Gates of Empire: The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem vs. Fatimid Egypt

In the 1160s, the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem made a play to conquer Egypt, assisted by the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire. Although these armies came within an ace of victory, in the end, they were outmaneuvered by the forces of Aleppo, and it would be Saladin who conquered the Fatimid Caliphate. In this episode, I'll be discussing this lesser-known story from the history of the Crusades.

Special thanks to my friend and colleague Dr. Adam Bishop, a crusade historian who fact-checked the script of this episode for me.

Further Reading

Secondary Sources

Fulton, Michael. Contest for Egypt. The Collapse of the Fatimid Caliphate, the Ebb of Crusader Influence, and the Rise of Saladin. Leiden: Brill, 2022.

The definitive history of the fall of Egypt to Saladin. If my twenty-odd minute discussion of this set of campaigns has whetted your appetite for more, this will give you the whole story in great detail.

Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The Crusades: A History. 3rd ed. London: Bloomsbury, 2014.

If you want a good, definitive history of the Crusades but don't necessarily want to read a 900-page doorstop, this book is a good little read. This account is quite good and also devotes a great deal of attention to later crusading after the fall of the Crusader States.

Tyerman, Christopher. God's War: A New History of the Crusades. Cambridge, MA: Belknap, 2006.

This good, fat book provides a one-volume history of the Crusades from the background of the idea of Holy War all the way through the fall of the Crusader states as well as the aftermath. Tyerman's scholarly expertise shines through on every page, but it's an extremely readable, accessible book.

Primary Sources

William of Tyre. A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea. Translated by E.A. Babcock and A.C. Krey. New York: Columbia University Press, 1943.

This is William of Tyre's account of the history of the Crusades and Crusader States from the First Crusade through 1184, and you can read about Amalric from a man who knew him personally.

Pulp Fiction

Howard, Robert E. "Gates of Empire."

Robert E. Howard, pulp writer most famous for having written stories of the barbarian warrior Conan also wrote historical fiction. This is his story of the fall of the Fatimid caliphate? Is it historically accurate? Of course not! Is it rip-roaring fun? Abso-freaking-lutely!

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