The story of the Crusades is remembered as a tale of religious fanaticism and unspeakable brutality, but using fresh evidence, Dr Thomas Asbridge re-examines this medieval drama

Image for The Crusades

This programme is not currently available on BBC iPlayer

Last on

Victory and Defeat

3/3 Dr Thomas Asbridge reveals how the outcome of the holy wars was decided in Egypt.

Wed 1 Feb 2012 21:00 BBC Two except Scotland

See all previous episodes from The Crusades

  • Thomas Asbridge

    Thomas Asbridge

    Dr Thomas Asbridge is an internationally renowned medieval historian and author of the critically acclaimed books The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land and The First Crusade: A New History. In the course of his research, he has travelled extensively across the Middle East and walked from Turkey to Jerusalem along the route of the First Crusade.

    Thomas studied for a BA in Ancient and Medieval History at Cardiff University, and then gained his PhD in Medieval History at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is now Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary, University of London and director of the groundbreaking MA in Islam & the West.

  • Dr Thomas Asbridge on the thrill of a priceless manuscript

    Dr Thomas Asbridge on the thrill of a priceless manuscript

    "As far as I know, we were the first Western film crew allowed inside this library… and it took months of delicate negotiation to secure permission."

    Read and comment on Thomas' post on the BBC TV blog

Buy online

Available on: Video download

From one supplier: iTunes

Where to buy

BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.