New arrival! It gives me great pleasure to announce that my book "Mongol Storm" is now available in a splendid Turkish translation. My author copies have just landed!

Want to understand the Middle Ages? This is your starting point. 🛡️🏛️ Taught by @nicmorton.bsky.social medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/medi... #MedievalEurope #Medieval #MedievalStudies

Online course alert! "The Knights Templar: 1120-1314" Starting in November I will be running a six session online course on the history of the Knights Templar in co-operation with @medievalists.bsky.social For more information see link below: medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/temp...

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Get a broad overview of medieval history in one engaging course—start today! 🕯️📖 medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/medi... #MedievalEurope #MedievalStudies

New podcast alert! If you'd like to know more about the Second Crusade then you might be interested in my recent podcast recording with Teach Medieval! Link to the first episode below... shows.acast.com/teach-mediev...

My forthcoming book "The Crusader Storm" (scheduled for publication in June 2026) has been selected for a 25% pre-order discount on the Waterstones website/app. If you're interested enter OCTOBER25 at the checkout Offer ends 17 October www.waterstones.com/book/the-cru...

Scheduled for publication next year! This is a first look at the forthcoming: “Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades” Edited by Jonathan Harris … and including a chapter by me!

Online course alert! "The Knights Templar: 1120-1314" Starting in November I will be running a six session online course on the history of the Knights Templar in co-operation with @medievalists.bsky.social For more information see link below: medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/temp...

New to the Middle Ages? Start here—explore the foundations of medieval Europe! 🏰📚 medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/medi... #MedievalEurope

New arrival... "Warrior Monks: Politics and Power in Medieval Britain" Author: Rory MacLellan Publisher: The History Press Rory's last book was excellent so I'm looking forward to getting started!

One of my favourite quotes ... "In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." Eric Hoffer

Tonight at 9pm on More4 Suzannah Lipscomb explores the death of Chinggis Khan as part of the series "Ancient Autopsy" with a few contributions from me!

It gives me great pleasure to share the cover of my new book with you: "The Crusader Storm: A Global History of the Wars for the Middle East." Currently scheduled for release in June 2026.

Wonderful to chat today with Ganzorig Vanchig (aka Vinzo) about my book "Mongol Storm" at the Mongolian embassy in London today. Our interview for Syndicate Talk will be released soon! Especial thanks to the embassy for their warm welcome.

Great article on the latest addition to the series "Global Histories before Globalisation" which I co-edit for @routledgehistory.bsky.social with Kristin Skottki. The book is: Warfare in the Global Middle Ages Authors: David S. Bachrach and Bernard S. Bachrach www.medievalists.net/2025/09/writ...

One of the most interesting features of Crusader Castles is the builders' use of pillars and lumps of masonry taken from classical sites. You can see this clearly in this section of wall from the castle of Jubail in Lebanon (which incidentally is one of my favourite castles!)

My new review is just out for Engelsberg Ideas on Steve Tibble's Assassins and Templars! @engelsbergideas.bsky.social engelsbergideas.com/reviews/the-...

New arrival ... Manuel II Palaiologos (1350-1425): A Byzantine Emperor in a Time of Tumult Author: Siren Çelik Cambridge University Press, 2021

It's the lastest addition to the Crusade Texts in Translation series! "The Swan Knight texts of the Old French Crusade cycle" Translated by Carol Sweetenham @routledgehistory.bsky.social

Online course alert! "The Knights Templar: 1120-1314" Starting in November I will be running a six session online course on the history of the Knights Templar in co-operation with @medievalists.bsky.social For more information see below: medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/temp...

Today's arrival: "Medieval Maritime Warfare" By Charles D. Stanton Published by Pen & Sword

New arrival: "The Medieval Horse" By Anastasija Ropa I've already started it - it's really good!

Just published! "The Land and the Cross" Ed. Valentina Burgassi, George Alexander Said-Zammit and Valeria Vanesio This is the latest addition to the "Military Religious orders" series that I edit with Jochen Burgtorf @routledgehistory.bsky.social

Just published by Engelsberg Ideas My review of: "Crescent Dawn: The Rise of the Ottoman Empire and the Making of the Modern Age" Author: Si Sheppard engelsbergideas.com/reviews/the-...

Delighted to receive a copy of: "Military Orders and Crusades," ed. Edbury and Webster A collection of essays (including one by me!) celebrating Professor Helen Nicholson's immense contributions to scholarship on these topics.

It gives me great pleasure to announce the publication of the Turkish translation of my book: "Mongol Storm". Published by Kronik Kitap @kronikkitap.bsky.social Translated by Metehan Demirci

New arrival! It's "Assassins and Templars: A battle in myth and blood" By Steve Tibble ⁦‪

Crusader ships Ships carrying crusaders to the Holy Land grew in size very quickly during the 12th century with the largest transporting over 1000 passengers. This is a point maritime historians have been slow to recognise. Normally histories of ships ... (1/2)

The Byzantines and the Mongols In 1257 the Mongols sent a deputation to demand the submission of the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire was small at this time and Emperor Theodore II wished to strengthen his bargaining position. ... (1/2)

What to do if your ship is attacked by Sirens Medieval mariners who travelled to the Holy Land told many stories about sea monsters. They also offered practical advice. If you are attacked by sirens then naturally you need to beware their alluring song. ... (1/2)

Templar leisure activities The below picture is misleading. In fact the Templars were not permitted to play chess or backgammon. They were allowed to wager, but only using candle stubs. Still, some allowance was made for fun in Templars' regulations.... (1/2

Silk Roads and Crusades The Crusader States' main ports, places like Acre, Tyre and Tripoli, lay at the western end of the Silk Roads. Lots of goods from China and Central Asia passed through their gates. These included porcelain ... (1/2)

A new area of #history for us, we’ve recorded an ep ‘Discussing the #TeutonicKnights’ with the excellent Dr @nicmorton.bsky.social So interesting how they were active from the Middle East to the Baltics in the 12th & 13th Centuries Coming soon in Nov/Dec Recorded via @podcastleai.bsky.social

The Mongols and the Apocalypse As the Mongol invasions gathered pace in the Middle East during the thirteenth century, many observers thought they were living in the end times with Christian and Muslim writers responding in remarkably similar ways. Some connected ... (1/2)

The kingdom of Jerusalem's army At full stretch the kingdom of Jerusalem - which one contemporary described as being the size of a barony - could raise an army of 20,000 troops. By contrast the vast German Empire could raise about 15,000 troops. The reason ... (1/2)

New arrival! "Depicting the Holy War: Crusader Imagery in Medieval French and English murals" By Elizabeth Lapina Pennsylvania State University Press

My favourite medieval fable A mother and her daughter were on their way to market with the daughter riding on a donkey. On the way, while passing through a village, the local people started laughing at them - "look at that ridiculous pair" they ... (1/6)

What C.S Lewis wrote to J.R.R.Tolkien after reading Lord of the Rings ... #Tolkien #LordoftheRings

Why the Crusader States did not endure (from a military perspective) On a military level, the reason the Crusader States did not endure derives from their basic warcraft. Theirs was an agricultural society capable of deploying contingents of heavily armoured ... (1/3)

The slow-burn reason for the disintegration of the Mongol Empire... Given time, Mongol rulers tended to adopt the cultures and religions local to the areas under their direct control. Ultimately this became a major reason for the empire's collapse as its different ... (1/2)

New podcast alert! "Crusaders and Castles: The Siege of Acre" with "Echoes of History" (an Ubisoft podcast by History Hit) hosted by Matthew Lewis podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/c...

The Crusader States needed a lot of big warhorses (Templars had four each). Some they bought or reared locally, but they imported a lot from stud farms in Italy and N Spain. Transporting horses by sea was difficult because the horses couldn't stand in their ... (1/2)

Behold! It's the next thrilling edition of the "Crusades" journal. It includes reviews by me covering: Harris and Chatzelis' "Byzantine Sources for the Crusades" and Kane and Brewer's "The Latin Continuation of William of Tyre"

The curious tale of the exiled Englishman During the Mongol invasions, an exiled Englishman travelled to the Crusader States where he gambled away all his money in the port of Acre. Without even a shirt on his back, he fled to Mongol territory... (1/2)

New podcast alert! I've recently recorded a new podcast entitled: "Dealing With Criticism in Academia" with @rozierhistorian.bsky.social for the Early Career Researcher Podcast (link below). open.spotify.com/episode/5P7o...

The Assassins and Edward I One of the Assassins' favourite tactics was to enter the service of their target, win his confidence, then strike. They tried this with Prince Edward of England (future King Edward I) while he was on crusade and almost killed him with ... (1/2)

There's signed copies of Mongol Storm available in the Oxford Blackwells!

Siege tactics The crusaders tended to use siege towers as their weapon of choice when attacking towns, but they often proved ineffective; many were burned down with Greek Fire. They were also slow to build and it was frequently difficult to find enough ... (1/2)

The expansion of the Crusader States After the First Crusade (1095-99), the states they founded expanded rapidly along the Eastern Med.'s coastlands. Then they advanced inland where they faced the major cities of Damascus (pictured below) and Aleppo. They tried ... (1/2)