'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages
Talking about popular conceptions of the Middle Ages and their historical realities. Join Richard Abels to learn about Vikings, knights and chivalry, movies set in the Middle Ages, and much more about the medieval world.
'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages
The Crusades and the Wars for the Middle East (with Prof. Nicholas Morton)
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In this episode Dr. Nicholas Morton returns to discuss his newest book, The Crusader Storm: A Global History of the Wars of the Middle East (Basic Books, 2026). With some rare exceptions, histories of the Crusades and the Crusader States have been viewed from a Western perspective. What is missing is the Middle Eastern context of the Crusades to the East, how the crusades and the establishment of these Latin states in the Levant interacted with and impacted the multiple rival power centers of the region. For many, the story of the Crusades is that of a clash of cultures, a binary tale which pitted Western Christendom against Islam, with Jerusalem as the prize. But, as Nick Morton, shows, the reality was far more complicated and nuanced than that. The twelfth-century Middle East was multi-cultural and politically fragmented. Civil war was endemic within the Seljuk Empire. It was not unusual for Seljuk governors to seek allies among their Frankish neighbors in their wars against rival Seljuk leaders. And friendships could arise between Frankish knights and elite Turkish and Arab horsemen based on shared values. The Crusades and the history of the Crusader States can only truly be understood within this context.
Listen on Podurama https://podurama.com
Intro and exit music are by Alexander Nakarada
If you have questions, feel free to contact me at richard.abels54@gmail.com
