The Fourth Crusade And The Sack Of Constantinople

Rating:
Summary: Hidden agendas.....
Review: Fascinating and concise look at the history of the Fourth Crusade and how it developed into a political fiasco leading to the sacking of Constantinople and one of the lowest points in the history of Crusades and Christianity. This story is a fine example of how the church lost control of the crusade, something that was to happen time and time again during crusade history.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating look at Medieval Europe
Review: I am not a medievalist in any way, shape, or form. But I decided to give this book a chance and learn about a period of time and event I knew so little about. What I found was an epic story of dramatic purportions. The characters and their motivations seem right out of a fictional drama: The elderly and manipulative Doge of Venice, the brash and ambitious Byzantine pretender, the hypocritical holy men, and the permissive Pope. The author not only provides the historical record, but provides real insight into the thinking of a time so different, and yet so similar, to our own. Replete with modern analogies and references, beyond a mere history book, its a real page-turner.

Rating:
Summary: Crusaders behaving badly
Review: This is a well-written book that gives some background to the crusading movement in medieval Europe, but its primary focus is on the ill-starred Fourth Crusade. This was a crusade not led by monarchs, but rather like the First Crusade, an undertaking of many nobles of good family. The addition of the Venetian seamen with their needed ships, and an ill-advised agreement about men and money led this holy endeavor to attack, not the occupiers of Jerusalem, but rather the also Christian rulers of the Byzantine Empire. It's a somewhat convoluted tale, but the author tells it extremely well, and at no time does the reader feel that he is lost. This book gives some insight into the schism that exists still today between the Orthodox and Roman churches, and is excellent reading for anyone interested in this fractious history.