#TBRtemptation post 3! In 2010, an al-Qaeda parcel bomb was intercepted. It was addressed to Reynald de Chatillon, who's been dead for 800 years! Born in 1100s France, he was a knight in the Second Crusade, rising to become the pre-eminent figure of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In the West, he's considered a bloodthirsty maniac for fighting friend & foe & his tortures. He's one of Islamic history's most reviled figures. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎
pickA re-examination of the most ruthless & hated crusader by both Christians and Muslims. Concise but narratively compelling. However, there's still a whiff of western-centric mythology about it
Morning read back on the deck with coffee, a good start to any day
so-soHmmmmm. I wanted to like this book. The subject Reynald is fascinating, a crusader and mercenary knight, who rises to the highest levels of Outremer society twice and is the greatest warrior of the lords who oppose the rise of Saladin. But this is not unbiased history, with the author seeking to excuse his subjects excesses and glorify his successes at the expense of his fellow crusader lords. This book feels to much like revisionist history
God's Wolf: The Life of the Most Notorious of All Crusaders: Reynald de Chatillon | 
