Audiobook8 hours
God's Wolf: The Life of the Most Notorious of all Crusaders, Scourge of Saladin
Written by Jeffrey Lee
Narrated by Nigel Patterson
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
In a 2010 terrorist plot, Al-Qaeda hid a bomb in a FedEx shipment addressed to Reynald de Chatillon, a knight who had died centuries ago in the crusades. A reviled figure in Islamic history, often portrayed as the very epitome of brutality, Reynald remains as controversial-and as vividly present in the minds of many in the Middle East-as the story of the crusades themselves.
An epic saga set in the midst of a violent clash of civilizations, God's Wolf tells the story of Reynald's staggering rise from lowly soldier to prince of Antioch, one of the crusader kingdoms in the Near East. Jeffrey Lee argues that, despite his brutality, Reynald was a strong military leader and an effective statesman who defended his kingdom against attacks from Byzantines, Armenians, and Muslims. A tale of faith, fanaticism, and brutality, God's Wolf is the fascinating story of an exceptional crusader and a provocative reinterpretation of the crusader era.
An epic saga set in the midst of a violent clash of civilizations, God's Wolf tells the story of Reynald's staggering rise from lowly soldier to prince of Antioch, one of the crusader kingdoms in the Near East. Jeffrey Lee argues that, despite his brutality, Reynald was a strong military leader and an effective statesman who defended his kingdom against attacks from Byzantines, Armenians, and Muslims. A tale of faith, fanaticism, and brutality, God's Wolf is the fascinating story of an exceptional crusader and a provocative reinterpretation of the crusader era.
Author
Jeffrey Lee
JEFFREY LEE is the retired Bishop of Chicago, known across the church as a charismatic preacher, liturgist, and spiritual leader. He wrote Opening the Prayer Book for the new Church's Teaching series (1999) and Gathered for God with Dent Davidson for the Church's Teachings for a Changing World series. He lives in Chicago.
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Reviews for God's Wolf
Rating: 4.052631631578947 out of 5 stars
4/5
19 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it attempts to discover the real Reynald of Chatillon. Often portrayed as one of the worst villains of the Medieval age I think this goes some way to providing greater balance to his story, though I feel that the truth remains somewhat obscure. Thoroughly entertaining book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enjoyable 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.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book about the man who may have been the archetypal crusader, infamous in his day, but largely forgotten, in the West anyway. Its a different story in the Islamic world, where Raymond de Chatillon is remembered as a brutal and amoral thug, the worst of the crusaders. Lee start his account by recounting the story of a parcel bomb which in 2010 was to be planted aboard a jet and detonated over Chicago. Astonishingly, the parcel was addressed to Reynald, who had been dead for over 800 years. This demonstrates as effectively as anything how fresh the memory of the crusades remains in the Muslim world. Lee takes a long-overdue look at this much-maligned individual, and finds he was far from being just a brutal killer and truce-breaker as the Muslims depicted him, but a great warrior, effective ruler and a major player in the politics of the Holy Land between the Second & Third Crusades. Reynald was a constant thorn in the side of the great Islamic warlord Saladin, who swore several times that he would kill him, and after finally capturing him at the disastrous battle at the Horns of Hattin, executed him ostensibly because of his crimes against Islam, but really because he was simply too dangerous to the Muslim cause to keep alive. Despite their hatred for him, he was admired by the Muslims for his bravery and skill as a warrior. This is a terriffic read, not only because it restores the reputation of one of the great crusaders, but gives a great picture of the ups & downs of the wars between Christianity and Islam. Highly recommended.