Since the first Crusade in 1095, Crusades have come to represent holy wars between Christian and other nations. When George Bush inaugurated the War on Terror in 2001, he employed this historic language to reflect a modern battle arguably premised on faith and ideals.
Popular historian Jonathan Phillips traces the powerful origins of these religiously charged battles and offers a remarkable insight into this prevailing phenomenon. Attempting to provide an eyewitness account from both Christian and Muslim perspectives, this unique study covers the familiar heroes and villains such as the impetuous and egotistical Richard the Lionheart, the calculating sultan Saladin and the Knights Templar.