulo es el llamado a la cruzada con el que Alejo siempre de mostró abierto a los caballeros de occidente habían incluso oficinas de reclutamiento en Inglaterra, las cartas enviadas por parte de Alejo a todas Europa ayudaron a difundir el maltrato que estaban sometidos niños cristianos en Oriente, los cuales muchas veces eran ciertos como se ve en los peregrinos que no podían llegar a tierra Santa, Alejo uso sabiamente la carta de Jerusalén y el uso de objetos sagrados como la vera cruz. Pese a que antes hubieron llamados de cruzada este diferente debido a la situación era más precaria y el papa tenia más en juego como el mostrarse como un hombre de unión.
La respuesta de occidente se aborda en este capítulo en el que papá hizo llevar el mensaje por varias partes de Europa donde los clérigos expandieron aún más el mensaje del espíritu de cruzada, el uso de un documento sobre la atrocidades turcas ayudó mucho, los cruzados obtendrían perdón y salvación eterna si iban a tierra Santa, muchos de estos debían ser guerreros, antes de ir buscaron hipotecar sus propiedades y buscar el perdón bajo el símbolo de la cruz partieron, no se dejaba ir a hombres problemáticos.
Alejo coordinó toda la logística de la llegada de estos hombres, en el suministro de comida y suministros, este llamado a cruzada era distinto del que se hacía de España porque acá estaba el tema de Jerusalén y la delicada situación de oriente, las llegadas de ejércitos occidentales pese a las esperanzas que suponía también causaba miedo
En el octavo capitulo vemos le llegará de la cruzada popular, una movilización de personas que no eran guerreros y que por su paso masacraron a judíos, robaron a los locales y supuso un problema, no esperaron a los demás sino fueron rumbo a Nicea donde fueron masacrados por los turcos esto supuso un revés para Alejo, aún así con la llegada de los verdaderos cruzados recibió de manera personal a los más importantes de una manera informal y llena de regalos, pese algunos problemas la llegada no causó tantos problemas lo que si generó disgusto fue el juramento que debían hacer a Alejo esto con el fin de salvaguardarse este y que le devolvieran las posesiones conquistadas.
El capítulo noveno y decimos estamos ante la narración de la toma de Nicea y Antioquía por parte de los cruzados de la cual no fue nada fácil, estás estaban muy bien defendidas ayudo mucho la experiencia de los cruzados en asedios, la situaciones eran difíciles debido a la poca comida y suministros, los caballos era costosos de tener, había mucha hambre entra las filas, mismas que pudieron resistir a muchas batallas contra refuerzos musulmanes, todo ello mientras alejo dirigía la cruzada desde la distancia y mantenía su confianza en Bohemundo
Aunque esté no siempre atendía al emperador, habían muchas disputas sobre el control de Antioquía sobre si debían entregarla o no al emperador, estos igualmente supieron resistir ante la mala comunicación turca, el rumbo ahora era hacia Jerusalén.
El capítulo once es sobre la toma de Jerusalén en el que los cruzados estaban llenos de júbilo por llegar allí pero al ciudad está muy bien defendida, y el problema ahora no era de comida sino se agua, había muy pocos pozos unos cercanos a las líneas enemigas y otros muy lejos llegando a cobrar por el agua, igualmente los cruzados estaban muy diezmados luego de varios intentos pudieron romper con las líneas enemigas, conllevando a una gran masacre sin precedentes, una vez terminado esto se nombró un rey de Jerusalén, que también tendió lazos comerciales con genoveses y venecianos; no obstante, las posteriores batallas contra turcos terminaron matando a muchos cruzados importantes, era necesaria la ayuda bizantina.
El último capítulo nos habla sobre la llegada de cruzados a Europa en el que se enaltecieron gracias a muchas canciones y versos, Bohemundo por ejemplo fue muy bien recibido y se casó con la mujer más poderosa de Europa este dirigió un tipo de cruzada contra Alejo, aunque está terminó en fracaso por lo que debió de devolver Antioquía al emperador, este tuvo una mala imagen en occidente mostrándolo como alguien traicionero, pero este siempre suministro víveres a los cruzados y nunca prometió estar a a la cabeza de la cruzada.
El papa por su parte, en un primer momento no están mencionado como causante de la cruzada sería tiempo después que se le daría más importancia, alejo logro recuperar territorios en asia menor y volvió a florecer la economía bizantina, concluyendo así que de debe reevaluar la imagen de Alejo y de muchos sultanes turcos que fueron los causantes de la cruzada.
En conclusión un libro muy bueno, para alguien que no sabía mucho sobre la primera cruzada resulto fácil entender todos sobre ella.
En la introducción se nos habla acerca del llamado del papa Urbano II al llamado de cruzada, su gran oratoria y el uso de descripciones atroces que hacían supuestamente los trucos contra los cristianos orientales. Por su parte en el imperio bizantino tenemos a Alejo I que tenía una gran presión externa por parte de los turcos y dificultades internas debido a su subida al poder por un golpe de estado.
En un estado de la cuestión Frankopan habla que no se escrito mucho sobre los orígenes como tal que llevaron a la primera cruzada, para ello menciona que las fuentes de han distorsionado mucho debido al gran énfasis que se hace en el papa y lo conocida y numerosas que son las fuentes latinas, en comparación con la complejidad de las fuentes orientales.
El primer capítulo es sobre la Europa en vísperas de la primera cruzada está primera tuvo un gran impacto en el viejo continente en el poder del papa y la idea del caballero, en este territorio tenemos una gran fragmentación y poca unión, por su parte el papá se encontraba enfrentado a un rey muy poderoso como Enrique IV que apoyaba a otro "anti papa".
La iglesia occidental estaba en un gran cisma con la ortodoxa debido a sus diferencias, pero fue urbano II el que tendió puentes con el emperador Alejo, que luego se vio ayudado con los rumores que corrían de la esposa de Enrique y el apoyo de su hijo a él.
El segundo capítulo sobre Constantinopla nos habla de las maravillas de esta ciudad, nos edificios, su defensas, su control sobre los precios y vendedores, una ciudad que Atria a muchas personas de todas Europa, ello la hacía ante todo una ciudad Cosmopolita. Pese al auge económico de este lugar la presión de los perchegos y turcos era constante, la gran derrota en manzcikert muestra la debilidad bizantina.
La expansión turca llevo a una gran presión de la ciudad a causa de los refugiados, había así inflación y crisis económica que se agravaba por una escasez de alimentos debido a los campesinos que iban a la guerra. Luego de esto se nos cuenta cómo Alejo I subió al poder en un golpe con el que logró hacerse del poder, donde elimino la oposición y puso a familiares en cargos importantes, aunque luego su gran énfasis en lo militar llevo a un gran oposición violenta.
El tercer capítulo es sobre la relación turco bizantina que contrario a lo que se cree no era tan mala como muchos suponen por un gran tiempo fue cordial y alejo logro llegar a acuerdos con los turcos pero esto iba a llegar a su fin con la toma turca de Nicea, pero la caída más importante fue la de Antioquía un lugar de gran importancia simbólica, estratégica y económica. Los turcos siempre respetaron a los cristianos de allí, la muerte de Suleiman hacia difícil establecer acuerdos con varios líderes turcos deseoso de expandirse.
El siguiente capítulo sigue ampliando el tema sobre el colapso de Asia menor, donde la muerte de otro sultán turco lleva a una guerra civil de dos años donde era difícil llegar a acuerdos con varios jefes locales, los perchegos seguían presionando las fronteras lo cual era aprovechado por los turcos un gran pérdida fue la de Nicomedia, aunque luego fue recapturada los bizantinos no tenían mucha experiencia en los asedios.
El quinto capítulo es sobre el intento de golpe de estado a Alejo, los principales actores que llevaron a cabo esto fueron sus miembros de su propia familia que estaban cansados de las derrotas de este en Asia menor, Alejo al subir los impuestos llevo a una gran presión que resultó en la rebelión de Creta y Chipre, las amplias concesiones a los mercaderes venecianos enojo mucho a la élite comercial, luego de intento de golpe de estado purgo lentamente a la élite que lo rodeaba.
El sexto capítulo es el llamado a la cruzada con el que Alejo siempre de mostró abierto a los caballeros de occidente habían incluso oficinas de reclutamiento en Inglaterra, las cartas enviadas por parte de Alejo a todas Europa ayudaron a difundir el maltrato que estaban sometidos niños cristianos en Oriente, los cuales muchas veces eran ciertos como se ve en los peregrinos que no podían llegar a tierra Santa, Alejo uso sabiamente la carta de Jerusalén y el uso de objetos sagrados como la vera cruz. Pese a que antes hubieron llamados de cruzada este diferente debido a la situación era más precaria y el papa tenia más en juego como el mostrarse como un hombre de unión.
La respuesta de occidente se aborda en este capítulo en el que papá hizo llevar el mensaje por varias partes de Europa donde los clérigos expandieron aún más el mensaje del espíritu de cruzada, el uso de un documento sobre la atrocidades turcas ayudó mucho, los cruzados obtendrían perdón y salvación eterna si iban a tierra Santa, muchos de estos debían ser guerreros, antes de ir buscaron hipotecar sus propiedades y buscar el perdón bajo el símbolo de la cruz partieron, no se dejaba ir a hombres problemáticos.
Alejo coordinó toda la logística de la llegada de estos hombres, en el suministro de comida y suministros, este llamado a cruzada era distinto del que se hacía de España porque acá estaba el tema de Jerusalén y la delicada situación de oriente, las llegadas de ejércitos occidentales pese a las esperanzas que suponía también causaba miedo
En el octavo capitulo vemos le llegará de la cruzada popular, una movilización de personas que no eran guerreros y que por su paso masacraron a judíos, robaron a los locales y supuso un problema, no esperaron a los demás sino fueron rumbo a Nicea donde fueron masacrados por los turcos esto supuso un revés para Alejo, aún así con la llegada de los verdaderos cruzados recibió de manera personal a los más importantes de una manera informal y llena de regalos, pese algunos problemas la llegada no causó tantos problemas lo que si generó disgusto fue el juramento que debían hacer a Alejo esto con el fin de salvaguardarse este y que le devolvieran las posesiones conquistadas.
El capítulo noveno y decimos estamos ante la narración de la toma de Nicea y Antioquía por parte de los cruzados de la cual no fue nada fácil, estás estaban muy bien defendidas ayudo mucho la experiencia de los cruzados en asedios, la situaciones eran difíciles debido a la poca comida y suministros, los caballos era costosos de tener, había mucha hambre entra las filas, mismas que pudieron resistir a muchas batallas contra refuerzos musulmanes, todo ello mientras alejo dirigía la cruzada desde la distancia y mantenía su confianza en Bohemundo
Aunque esté no siempre atendía al emperador, habían muchas disputas sobre el control de Antioquía sobre si debían entregarla o no al emperador, estos igualmente supieron resistir ante la mala comunicación turca, el rumbo ahora era hacia Jerusalén.
El capítulo once es sobre la toma de Jerusalén en el que los cruzados estaban llenos de júbilo por llegar allí pero al ciudad está muy bien defendida, y el problema ahora no era de comida sino se agua, había muy pocos pozos unos cercanos a las líneas enemigas y otros muy lejos llegando a cobrar por el agua, igualmente los cruzados estaban muy diezmados luego de varios intentos pudieron romper con las líneas enemigas, conllevando a una gran masacre sin precedentes, una vez terminado esto se nombró un rey de Jerusalén, que también tendió lazos comerciales con genoveses y venecianos; no obstante, las posteriores batallas contra turcos terminaron matando a muchos cruzados importantes, era necesaria la ayuda bizantina.
El último capítulo nos habla sobre la llegada de cruzados a Europa en el que se enaltecieron gracias a muchas canciones y versos, Bohemundo por ejemplo fue muy bien recibido y se casó con la mujer más poderosa de Europa este dirigió un tipo de cruzada contra Alejo, aunque está terminó en fracaso por lo que debió de devolver Antioquía al emperador, este tuvo una mala imagen en occidente mostrándolo como alguien traicionero, pero este siempre suministro víveres a los cruzados y nunca prometió estar a a la cabeza de la cruzada.
El papa por su parte, en un primer momento no están mencionado como causante de la cruzada sería tiempo después que se le daría más importancia, alejo logro recuperar territorios en asia menor y volvió a florecer la economía bizantina, concluyendo así que de debe reevaluar la imagen de Alejo y de muchos sultanes turcos que fueron los causantes de la cruzada.
En conclusión un libro muy bueno, para alguien que no sabía mucho sobre la primera cruzada resulto fácil entender todos sobre ella.
February 20, 2022
Το βιβλίο επικεντρώνεται περισσότερο στη σχέση του Βυζαντίου με την πρώτη σταυροφορία, την κατάσταση που επικρατούσε σε αυτό από την άνοδο στο θρόνο του Αυτοκράτορα Αλεξίου Κομνηνού και το διπλωματικό παρασκήνιο που οδήγησε σε αυτή, παρά στο να κάνει πχ μια πολύ αναλυτική παρουσίαση των πολεμικών επιχειρήσεων. Σχετικά σύντομο και πολύ ενδιαφέρον σε μια ποιοτική έκδοση.
June 12, 2023
An easily digestible account of the First Crusade from Frankopan, who is arguably more interested in the causes and aims of the crusade than the key players and events that have for so long defined the story.
Frankopan succeeds in recentering the crusade on key individuals such as Emperor Alexios and demonstrates conclusively that the impetus for crusade came from the east, not the west, and as such it’s success must be judged differently.
Overall, an enjoyable read which served as a good reintroduction to the First Crusade from a different angle.
Frankopan succeeds in recentering the crusade on key individuals such as Emperor Alexios and demonstrates conclusively that the impetus for crusade came from the east, not the west, and as such it’s success must be judged differently.
Overall, an enjoyable read which served as a good reintroduction to the First Crusade from a different angle.
June 9, 2024
Uma nova história da primeira cruzada, centrada no papel do imperador bizantino.
Bem escrita, bem fundamentada.
Considero, contudo, que a descrição do império bizantino e suas numerosas intrigas e situação política ocupa demasiado espaço neste livro (quase metade), não me parecendo necessário. A apresentação em imagem da genealogia dos imperadores bizantinos teria ajudado, mas está em falta
Bem escrita, bem fundamentada.
Considero, contudo, que a descrição do império bizantino e suas numerosas intrigas e situação política ocupa demasiado espaço neste livro (quase metade), não me parecendo necessário. A apresentação em imagem da genealogia dos imperadores bizantinos teria ajudado, mas está em falta
July 7, 2023
Very interesting book, particularly on the contribution of the Bizantine emperor to the start of the Crusade against how the western chronicles depicted the story which has been passed on for generations.
November 7, 2023
Een goedgeschreven geschiedenis van een voor mij onbekende periode en gebied. Frankopan is een waardige woordvoerder van de Byzantijnse kant van het verhaal. Daarnaast echt goed vertaald.
July 23, 2012
This book is very unusual in that it provides a clear and defensible alternative view of important events that I thought I knew about. In this case, the subject is the set of events surrounding the First Crusade in the last decade of the eleventh century. Frankopan makes the argument that in order to understand the First Crusade, it is necessary to understand the role of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios (sp?) in calling the Crusade. Since high school, I had known about Pope Urban II calling on Western nobles to engage in the Crusade to win back the Holy Land. What was never clearly understood is a) what prompted the call to be issued and the crusade to occur when it did? and b) how did it happen with sufficient organization and planning that it could be such a success? -- an important question given the lack of central political authority in Europe at the time. The punchline is that it was the Byzantine Emperor who needed help and needed to obtain that help from the West, because his prior strategies for controlling Asia Minor and the eastern Mediterranean coast had failed. He provide the central control, planning, and logistical support. Pope Urban also could make use of the Crusade to not only pursue religious objectives but also to shore up his position as Pope versus a competitor. The nobles had their own reasons and the Pope fashioned a rich set of incentives to encourage participation.
The argument is easy to follow, once the book gets moving. It makes lots of sense (and much more sense that traditional explanations of the Crusades) and seems to fit the facts fairly well.
I love history books, but they more often than not add richness and nuance to my understanding of a subject area. This book changes how you look at the Crusades. That is not a bad accomplishment.
The style is a bit thick and there are lots of odd names, but it is worth the effort.
The argument is easy to follow, once the book gets moving. It makes lots of sense (and much more sense that traditional explanations of the Crusades) and seems to fit the facts fairly well.
I love history books, but they more often than not add richness and nuance to my understanding of a subject area. This book changes how you look at the Crusades. That is not a bad accomplishment.
The style is a bit thick and there are lots of odd names, but it is worth the effort.
September 2, 2021
The Crusades have always tickled my historical curiosity. Knowing the event of the first Crusade took place over a 1000 years ago can mean modern historians taking licenses to "fill in the blanks". So to date I've been a bit underwhelmed by books on the Crusades. Actually, most were just dull as dishwater. This book is about the first Crusade but not as its central purpose for existing. This book is a defense of Alexios I (Emperor of Byzantium) and the role he played in bringing the Crusades to being a thing. I found all this very interesting, a new spin so to speak. While the author is not paying Alexios I homage so much, he's very fair, he is righting centuries of misunderstanding that the Pope was the central driving force. Everyone had their role, true to the historical narrative, but Alexios should not be relegated to the back ground or as a villain. Frankopan makes persuasive arguments that he is THE spark that lit the flame. He's the Franz Ferdinand of Crusade I. The rest of the book takes you through the expedition and how everything played out, I mean based on the title it better. At the end though I felt much the same to the whole affair that is was an utterly abhorrent event in history. Mainly due to slaughtering thousands because "God Wills It". You find very quickly that most of this had nothing to do with God's Will, but political power plays, wanton greed, and war crimes that would make the Nazis blush. This is a 200 page book. Therefore it doesn't have time to drip with details and cover things like logistics. But it is still a very well done book and never once did I walk away from it for very long.
August 15, 2023
All in all an interesting book albeit somewhat short. I think the biggest selling point of this book is the focus on Constantinople and Alexios Komnenos. All too often in Crusader books the emphasis is on Urban and the Western Princes and their... erm... escapades... on their way to Jerusalem but this book flips it to the point they are almost secondary characters. You hear about Urban calling on the princes to step up but it's very much on the why Urban was asked in the first place. Rather than 5 chapters on the fall of Antioch, it's more about what that meant for the Byzantines.
Probably not the book I'd reach for if I was asked for a recommendation on the First Crusade as an overarching narrative of events, but it adds a very nice flavour to the history and spends more time than other books I've read on what the immediate aftermath was of the more famous events. There's very little fat here so it's the type of book that might be best read after something a bit more comprehensive.
All in all very good. Frankopan knows his onions and it's apparent here.
Probably not the book I'd reach for if I was asked for a recommendation on the First Crusade as an overarching narrative of events, but it adds a very nice flavour to the history and spends more time than other books I've read on what the immediate aftermath was of the more famous events. There's very little fat here so it's the type of book that might be best read after something a bit more comprehensive.
All in all very good. Frankopan knows his onions and it's apparent here.
February 3, 2023
Priča o Prvom krstaškom ratu, ali iz malo drugačijeg ugla. Akcenat je stavljen na vizantijskog cara Aleksija I Komnina i njegov odnos sa krstašima. Kako sam autor knjige i kaže, u zapadnim istorijskim izvorima, car Aleksije je prikazan krajnje negativno i njegova uloga u krstaškom ratu je svedena na minimum, što je je ostavilo posledice i na kasniju literaturu. U ovom svom delu, P. Frankopan prikazuje da je uloga cara Aleksija I Komnina bila znatno veća, kako kod samog pokretanja krstaškog rata, tako i tokom njegovog trajanja. Takođe, prikazan je i diplomatski odnos između pape Urbana II i cara Aleksija I. Autorov zaključak je da su krstaši svu krivicu za svoj neuspeh svalili na Vizantiju i njenog cara.
S obzirom šta sve Laguna objavljuje pod kategorijom "istorija" ovo delo je odlično. Ali veliki minus ide Laguni zbog izbacivanja naučnog aparata iz knjige. Mislim da je to sramota, a rekao bih i uvreda za čitaoce. Možda bi i ocena knjige bila veća ako bih je pročitao u njenom punom obimu, sa sve naučnim aparatom. Glupost je da se za svaku fusnotu mora skrenuti pogled sa stranice i pretraživati je na telefonu/kompjuteru.
S obzirom šta sve Laguna objavljuje pod kategorijom "istorija" ovo delo je odlično. Ali veliki minus ide Laguni zbog izbacivanja naučnog aparata iz knjige. Mislim da je to sramota, a rekao bih i uvreda za čitaoce. Možda bi i ocena knjige bila veća ako bih je pročitao u njenom punom obimu, sa sve naučnim aparatom. Glupost je da se za svaku fusnotu mora skrenuti pogled sa stranice i pretraživati je na telefonu/kompjuteru.
May 18, 2023
Peter Frankopan's book The First Crusade looks at the First Crusade from a purely Byzantine perspective. It revises the common narrative of "Byzantium asked for help, Western Europe instigated the First Crusade". Instead, Frankopan argues (convincingly, in my opinion) that Byzantium played a crucial role as the leader of the First Crusade and essentially frames it as a Byzantine campaign.
It's one of those books that balances the fine line between accessible and academic and a very easy read.
It's one of those books that balances the fine line between accessible and academic and a very easy read.
April 7, 2025
Ένα εξαιρετικό ανάγνωσμα, το οποίο έχει γραφτεί σε αρκετά απλή γλώσσα και μέσα σε λιγότερες από 250 σελίδες καταφέρνει να μεταφέρει τα γεγονότα πριν και κατά τη διάρκεια της Α' Σταυροφορίας, αποκαθιστώντας την ιστορική αλήθεια γύρω από το πρόσωπο και τον συνολικό ρόλο του αυτοκράτορα Αλεξίου Α' Κομνηνού.
Ο συγγραφέας, που ειδικεύεται στην ιστορία του 11ου αιώνα όσον αφορά τη Ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία και την ανατολική Ευρώπη, με μία εκτενή βιβλιογραφία της εποχής, από την Αλεξίαδα και τους δυτικούς ιστορικούς έως και τους Άραβες ομολογούς τους, μας δίνει μια πλήρη μελέτη σε πλήρως κατανοητή γραφή.
Ο συγγραφέας, που ειδικεύεται στην ιστορία του 11ου αιώνα όσον αφορά τη Ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία και την ανατολική Ευρώπη, με μία εκτενή βιβλιογραφία της εποχής, από την Αλεξίαδα και τους δυτικούς ιστορικούς έως και τους Άραβες ομολογούς τους, μας δίνει μια πλήρη μελέτη σε πλήρως κατανοητή γραφή.
November 10, 2023
Great detail on the origins and run up to the crusade that you don't get from other books on the first crusade which only give brief mentions of Manzikert, Alexios' call for help and the Pope's speech at Clermont.
May 7, 2024
Excellent telling from a Byzantine perspective. The Crusades seem to fall into place and make much more sense understanding the origin and context. Hard not to like the imagery of the time in general. Good book.
December 29, 2024
This was very interesting. I can see how people give it 4 stars in that it spends half the book setting up the Byzantine element, and how it barely mentions what the Turkish side had to say about it all. Still, very informative and worth reading!
March 19, 2025
bardzo przystępnie napisane historia pierwszej krucjaty i jak do niej doszło z perspektywy Bizancujm a nie krzyżowców
June 10, 2021
Góc nhìn t� phương Đông v� Thập t� chinh, c� th� hơn là t� triều đình Byzantium. Cũng được nhưng chưa đ� sâu.
September 2, 2023
Een goed boek dat de Byzantijnse invloed op de eerste kruistocht goed weergeeft.
February 28, 2022
Excellently researched. Five stars well earned.
September 6, 2020
The First Crusade (1096-1099) has always been analyzed from the viewpoint of the Papacy and Latin Christendom. Surprising, since it was launched at the request of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios in 1096. He has been given short shrift in most histories. Author re-looks at the First Crusade by putting him at the centre. Has specially used Greek sources emanating from the Byzantine empire, which is generally ignored, to conduct his research.
This has led Frankopan to make significant changes to the traditional narrative. He begins with the context and asks why the Crusade was launched in the first place, especially since the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church had an antagonistic relationship? The answer was the divided nature of the Papacy at the time. Pope Urban II was one of two popes, and the weaker one. Therefore, he cultivated friends everywhere, including Byzantine. He jumped at the chance to appear as the champion of all Christians and utilised the crusades to successfully consolidate his position.
Traditional histories believe that the empire in the 1090s had begun to recover its strength and launched the crusades to expand its territory. In reality, the Empire was on the brink of collapse. Frankopan shows how the Emperor Alexios' attempts to use local Turkish warlords to pacify the region collapsed with the death of his chief functionary, Sulayman. His treaty with the Seljuq's also collapsed with the death of the Sultan in 1092. There was a massive coup against him in 1095. The Crusade was a last roll of the dice for him. Frankopan details the massive efforts Alexios made to supply the Crusader army, the close-co-operation between Urban II and Alexios, and Alexios' attempts to extract oaths of fealty from the Crusader leaders to show Byzantine's efforts to keep the Crusader army under its auspices. It mostly succeeded. Though there were some elements which broke away and attempted to maneuver independently. The most prominent being Bohemund.
Politically, the Crusades were a resounding success for Alexios. The Crusades consolidated the control of Byzantine on Asia Minor, stabilised the Empire, gave a boost to trade and the economy blossomed, the tattered tax system was overhauled, and allowed Alexios to lay the foundation of a dynasty which lasted almost a century. However, Alexios� reputation suffered a massive blow because of the in-fighting amongst the Crusaders, who used him as a convenient scapegoat for their own ambitions, from which it never recovered. The first histories of the Crusades written by the Crusaders vilified him. Later, these accounts were used by church historians to paint an even more unflattering portrait, which has continued down to our age. While the role of the Papacy in conducting the crusade is well-known, Frankopan has shown how no true history of the First Crusade can be written without firmly putting Alexios at the centre.
This has led Frankopan to make significant changes to the traditional narrative. He begins with the context and asks why the Crusade was launched in the first place, especially since the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church had an antagonistic relationship? The answer was the divided nature of the Papacy at the time. Pope Urban II was one of two popes, and the weaker one. Therefore, he cultivated friends everywhere, including Byzantine. He jumped at the chance to appear as the champion of all Christians and utilised the crusades to successfully consolidate his position.
Traditional histories believe that the empire in the 1090s had begun to recover its strength and launched the crusades to expand its territory. In reality, the Empire was on the brink of collapse. Frankopan shows how the Emperor Alexios' attempts to use local Turkish warlords to pacify the region collapsed with the death of his chief functionary, Sulayman. His treaty with the Seljuq's also collapsed with the death of the Sultan in 1092. There was a massive coup against him in 1095. The Crusade was a last roll of the dice for him. Frankopan details the massive efforts Alexios made to supply the Crusader army, the close-co-operation between Urban II and Alexios, and Alexios' attempts to extract oaths of fealty from the Crusader leaders to show Byzantine's efforts to keep the Crusader army under its auspices. It mostly succeeded. Though there were some elements which broke away and attempted to maneuver independently. The most prominent being Bohemund.
Politically, the Crusades were a resounding success for Alexios. The Crusades consolidated the control of Byzantine on Asia Minor, stabilised the Empire, gave a boost to trade and the economy blossomed, the tattered tax system was overhauled, and allowed Alexios to lay the foundation of a dynasty which lasted almost a century. However, Alexios� reputation suffered a massive blow because of the in-fighting amongst the Crusaders, who used him as a convenient scapegoat for their own ambitions, from which it never recovered. The first histories of the Crusades written by the Crusaders vilified him. Later, these accounts were used by church historians to paint an even more unflattering portrait, which has continued down to our age. While the role of the Papacy in conducting the crusade is well-known, Frankopan has shown how no true history of the First Crusade can be written without firmly putting Alexios at the centre.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.