The Right Coast

November 23, 2003
 
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.