The Field of Blood: The Battle for Aleppo and the Remaking of the Medieval Middle East

by Nicholas Morton Narrated by Julian Elfer

Overview

In 1119, the people of the Near East came together in an epic clash of horses, swords, sand, and blood that would decide the fate of the city of the Aleppo-and the eastern Crusader states. Fought between tribal Turkish warriors on steppe ponies, Arab foot soldiers, Armenian bowmen, and European knights, the battlefield was the amphitheater into which the people of the Near East poured their full gladiatorial might. Carrying a piece of the true cross before them, the Frankish army advanced, anticipating a victory that would secure their dominance over the entire region. But the famed Frankish cavalry charge failed them, and the well-arranged battlefield dissolved into a melee. Surrounded by enemy forces, the crusaders suffered a colossal defeat. With their advance in Northern Syria stalled, the momentum of the crusader conquest began to evaporate, and would never be recovered.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"The text is lit by vivid re-creations of battles as well as concise descriptions of each warring group's military tactics, training and equipment."—Wall Street Journal

"Nicholas Morton masterfully brings this period alive—and delivers some pointed lessons for our own times—in his lively and compact historical survey.... History can be weaponized, as Morton points out, but, in the author's capable hands, it can also be used to illuminate and defuse."—Washington Independent Review of Books

"Through a lean, fast-paced prose line, he distills a large amount of background context into a smooth reading experience. A particular strength of the book is the multifaceted look it gives readers at the polyglot Turkish forces involved and the fractious internal sultanate politics that frequently derailed Turkish progress against the western invasion."—The National

"Recommended for bringing multiple perspectives and a sense of immediacy to this historic period and for better understanding how the battle for the Syrian city of Aleppo existed in the 12th century as well as today."—Library Journal

"A riveting account of a battle that changed the course of the Crusades. Nicholas Morton captures the intensity, importance, and aftermath of the confrontation to produce a sparkling history of one of the key turning-points of the Middle Ages."
—Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

"More than just a chronicle of a battle, this book sheds revealing light on the First Crusade and its aftermath, disposing of myths, and laying bare the high stakes that drove men on all sides of the conflict."
—Thomas Madden, author of Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World

"Morton's analysis is meticulous, his knowledge of the politics and military practices of the medieval world formidable, and his ability to understand these events from multiple perspectives—Turkish, French, Arab, Armenian, among others—wholly remarkable."
—Jay Rubenstein, author of Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"A riveting account of a battle that changed the course of the Crusades. Nicholas Morton captures the intensity, importance, and aftermath of the confrontation to produce a sparkling history of one of the key turning-points of the Middle Ages." —Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

AUGUST 2018 - AudioFile

The author assumes too much listener familiarity with the often intensely complex story of the Crusader kingdoms that flourished in the Middle East after the first Crusade, flooding the first part of his book with names, places, and dates. Narrator Julian Elfer’s clarity, intelligence, and excellent pronunciation of all those names and places help, but, sadly, he simply reads a beat or two too quickly for the density of the material. In the less information-dense sections of the audiobook, his narration is admirable. His voice and English accent are enjoyable, and he conveys the sense of what he reads effortlessly. More thought about the needs of listeners not already steeped in the period’s history might have made this worthwhile program more enjoyable. W.M. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170377954
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	02/20/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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