crusades

Templars Ep 1: The Rise of the Knights Templar

The Knights Templar are surrounded by legends and conspiracy theories.  Who were they actually? This episode tracks the Templars from their inception as an order of warrior monks in the Crusader state of Jerusalem, to their astonishing expansion into an international organisation of enormous wealth and power.  Along the way we encounter Crusader kings, Bernard…

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The First Crusade Ep 4: Rise of the Crusader Kings

The Crusaders have taken Jerusalem but they face one final battle.  When the men start to head home, the legend of the First Crusade is born, and a massive new wave of Crusaders heads east.  Not everyone wants to go home however; Godfrey of Bouillon becomes ruler of Jerusalem.  His brother Baldwin manages to take…

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The First Crusade Ep 4: Rise of the Crusader Kings

The Crusaders have taken Jerusalem but they face one final battle.  When the men start to head home, the legend of the First Crusade is born, and a massive new wave of Crusaders heads east.  Not everyone wants to go home however; Godfrey of Bouillon becomes ruler of Jerusalem.  His brother Baldwin manages to take…

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The First Crusade Ep 3: Jerusalem in Flames

The Crusaders narrowly escape annihilation when they attempt to fight their way out of Antioch.  Some men credit the miracle of the Holy Lance for their amazing escape.  Divisions emerge amongst the nobles, while the army starves.  Some Crusaders turn to cannibalism, and a fiery trial by ordeal ends the career of a peasant preacher. …

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The First Crusade Ep 3: Jerusalem in Flames

The Crusaders have taken Jerusalem but they face one final battle.  When the men start to head home, the legend of the First Crusade is born, and a massive new wave of Crusaders heads east.  Not everyone wants to go home however; Godfrey of Bouillon becomes ruler of Jerusalem.  His brother Baldwin manages to take…

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The First Crusade Ep 2: Siege of Antioch

As Western knights and nobles ride toward Jerusalem, there are many other cities they must take along the way.  Their first battlefield encounter with the Turks leaves a lasting impression on both sides, but they are soon occupied with besieging fortified cities.  Heads are brandished on spears and bodies hang on display from the ramparts….

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The First Crusade Ep 2: Siege of Antioch

The Crusaders have taken Jerusalem but they face one final battle.  When the men start to head home, the legend of the First Crusade is born, and a massive new wave of Crusaders heads east.  Not everyone wants to go home however; Godfrey of Bouillon becomes ruler of Jerusalem.  His brother Baldwin manages to take…

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The First Crusade: Call to Arms

The First Crusade became the stuff of legend soon after it finished.  Western knights headed to Constantinople and ultimately to Jerusalem, to rescue pilgrimage sites from the control of Muslim invaders.  The crusade involved close to 100,000 people from Western Europe heading east, in a journey that would cover thousands of miles, mostly on foot. …

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The First Crusade: Call to Arms

The Crusaders have taken Jerusalem but they face one final battle.  When the men start to head home, the legend of the First Crusade is born, and a massive new wave of Crusaders heads east.  Not everyone wants to go home however; Godfrey of Bouillon becomes ruler of Jerusalem.  His brother Baldwin manages to take…

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