” The First Crusade” is one of the best-known & most written-about events in history but in this new book Dr Peter Frankopan asks vital questions that have never been posed before. This is the only book to address the history of the ” First Crusade” from the perspective of the east, examining the role of the Byzantine Empire & its ruler, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Peter Frankopan`s focus on the imperial city of Constantinople & events in Asia Minor is the result of a major reinterpretation of eastern sources which reveal the crucial role of Byzantium in the ” Genesis” & execution of the ” First Crusade”. Frankopan`s revelation of a close cooperation between the pope in Rome & the emperor in Constantinople constitutes an important revision & brand new evidence of the history of the Church. This book questions the traditional view that the Catholic & Orthodox churches had broken definitively in 1054. Rather than viewing the Crusades as a conflict between Christianity & Islam, the book reveals a complex triangular relationship between the west, Byzantium & the Muslim world. So, ” The First Crusade” constitutes a paradigm shift
- it radically re-shapes our understanding of the aims, expectations, & long-term implications of the ” First Crusade” & the Crusades as a whole. Most importantly it answers why was there a ” First Crusade”?