History of Last Big Defensive War against Muslim Fanatics
By Tom Smith
You guessed it. Those much maligned Crusades. I like the crusaders, partly because my mother was recently made a lady of the
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the
oldest continuously existing order of nobility in the West. (Yes, I am proud of my mom.) It was founded during the First Crusade, a mere 1000 years ago or so, and has a fascinating history in its own right. The order is no longer military, and is devoted mostly to charitable work. On the crusades, here's a
summary of recent scholarship. (hat tip to little green footballs.) For the general reader, there's this little book on
The Monks of War. A little too much detail and not enough mayhem for my tastes, but pretty good so far. And this on the
Templars. This is a legitimate history; beware the voluminous garbage published about the Templars, which figure in many conspiracy theories.
posted by thomas at 11/23/2003 09:25:00 AM
