The First Crusade was an astonishing feat of endurance and faith - a punishing trek that saw tens of thousands of Europeans marching east to liberate Jerusalem.
Nearly nine hundred years later, in 1987, the same journey was attempted by just one man, one woman and - most importantly - two horses that set out from Chateau Bouillon in Belgium to retrace that epic quest.
Tim Severin’s aim was to bring Eleventh Century history vividly to life by following in the footsteps of Duke Godfrey de Bouillon and the earliest Crusader knights.
Starting out with the same special breed of Ardennes Heavy Horse used by Duke Godfrey's train, Severin followed the historic trail for eight and a half months.
Riding out of the green countryside of northern Europe into the increasing heat and parched landscape of the Near East, he and his companion covered more than 2,500 miles, past ruined Crusader settlements and ancient battlefields, through arduous mountain passes and across the barren Anatolian steppelands. Travelling through Germany, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Syria, Severin followed the precise route of those medieval voyagers as best he could.
At their journey's end was the jewel in the Crusader's crown itself - the holy city of Jerusalem.
Crusader is a dazzling synthesis of adventure, practical history and exploration, as Tim Severin assesses how far Duke Godfrey reasonably could have expected his heavy cavalry to travel each day, the problems they would have encountered in feeding and caring for their big chargers on the open road, and which of the alternative routes would have been the most likely path.
'Remarkable' Sunday Times
'Severin writes with the vividness of a born traveller and free spirit .. a wonderful book' Country Life
Tim Severin is an explorer, film-maker and lecturer, who has made many expeditions, from crossing the Atlantic in a medieval leather boat to going out in search of Moby Dick and Robinson Crusoe. He has won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, the Book of the Sea Award, a Christopher Prize, and the literary medal of the Academie de la Marine. He books include ‘The Sindbad Voyage’, ‘The Brendan Voyage’, ‘The Jason Voyage’ and ‘The Ulysses Voyage’.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
Nearly nine hundred years later, in 1987, the same journey was attempted by just one man, one woman and - most importantly - two horses that set out from Chateau Bouillon in Belgium to retrace that epic quest.
Tim Severin’s aim was to bring Eleventh Century history vividly to life by following in the footsteps of Duke Godfrey de Bouillon and the earliest Crusader knights.
Starting out with the same special breed of Ardennes Heavy Horse used by Duke Godfrey's train, Severin followed the historic trail for eight and a half months.
Riding out of the green countryside of northern Europe into the increasing heat and parched landscape of the Near East, he and his companion covered more than 2,500 miles, past ruined Crusader settlements and ancient battlefields, through arduous mountain passes and across the barren Anatolian steppelands. Travelling through Germany, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Syria, Severin followed the precise route of those medieval voyagers as best he could.
At their journey's end was the jewel in the Crusader's crown itself - the holy city of Jerusalem.
Crusader is a dazzling synthesis of adventure, practical history and exploration, as Tim Severin assesses how far Duke Godfrey reasonably could have expected his heavy cavalry to travel each day, the problems they would have encountered in feeding and caring for their big chargers on the open road, and which of the alternative routes would have been the most likely path.
'Remarkable' Sunday Times
'Severin writes with the vividness of a born traveller and free spirit .. a wonderful book' Country Life
Tim Severin is an explorer, film-maker and lecturer, who has made many expeditions, from crossing the Atlantic in a medieval leather boat to going out in search of Moby Dick and Robinson Crusoe. He has won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, the Book of the Sea Award, a Christopher Prize, and the literary medal of the Academie de la Marine. He books include ‘The Sindbad Voyage’, ‘The Brendan Voyage’, ‘The Jason Voyage’ and ‘The Ulysses Voyage’.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
