Fifth Crusade

Thomas Smith is Keeper of the Scholars at Rugby School and holds honorary research positions at Royal Holloway and the University of Kent. A leading expert on the Fifth Crusade, he is the author of Rewriting the First Crusade and Curia and Crusade. He waselected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2017.

“Throughout this well-researched book, Smith displays an admirable command of a wide range of sources — both Christian and Muslim — and introduces the reader to some unlikely characters, such as St Francis of Assisi, who unexpectedly showed up to the Crusader camp in 1219.”—Anatoly Grablevsky, The Critic“Vivid, dynamic and thought-provoking, The Fifth Crusade tells the complex story of holy war in Egypt between 1218 and 1221 with deep insight and compelling drama.”—Helen Castor, author of The Eagle and the Hart“A page-turning and immensely readable book, The Fifth Crusade is packed full of fine detail and careful research, making it comprehensive and wholly engaging.”—Helen Carr, author of Sceptred Isle“An excellent new look on one of the more overlooked, and fascinating, Crusades. Smith has an uncanny ability to draw readers into the world of the Crusader. The Fifth Crusade is intelligent, important, and overwhelmingly entertaining.”—Eleanor Janega, author of The Once and Future Sex“This is crusading history as it deserves to be told. With acute judgement and narrative flair, Thomas Smith guides us through the turbulent campaign in which, in the early thirteenth century, the combined forces of Christian Europe attempted to take Egypt. Drawing from an expert understanding of the age and participant testimony, Smith takes us into the heart of the crusaders’ camp, as we experience events unfurl from the point of view of those who fought. This is a masterful telling of an epic crusading adventure.”—Sophie Thérèse Ambler, author of The Song of Simon de Montfort“A wonderful read—this is popular history at its very best. Smith is the rarest and most welcome kind of historian—someone who is an expert scholar at the top of his game, highly respected by his academic peers, but who can also tell beautifully crafted and captivating stories for a broader audience.”—Steve Tibble, author of Assassins and Templars“In a compelling blend of vivid, confident storytelling and front-line scholarship, Thomas Smith nimbly weaves a path between kings, prophets, popes and sultans to bring the Fifth Crusade to life. The reader is fully drawn into the fears, frustrations and victories of the crusaders as they fought against the heat, the Muslims and the mighty River Nile. Unjustly neglected by scholars, this important and accessible book allows the Fifth Crusade to take its proper place in the history of the struggle for the Holy Land.”—Jonathan Phillips, author of The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin“Smith offers a vivid, energetic and beautifully detailed account of the Fifth Crusade. Careful use of primary sources shines through the narrative, which offers different perspectives and reminds the reader of the depth and richness medieval history has to offer.”—Matt Lewis, author of Richard III