Before the Crusades—Deep Background

Before the Crusades—Deep Background

Available on Prime Video, The Great Courses Signature Collection
S1 E2: Explore long-term historical developments that underlay the Crusades. Take account of the tensions between the Christian West and the eastern Byzantine Empire, and how Arab expansion served to drive them further apart. Look into the conception of jihad (holy war) formulated by Islamic jurists. Then, follow the political and religious schism between the Byzantine Empire and the Roman papacy.