The House of War: The Struggle Between Christendom and the Caliphate

by Simon Mayall

A powerful new history detailing the most significant military clashes between Islam and Christendom over the 1300 years of the Muslim caliphate.

From the taking of Jerusalem in the 7th century AD 638 by Caliph Umar, to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire following the end of World War I, Christian popes, emperors and kings, and Muslim caliphs and sultans were locked in a 1300-year battle for political, military, ideological, economic and religious supremacy.

Simon Mayall focuses on some of the most significant clashes of arms in human the taking and re-taking of Jerusalem; the fall of Constantinople; the sieges of Rhodes and Malta; the battle of Mohacs; the last assault on Vienna, and the 'high-water mark' of Ottoman advance into Europe; and the battle of Megiddo, and, finally, the re-taking of Jerusalem, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the dissolution of the Sultanate and the Caliphate, and the formation of modern Europe, and the modern Middle East. The House of War offers a wide, sweeping historical narrative, encompassing the broad historical and religious context of this period, while focussing on some of the key, pivotal sieges and battles, and on the protagonists, political and military, who determined their conclusions and their consequences.

Genres: History, Religion, Islam

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2024

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can think of very few things more difficult than trying to write a book which is effectively Christians vs. Muslims. Simon Mayall tried it. and it turned out great in his book The House of War!

Let's get the big question out of the way first. Who is Mayall pulling for in this book? Great news, he is team no one! Joking aside, Mayall puts on a masterclass in not taking sides. He writes an overview of the religions starting from the beginning (which is a great place to start) that wouldn't irk anyone on either side of the theological debate except the people you really should not be hanging out with. The House of War then looks at various battles in history where Muslims and Christians did battle. Obviously, today we know many of these wars had nothing to do with religion in the slightest. However, Mayall doesn't get caught up in the semantics and minor debates. Sure, the crusades had very little to do with religion, but for the men on the ground an indulgence was not nothing.

The problems I always run into with books like this are twofold. First, there is the issue of what I call "name vomit." This is where you have to introduce so many people and places to set the stage every chapter because you jump around in time. Second, there is the extensive backgrounds themselves just to set up the stakes of the upcoming battle. While both issues are present in Mayall's narrative, I have to say he minimized them. More importantly, when he gets to the actual fighting, the storytelling is exceptional. I highly recommend it.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Osprey Publishing.)

[Anatolikon · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a way to start the year. There's a long list of books purporting to chart the competition between Islam and Christianity, but this is one of the worst. What we effectively have here is a disorganized collection that might have been better entitled 'Sir Simon's Favourite Battles between Muslims and Christians' because that appears to be all that holds this mess together.

Mayall proposes that Christendom and the Caliphate were militarily at each other's throats from the get-go. The problem with this is that Christendom is at best a nebulous term, and was never a political entity. There was *the* caliphate for the first two centuries of Islam but after the rise of the Abbasids the Muslim world began to splinter. All the encounters within the book are slotted into this frame. The problem is that concepts don't have the capacity to organize for war, only states do. And states go to war for much more complex reasons than religion. Annoyingly, Mayall is fully aware of this and states it directly, but then decides to just go ahead anyway down Christendom vs. Caliphate path even though it's total nonsense.

The book is rife with basic factual errors and lazy interpretations. The author appears to have been writing from memory, because even a quick glance at Wikipedia would have told him that Charlemagne did not divide his empire between three sons. There are end notes, but these are almost entirely digressions and not references. The bibliography is stacked with general, out-of-date scholarship, which explains a lot.

The framework is questionable. The facts are wrong. The interpretations are dubious. Even the copyediting is poor, with multiple spellings appearing throughout. There is nothing of any value here.

Full (and much nastier) review forthcoming in an academic journal.

[Barış · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides an account of nine major military clashes between Christendom and Muslim empires. It opens with an overview of the historical backdrop, covering the formation of both Christendom and the Caliphate. Each chapter then dives into a specific war or siege, where Christian and Muslim forces clashed. The author occasionally touches on the internal power struggles and religious schisms within both sides.

Drawing on his military background, Simon Mayall meticulously describes the strategies, siege preparations, battle progressions, and the aftermaths from both attackers' and defenders' perspectives. Although readers might find the extensive details on battle tactics, and the numerous names of places and figures a bit overwhelming, Mayall’s engaging writing style keeps the narrative compelling. The portrayal of both the brutality and chivalry of historical figures—sometimes demonstrating mutual respect and at other times unleashing violent animosity—adds a powerful human element to the historical events.

While Mayall attempts to connect these historical conflicts to contemporary issues, this part of the book feels less developed. The broader historical context surrounding each battle is also relatively thin, with the focus primarily on the military action itself. Given the book’s scope and scale, this emphasis on battle scenes over broader context is understandable.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and Osprey publishing in exchange for an honest review

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long time ago two men and two books messed the world up pretty badly and for good. One was named Jesus and the other Mohammad. Ever since the world has gone mad and people started killing each other in the name of a dead man and a book.
This is what this book is about - the fight between two religions and their fanatical followers. The fight for power and dominance. The author goes into details quite deeply and explains a lot while staying objective. This is rare especially when it comes to such matters. There are a lot of names, places, and terms that might confuse a reader a little, but overall it`s a good book worth your time.
Highly recommended.

[Loïc Chartier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was a decent read however I sincerely think that the book suffers from a strange premise. From the onset, the author acknowledges that the religious division doesn't make sense, something that is systematically reinforced by each subsequent chapter and the conclusion. Most of the book is a history of the clashes between the Ottoman empire and various European powers. But the Ottoman empire was notoriously tolerant of religious differences and at many instances the author notes the various religious minorities present within the large ottoman forces.
In addition, I find the structure of individual chapters a bit odd. While I understand the want to get us hooked with a description of the battle itself but it only led to confusion on my part. There are also some very interesting choices, such as descriptions of the feelings of warriors and colours of tents that I could have done without.
Alongside this, I find the use of modern military jargon applied to medieval battles quite funny, especially when it leads to the description of medieval warriors as snipers.
The last couple of chapters make it clear that imperial concerns trump religious ones in conflicts in between the different actors (France and the HRE). Lastly, the "conquest" of Jerusalem is not even a battle and as such, should not have been included.
Overall, I feel like this book gives major global war on terror vibes with a bit of a nonsensical premise based on the clash of civilization thesis (booooo, tomato tomato tomato).

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this fascinating history of the Ottoman Empire, Simon Mayall explores its relationship to Europe and other Christian countries through 1300 years of conflict and violence from the 7th century CE to the end of World War I in 1918. Each chapter focuses on a different battle or conflict (appropriate year attached), and Mayall goes into a lot of fantastic detail based on the relevant historical documentation. In creating this broad narrative and traversing over a millennium of human history, Mayall gives readers the tools to explore the history of the Ottoman Empire and the caliphate’s relationship with Europe as it changes over the centuries. Rather than presenting a solely Euro-centric narrative, Mayall brings this fascinating history to life in this incredibly detailed work of history nonfiction. Well-researched and complex, this book is dense but manageable, and the organization of the book into one conflict per chapter allows Mayall to successfully present this overview of the Ottoman Empire to readers. A fascinatingly complex book, readers will definitely enjoy this take on the Ottoman Empire and experience several major events like the Crusades and World War I from an alternate perspective that adds nuance to established historical discourse on the topic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Osprey Publishing for the advance copy.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my, what a read! If you are interested in learning more about this violent time in history, look no further than this book.

Two vying religions were determined to lay claim to Jerusalem and other areas. The fighting would be fierce, and many would lose their lives in this epic struggle. But there was more to it than just land. There was a passion to spread their religion, to bring what they thought would be better laws and rules to these downtrodden areas.

Sir Simon Mayall does a fantastic job of bringing the facts out and portraying them in a way that is easy to understand. This book captivated me quickly. I could not put it down. I wanted to know more, and learn more about the pivotal figures that were key to these conflicts.

Fantastic, fun, and full of amazing information. I highly recommend this book!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Osprey Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting account of nine crucial battles and sieges between Christian and Islamic forces throughout history. The book explains the details of the battle but also the context leading up to clash and its aftermath. I found it intriguing how history isn't just a story of Islam and Christianity being in conflict, but also how in every age some people were willing to cross the religious divide if it was in their interest (the Franco-Ottoman alliance being the most prominent example).

The narrative is interesting and easy to read, with a good balance between enough detail while still being readable.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great account of the history of conflict between the Christian west and Islamic east from the Islamic conquests to the fall of the ottoman empire at the end of the great war.

[LBA · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book about the battles between Islam and Christendom.
It gives us cause for reflection.

[Jaan Liitmäe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick but comprehensive at the same time. Perhaps author used too many names per each event but this is unavoidable at the same time.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is turgid, almost every single sentence in it is overly dense to the point of compacted lead, and full of people and place names without further explanation. It’s badly organised and hard to follow. He mentions people and objects as though we are simply supposed to intrinsically know who or what they are. You better just *know* exactly who Phillip II is (there’s one from the 16th century apparently) or which of the endless list of European kings is from which empire at which time. And you really should just *know* what a ‘sipahi’ is, you dunce! Because Mayall isn’t going to tell you. Sentences and facts don’t flow. Characters alter their thoughts or motivations from one paragraph to the next without us being told. So we have to painfully reread entire paragraphs in case we missed something. Which we haven’t, it’s just written so confusingly. He’s like a scholar trying too hard to write ‘engagingly’ and ‘popular history’, and ends up being neither scholarly nor populist. The book tries to be clever and start each chapter setting the scene of a battle for a couple of pages. Then spends 10-15 pages boring us to tears with what happened in the hundred years leading up to it, with names and dates and so much utter denseness that makes it so hard to read and impossible to remember. Finally he gets back to the battle and you’ve forgotten who or where they all were. Which is a shame because some battles are very interesting. If he had just written this in a basic narrative form and stuck to his natural style it would have been much much better. It gets 1 star from me solely for ‘The Knights at Bay’ chapter about the Siege of Rhodes in 1522, which was great. Also the intro is great, when he’s just writing normally. I read the intro and thought hey this will be a good read. But from the first chapter’s first page on it just did my head in. {Note: I bought this book myself and wasn’t given a free copy by the publisher in the hope of a nice honest review. 😉}