Armies of Heaven : The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse

At Moson, the river Danube ran red with blood. At Antioch, the Crusaders— their saddles freshly decorated with sawed-off heads—indiscriminately clogged the streets with the bodies of eastern Christians and Turks. At Ma’arra, they cooked children on spits and ate them. By the time the Crusaders reached Jerusalem, their quest—and their violence— had become distinctly otherworldly: blood literally ran shin-deep through the streets as the Crusaders overran the sacred city. Beginning in 1095 and culminating four bloody years later, the First Crusade represented a new kind of warfare: holy, unrestrained, and apocalyptic. In Armies of Heaven , medieval historian Jay Rubenstein tells the story of this cataclysmic event through the eyes of those who witnessed it, emphasizing the fundamental role that apocalyptic thought played in motivating the Crusaders. A thrilling work of military and religious history, Armies of Heaven will revolutionize our understanding of the Crusades. Chronicles The Apocalyptic Motivations And Brutality Of The First Crusade, Which Destroyed Civilizations In The Near And Middle East. Jerusalem, On Earth As It Is In Heaven (1009, 1064-1065, And 1095-1096) -- The Pope's Plan (november 1095) -- The Response: The Princes, The Prophets, The People (december 1096-may 1097) -- The Road To Constantinople (june 1096-april 1097) -- Deals With Devils: The Crusaders At Constantinople (august 1096-april 1097) -- The Nicene Deal (may 1097-june 1097) -- Saracens, Through A Glass Darkly -- Enemy Country (june 29, 1097-october 22, 1097) -- Starvation And Nightmare: The Siege Of Antioch Begins (october 1097-january 1098) -- A Brief Account Of Baldwin Of Boulogne's Adventures In Syria (february 1098-march 1098) -- Reversal Of Fortune And A River Of Blood: The Battle For Antioch Continues (march 1098-april 1098) -- Truce And Consequences: The Fall Of Antioch (april 1098-june 1098) -- Violent Men -- Kerbogah And The Lance (june 1098) -- Feasting On The Fallen: Antioch To Maʼarra (june 1097-january 1099) -- Trial By Fire (january 1099-april 1099) -- Seeking A New Apocalypse (april 1099-may 1099) -- Jerusalem (may 1099-july 1099) -- The Last Emperor (july 1099) -- Ascalon, The Sixth Battle (august 1099) -- Conclusion: The Never-ending Apocalypse. Jay Rubenstein. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. At Moson, the river Danube ran red with blood. At Antioch, the Crusaders -- their saddles freshly decorated with sawed-off heads -- indiscriminately clogged the streets with the bodies of eastern Christians and Turks. At Ma'arra, they cooked children on spits and ate them. By the time the Crusaders reached Jerusalem, their quest -- and their violence -- had become distinctly otherworldly: blood literally ran shin-deep through the streets as the Crusaders overran the sacred city. Beginning in 1095 and culminating four bloody years later, the First Crusade represented a new kind of warfare: holy, unrestrained, and apocalyptic. In Armies of Heaven, medieval historian Jay Rubenstein tells the story of this cataclysmic event through the eyes of those who witnessed it, emphasizing the fundamental role that apocalyptic thought played in motivating the Crusaders. A thrilling work of military and religious history, Armies of Heaven will revolutionize our understanding of the Crusades. At Moson, the river Danube ran red with blood. At Antioch, the Crusaders— their saddles freshly decorated with sawed-off heads—indiscriminately clogged the streets with the bodies of eastern Christians and Turks. At Ma’arra, they cooked children on spits and ate them. By the time the Crusaders reached Jerusalem, their quest—and their violence— had become distinctly otherworldly: blood literally ran shin-deep through the streets as the Crusaders overran the sacred city. Beginning in 1095 and culminating four bloody years later, the First Crusade represented a new kind of warfare: holy, unrestrained, and apocalyptic. In __Armies of Heaven__, medieval historian Jay Rubenstein tells the story of this cataclysmic event through the eyes of those who witnessed it, emphasizing the fundamental role that apocalyptic thought played in motivating the Crusaders. A thrilling work of military and religious history, __Armies of Heaven__ will revolutionize our understanding of the Crusades. Jerusalem, on earth as it is in heaven The pope's plan The response: the princes, the prophets, the people The road to Constantinople Deals with devils: the crusaders at Constantinople The Nicene deal Saracens, through a glass darkly Enemy country Starvation and nightmare: the siege of Antioch begins A brief account of Baldwin of Boulogne's adventures in Syria Reversal of fortune and a river of blood: the battle for Antioch continues Truce and consequences: the fall of Antioch Violent men Kerbogah and the lance Feasting on the fallen: Antioch to Maʼarat Trial by fire Seeking a new apocalypse Jerusalem The last emperor Ascalon, the sixth battle The never-ending apocalypse.