Crusades

Terry Jones is not only a talented comedian, he is also an accomplished historian. I found this series to be a well crafted and accurate view of a particularly dark time in history when ambition and zealotry brought terrible violence to western Asia. Jones blends humor and insight with storytelling to give a vivid picture of the motivations and fears of the different players. Unfortunately, the pacing in the 3rd and 4th episodes seemed a bit hurried, but this is a minor criticism of an otherwise fine documentary.

One of my favorite parts was the account of the Byzantine emperor's handling of successive waves of peasants and soldiers that arrived at his gate during the first crusade. He was a clever statesman that was struggling to keep his imperiled world safe from threats from every direction.

If you enjoyed this work, I also recommend Terry Jones' Medieval Lives.

Terry Jones, Oxford history graduate and former member of the Monty Python team, helms an unromantic and sometimes irreverent look at the political, economic and religious machinations behind the Crusades, with a particular emphasis on the absurdities and atrocities. Travelling along the crusader trail, he uses interviews with historians and traditional weapon-makers, translations of Arab folk tales and medieval letters, clips from old movies and some startling visual effects to create an unforgettable documentary.

Terry Jones has previously done a series about the barbarians that uses selective and unrepresentative titbits to "prove" that the classical barbarians were actually a million times more advanced than we commonly think. They weren't, but they can be made to appear to be.

This continues in The Crusades where a few out of context points, a wry look and a bit of tired Monty Python comedy is thrown in to persuade the viewer that Muslims were innocent victims and Christians warmongering monsters.

It's pathetic that people are so keen to have their own bigotry propped up that they'll twist history to suit themselves. If this show did the same thing to malign Muslims instead it would probably have a score of around 2. Tell idiots what they want to hear though and you're set for success. Read about the crusades from a history book and you'll find quite a different story. What really galls me is there is little enough historical content on TV, what's the betting he'll get yet another series where he'll spin similar drivel while proper historians don't get a look in.

Really, this is sad stuff though I'm not at all surprised to see it has such a high rating.

"The Crusades" is a 4x45 minute British TV miniseries and documentary of one of history's greatest faux pas made in the name of Christianity, the Crusades of the 11th and 12 centuries AD. The always jovial Terry Jones (Monty Python) hosts this documentary as he travels from England to Istanbul to Jerusalem and beyond explaining the who, what, where, why, and when of the more notable of the many European forays into the Holy Land. An excellent production laced with humor and supported by plenty of film clips, maps, reenactments, expert commentary, etc., "The Crusades" makes an enjoyable primer for the common man. A worthy effort as a stand alone documentary this series also offers a historical foundation for a better understanding of present day tribulations in the middle East. (B+)

Terry Jones as the host was a brilliant choice. The series is an excellent mix of history and humor. However it is quite biased against the Crusaders. It appears that the producers tried to make it seem that the Crusades were unprovoked hostility toward the Muslims who were living in peace with their Christian and Jewish neighbors. This is inaccurate. The Crusades were a provoked response by Europeans against increasing encroachment of Jihadists into European territory. Let's not forget that Spain was conquered by the Muslims in the 8th century (300 years BEFORE the Crusades). After that they conducted several invasions into France and Italy. Read about Charles Martel and Tours. The Muslims had been attacking Constantinople for centuries and were also attacking Christian Pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. As far as Muslims living in peace with their non-Muslim neighbors...true, to a point. Before invading a territory, Muslim commanders were required to give their enemy three choices: 1. Accept Islam and everything that is required of a Muslim (you know, fun stuff like, no pork, no alcohol, paying zakat, praying five times a day, oh yeah...and circumcision). 2. They could pay the non-Muslim tax and live as Dhimmi. Which means protected or a liability or guilty. These were Jews and Christians sometimes others such as Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, and Zoroastrians whose right to practice their religion is tolerated under Islamic law, but with lower legal status. 3. Die. Not much of a choice. For a person just becoming interested in the Crusades period of history, this miniseries is just right. However, research on your own is important. Do not take everything in this program at face value. You will be much the wiser for it.