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** Ad-free episodes are available to our paid supporters over at patreon.com/geeks ** Host David Barr Kirtley, author of the book Save Me Plz and Other Stories, talks geek culture with guests such as Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Richard Dawkins, Simon Pegg, Bill Nye, Margaret Atwood, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy has appeared on recommended podcast lists from NPR, The Guardian, Wired, The A.V. Club, BBC America, CBC Radio, WVXU, io9, Omni, The St ...
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What were the Crusades really about - and why do they still matter today?
In this deep-dive episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, historian and political scientist Professor Roy Casagranda comes back to the show to unpack the history, legacy and weaponisation of the Crusades.
We begin by exploring why Jerusalem holds such profound spiritual and political importance to Judaism, Christianity and Islam - and how that shared reverence resulted in periods where the city was pluralistic and multicultural, and other periods where it was subject to conquest, ethnic cleansing, colonisation and occupation.
From the First Crusade and the fall of Jerusalem, to the leadership of Salahuddin, to the devastation of the Mongol invasions, Roy walks us through a thousand-year arc of conflict, ideology and empire. But this isn’t just about the past.
We examine how the logic of the Crusades impacts our current political landscape and geopolitics. Was the partition of the Middle East by colonial powers after World War I an extension of the Crusades? What about the War on Terror, drone strikes and ongoing Western interventions in the Muslim world?
UNAPOLOGETIC is hosted by Ashfaaq Carim.
Chapters
0:00 Intro collage
3:00 Why Jerusalem matters
7:40 Jewish roots and the Temple
12:20 Rise of Christianity
17:00 Islam and early rule
21:40 Muslim rule of Jerusalem
26:20 What triggered the Crusades
31:00 The call to crusade (1095)
35:40 Norman warriors and motives
40:20 The first massacres
45:00 Taking Jerusalem (1099)
49:40 Crusader brutality revealed
54:20 Crusader states form
59:00 Muslim response builds
1:03:40 Zengi, Nur ad-Din and resistance
1:08:20 Rise of Salahuddin
1:13:00 Egypt campaigns begin
1:17:40 Salahuddin becomes wazir
1:22:20 The Fatimids fall
1:27:00 Power struggles with Nur ad-Din
1:31:40 Salahuddin unifies Syria
1:36:20 The peace treaty
1:41:00 Breaking the peace
1:45:40 Battle of Hattin
1:50:20 Retaking Jerusalem
1:55:00 The Third Crusade begins
1:59:40 Legacy of the Crusades
2:04:20 The fifth Crusade?
2:09:00 Zionism as settler project
2:13:40 Clash of civilizations
2:18:20 Anti-Arab hatred in the West
2:23:00 Demographic shifts and Gen Z
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. Why Jerusalem matters (00:03:00)
3. Jewish roots and the Temple (00:07:40)
4. Rise of Christianity (00:12:20)
5. Islam and early rule (00:17:00)
6. Muslim rule of Jerusalem (00:21:40)
7. What triggered the Crusades (00:26:20)
8. The call to crusade (1095) (00:31:00)
9. Norman warriors and motives (00:35:40)
10. The first Crusader massacres (00:40:20)
11. Taking Jerusalem (1099) (00:45:00)
12. Crusader brutality revealed (00:49:40)
13. Crusader states form (00:54:20)
14. Muslim response builds (00:59:00)
15. Zengi, Nur ad-Din and resistance (01:03:40)
16. Rise of Salahuddin (01:08:20)
17. Egypt campaigns begin (01:13:00)
18. Salahuddin becomes wazir (01:17:40)
19. The Fatimids fall (01:22:20)
20. Power struggles with Nur ad-Din (01:27:00)
21. Salahuddin unifies Syria (01:31:40)
22. The peace treaty (01:36:20)
23. Breaking the peace (01:41:00)
24. Battle of Hattin (01:45:40)
25. Retaking Jerusalem (01:50:20)
26. The Third Crusade begins (01:55:00)
27. Legacy of the Crusades (01:59:40)
28. The fifth Crusade? (02:04:20)
29. Zionism as settler project (02:09:00)
30. Clash of civilizations (02:13:40)
31. Anti-Arab hatred in the West (02:18:20)
32. Demographic shifts and Gen Z (02:23:00)
39 episodes
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