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The First Crusade A noble mission to free the holy land, or a gigantic expedition of plunder and murder? Some 900 years ago, 10,000 Christians answered the pope's call and set off for Jerusalem. We discuss the crusade that transformed relations with the Islamic world forever.

Religion

The First Crusade

Heard on Talk of the Nation

The First Crusade

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A noble mission to free the holy land, or a gigantic expedition of plunder and murder? Some 900 years ago, 10,000 Christians answered the pope's call and set off for Jerusalem. We discuss the crusade that transformed relations with the Islamic world forever.

Guest:

Thomas Asbridge, senior lecturer in Medieval History at the University of London. Author of The First Crusade: A New History the Roots of Conflict Between Christianity and Islam.