Jeffrey Lee (3)

While purported to give an honest reckoning of Reynald de Chatillon, it appears throughout the book that the author is attempting to instead write a veiled hagiography. Filled with justifications and excuses, this work's redeeming quality is the vivid picture it paints of the Crusades and the Latin Kingdom. However, if you're looking for straight history, I would recommend going elsewhere.

Recommended for those who would like a good romp through the Latin Kingdom, but don't care too much for its historical validity.… (altro)

Enjoyable reading. Presents a counter-case to the usual portrayal of Reynald de Chatillon (a Frankish crusader of the mid-late 12th century) as one of period's primary villains. Depicted in the Ridley Scott film KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (played by Brendan Gleeson), Reynald is an impious warmonger guilty of uniquely brutal, evil treatment of prisoners, civilians, and fallen foes. In Lee's treatment, he's portrayed as a significant political and military figure though not the especially evil character depicted in the film. Probably the truth falls somewhere in between. I am not a period scholar, so I'm not attesting to this as a historical document, but it is comprehensively sourced and though I detect trace amounts of pro-Western bias in the author's telling, it's not so overblown as to make the entire depiction incredible. Like any history-lite, which is what this is, you have to take it with a grain of salt. If you're interested in seeing the major figures of that era in the Middle East dealt with in more depth and more historical accuracy than the film, this book may interest you. It's heavy on political intrigue, battles, and tactics which is appropriate to the era and the class and type of person Reynald was.… (altro)