Gospels according to Matthew and Luke (60-95 AD)

I re-read chunks of the Bible from time to time just because.  Inherently interesting; foundational no matter one's religious persuasion; and these still resonate given the emphasis on them during my growing-up years.

The Crusades through Arab Eyes (Amin Maalouf, 1984)

(276 pages)

Readable, not long, interesting throughout.

The invading Christians were of course an area of focus. But a bigger area of focus was the competition among what, at the time, were smaller Islamic states (if that's the right term), the intra-family succession battles, etc.  Shia-Sunni divide. The various Christian invaders had plenty of intra-Christian squabbles as well. And of course this led to some alliances, some quite enduring, between Islamic and Christian groups.

Islamic and Christian leaders were united in respecting trade ("Silk Roads" book reinforces this) - interesting that the religious fervor only went about so far in those days. More common interests between Christian and Islamic elements than typically discussed when thinking about this era.

Crusaders often were excellent fighters, often were boorish and excessively violent; but never had the numbers to make a huge presence.  Were able to hold onto various cities and territories, including Jerusalem, for quite some time.

First Crusade 1095, last Crusade launched 1271 and Crusader presence mostly snuffed by 1291.  Saladin with a key victory (Horns of Hattin) in 1187. Predecessor (Nur-al-din) effective at using jihad-type language and concepts to whip up support. 

And then the incursion of the Mongols became a huge part of the end game of this story - Genghis Khan and descendants - destroyed Baghdad (a relatively "new" city) in 1258. Some Christian and some Islamic elements sought alliances with the Mongols - they were super powerful especially in the early going.

Seems like contemporary voices want to focus solely on Christian-Islamic divide created in the Crusader days, but the story was way more complicated than that. Accusations of "imperialism" are thrown around without remembering how places like Jerusalem fell under Islamic control in the first place.