People of the First Crusade

by Michael Foss

A remarkably vivid account of the First Crusade, which began in 1095, opens a window on one of history's most bizarre adventures, during which ordinary people changed the course of history."

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, Middle East, European History

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Mike]

Paired this with the "Crusades through Arab Eyes" which made each more interesting. This is a good summary of how the crusades got started and the amazing feat of leaving home and going to the holy land. These people had guts, for sure, but maybe not many brains.

[Fredrick Danysh]

This work is a short history of the First Crusade. The political, religious, and economic factors leading to the Crusade are examined. Numerous quotes from other work are used throughout. This is a good introduction to the conflict between Christianity and Islam.

[Oliver]

To use People of the First Crusades as a precursor to learning about the later Crusades is feasible, it follows broadly what events occurred and has a basic grasp on important historical dates, but lacks the political depth of more critical works. Over the 232 pages of People of the First Crusade Foss uses seemingly direct accounts of people, both common folk and Kings, he never acknowledges where exactly these accounts came from and if they are accredited works. Recommending this work to anyone who is unfamiliar or uninterested in the Crusades would be a mistake in some ways, although the text is easy to digest and broad it can quickly become convoluted. Foss mentions different names frequently and scarcely takes time to explain with any depth who these people are and why they are important. He quickly glosses over Peter the Hermit, tends to leave out defining features of integral people, resorts to using first names, and on occasion drops the titles of many people. The abundance of names and places can be overwhelming even with basic knowledge of these people. To recommend this title to a newcomer of the Crusades would be a disservice; People of the First Crusade is meant for someone who has researched broadly or in depth what the Crusades entailed. Having a good grasp on the topic and an understanding of the major figures present during the First Crusade makes People of the First Crusade easier to understand and digest. Foss’s human approach is exciting to see in a historical work but this book is just that, a historical work documenting the lives of people, remembering that can be difficult with his emotional emphasis making the book feel more like a work of fiction.

[Nicole Issel]

A nice quick read.
This lacks references to sources and the book being written as a story that is an account of an account of an account sets my mind up for it to likely have some influence of "Chinese whispers". Some is bound to be "one man's idea" or decided "better said like this", and then there will be the interpretation of the reader to leave events up to one's own imagination. Nevertheless, it sets up the characters well, whether a true account or not (you get the "gist"), and the story flows nice and simply to provide a good beginning to learning of the events of the crusades.
It isn't greatly detailed, but this made it an enjoyable side track read as a genre that is not generally my go to for distraction.
It has maps, and I like maps. Also a few interesting and relevant historical artworks represented within.

[Thomas Funke]

Author basically summarized some source materials...both from a Christian & Muslim perspective.

I'd give it a higher rating but yet again another history book with no bibliography. I had to glean it from the text.

[Ellis Knox]

Typical popular history book. In trying to engage the reader, the approach in fact distances its audience from the events. Or maybe it was just the failing of the author. Either way, it's certainly no challenge to Runciman.

[Meredith]

I'm finished because it's filled with misinformation. If you are going to read one book about the Crusades, pick another one. Kind of written in the point of view of the historical personages. I found this seemed to encourage a lot of editorializing.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Probably about 2.5 stars, but I wasn't feeling generous.

The prose was a bit of a chore to read.

[John]

Good history of the people that made up the first crusade, not a history of the crusade itself except in generalities. Good read.

[Robert Grebasch]

I gave this book 4 stars because I knew little on this subject. It was a very detailed account of how the crusades originated and why. It also described in awful detail the viciousness of this "Holy War and Jihad" . The world was a terrible place in the eleventh century.