The original forced conversion of pagan Livonia what is now the Baltic states of Latvia & Estonia was carried about by a military order known as the Brethren of the Sword. In 1236 this order was incorporated into the Teutonic Knights following a catastrophic military defeat. The knights had always consolidated their conquests through networks of castles & fortified places & the Livonian Chapter of the Teutonic Order built castles of stone. This title covers the developmental & operational history of these fortresses over the length of the Middle Ages. It details how the Baltic fortifications of the Teutonic Knights evolved to reflect the changing nature of siege warfare & the increasing dominance of gunpowder in warfare. ...

Need a fun distraction to get you through the daily commute or an enjoyable puzzle book for your next holiday? Crusader Crosswords Volume 2" is the perfect solution with 100 of the most engaging & demanding grids from the archives of one of the UKs favorite papers. No matter what age or skill-level you are this pocket-sized puzzler will keep you amused for hours & leave you wanting to conquer more from Hamlyns bestselling " Crosswords" series." ...

Youve seen off the Daily Express" Small Crossword & overcome the Alphapuzzle but do you have what it takes to conquer the " Crusader Crossword"? Packed with 100 of the most challenging puzzles from one of the nations favourite dailies " Crusader Crosswords Volume 4" is guaranteed to stretch your vocabulary to the limit & leave you feeling like a true wordsmith. Ideal for turning that dull commute into a captivating battle of wits this book will keep minds of all ages entertained for hours." ...

Get ready to push your word skills to the limit as you take on this tantalizingly tricky puzzle book packed with 100 of the most challenging cryptic crosswords from the pages of the Daily Express". The perfect solution to tedious train journeys & other idle hours " Crusader Crosswords Volume 1" is guaranteed to keep even the most experienced crossword addict amused for hours." ...

Crusader Gold is the stunning follow up to 2005s bestselling debut Atlantis. For many it is the Jewish menorah the huge golden ...

At the 900th anniversary of the Crusader capture of Jerusalem it is timely to reflect on how the phenomenon of the Crusades influenced the Muslim world then & now militarily culturally & psychologically. This book discusses a group of themes designed to highlight how Muslims reacted to the alien presence of the Crusaders in the heart of traditional Muslim territory. Ideological concerns are examined & the importance of the jihad is assessed in the context of the gradual recovery of the Holy Land & the expulsion of the Crusaders. Two chapters are devoted to an analysis of warfare
- arms battles sieges fortifications
- on the basis of written sources & extant works of art & the neglected aspect of the navy is brought into prominence. One chapter deals with the complex issue of the interaction between Muslims & Crusaders in a social economic & cultural setting. The epilogue traces in outline the profound impact of the Crusades on Muslim consciousness until the present day. This is not a chronological survey of the events of the period 1099 to 1291and even beyond for that has already been done several times. Instead this is a general book intended to introduce some of the wider aspects of the history of the Crusades from the Muslim side. Accordingly as a deliberate policy an attempt is made here to view the phenomenon of the Crusades entirely through the prism of medieval Muslim sources. This naturally involves bias but such a bias is salutary given the cumulative impact of centuries of Eurocentric scholarship in this field & it should help to create a more balanced picture of this fascinating & momentous period of Christian/ Muslim confrontation & interaction.

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European & Arab versions of the Crusades have little in common. For Arabs the twelfth & thirteenth centuries were years of strenuous efforts to repel a brutal & destructive invasion by barbarian hordes. In The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" Amin Maalouf has sifted through the works of a score of contemporary Arab chroniclers of the Crusades eyewitnesses & often participants in the events. He retells their stories in their own vivacious style giving us a vivid portrait of a society rent by internal conflicts & shaken by a traumatic encounter with an alien culture. He retraces two critical centuries of Middle Eastern history & offers fascinating insights into some of the forces that shape Arab & Islamic consciousness today." ...

The latest book in the ever-popular Allys World series! Allys looking forward to a week off school on the geography field trip. But no sooner have she & her mates arrived than a gang of moronic girls from another school set out to cause trouble for them! Another warm & funny saga about Ally & her friends. ...

It is January 1719 & Daniel Defoe almost sixty sits at a table writing. He is troubled with gout & debt but for now is preoccupied with a younger man on a barren shore
- Robinson Crusoe for which he will principally be remembered. Several miles south an old man Robert Knox is bent over a heavy volume. It is Historical Relation his account of being held captive on Ceylon published forty years ago after he escaped & returned to Engl&. It has long been out of print but a copy perhaps sits on the desk of Daniel Defoe as he writes. Where did Crusoe come from? & what is the secret of his endurance? " Crusoe" explores the intertwined lives of two real men
- Daniel Defoe & Robert Knox
- & the character & book that emerged from their peculiar conjunction. It is the biography of a book & its hero the story of Defoe the man who wrote " Robinson Crusoe" & of Robert Knox the man who was Crusoe."


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In 1904 when she was six Polly Flint went to live with her two holy aunts at the yellow house by the marsh
- so close to the sea
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