''Crusade'' is a novel by Robyn Young set during the end of the ninth and final crusade. It was first published by Dutton in 2007.

Plot summary

''Crusade'', like ''Brethren'' before it, follows Will Campbell, a

Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

involved in a secret order known as the Anima Templi, as he tries to secure peace in the Holy Land with the help of Kalawun, a high-ranking officer in the

Mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

court ruled by Sultan Baybars. Both of these men face plots from within their own organisations to throw the Holy Land into war: in Acre, Will must stop a

cabal A cabal is a group of people who are united in some close design, usually to promote their private views or interests in an ideology, a state, or another community, often by intrigue and usually unbeknownst to those who are outside their group. T ...

of merchants seeking to start a war by stealing the Muslim relic known as the

Black Stone The Black Stone ( ar, ٱلْحَجَرُ ٱلْأَسْوَد, ', 'Black Stone') is a rock set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba, the ancient building in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is revered by Muslims as an ...

; while in Egypt, Baybars' son Baraka Khan and soothsayer Khadir al-Mihrani are plotting to overthrow Baybars and redouble the attack on the last remaining

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

in the Holy Land. Meanwhile, Will's childhood friend, Garin de Lyons, is now in the employ of

King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal ...

and has returned to Acre to extort money from the Anima Templi and to pursue his own, more selfish ends; and Will faces a threat from Baybars as the sultan gets nearer and nearer to discovering that it was Will who, many years before, ordered an assassination attempt which had failed but had taken the life of Baybars' closest friend.

Historical Figures

The following characters in the book were real historical figures: *

Al-Ashraf Khalil Al-Ashraf Salāh ad-Dīn Khalil ibn Qalawūn ( ar, الملك الأشرف صلاح الدين خليل بن قلاوون; c. 1260s – 14 December 1293) was the eighth Bahri Mamluk sultan, succeeding his father Qalawun. He served from 12 Novem ...

: Son of

Qalawun ( ar, قلاوون الصالحي, – November 10, 1290) was the seventh Bahri Mamluk sultan; he ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1290. He was called (, "Qalāwūn the Victorious"). Biography and rise to power Qalawun was a Kipchak, ancient Turki ...

, sultan of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and Syria from 1290 to 1293. Leader of the siege of Acre, which ended the

Ninth Crusade Lord Edward's crusade, sometimes called the Ninth Crusade, was a military expedition to the Holy Land under the command of Edward, Duke of Gascony (future King Edward I of England) in 1271–1272. It was an extension of the Eighth Crusade and was ...

. * Balian of Ibelin, Lord Arsuf:

Bailli A bailiff (french: bailli, ) was the king's administrative representative during the ''ancien régime'' in northern France, where the bailiff was responsible for the application of justice and control of the administration and local finances in h ...

of Acre under

Hugh III of Cyprus Hugh III (french: Hugues; – 24 March 1284), also called Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan and the Great, was the king of Cyprus from 1267 and king of Jerusalem from 1268. Born into the family of the princes of Antioch, he effectively ruled as regen ...

, ousted by Charles d'Anjou in 1277. * Baraka Khan: Son of Baybars and sultan of

and Syria, briefly, from 1277 to 1279. In the book, he is the one responsible for his father's death, and was involved in a conspiracy with Khadir al-Mihrani and a Mamluk general to overthrow his father. * Baybars Bundukdari:

commander, sultan of

and Syria from 1260 to 1277. Dies under suspicious circumstances. *

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...

: Prince, and then King, of England from 1272 to 1307. *Hugues de Pairaud: Visitor of the Knights Templar in France. * Kalawun Al–Alfi:

emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

, high-ranking officer in Baybars' staff, sultan of

and Syria from 1280 to 1290. In the book, he is secretly in contact with the Anima Templi, working behind Baybars' back to secure peace between the Mamluks and the

. *Khadir al-Mihrani: Baybars' soothsayer. In the book, he is former member of the Hashshashin Order of the Assassins; in actuality, he was an

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

i sheikh who fled to avoid being punished for sleeping with a nobleman's daughter. In ''Crusade'' he also is involved in a plot to overthrow Baybars, and is killed before he can accomplish his goals. *

Guillaume de Beaujeu Guillaume de Beaujeu, aka William of Beaujeu ( 1230 – 1291) was the 21st Grand Master of the Knights Templar, from 1273 until his death during the siege of Acre in 1291. He was the last Grand Master to preside in Palestine. Biography Guillau ...

: Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1273 to 1291, mortally wounded during the siege of Acre. In the book, he was briefly involved with a

of merchants in Acre to start a war with the

s, but becomes an honest commander again after the plan is thwarted fails. *

Jean de Villiers Jean de Villiers (born 24 February 1981) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He started his career at wing, but played most of his career as an inside centre. De Villiers previously played for Western Province in the ...

: Grand Master of the Order of St. John from 1284 to 1293. * Roger de San Severino:

of Acre under Charles d'Anjou. *

Thibaud Gaudin Thibaud Gaudin (1229? – April 16, 1292) was the Grand Master of the Knights Templar from August 1291 until his death in April 1292. Life The history of Thibaud Gaudin within the Order is rather mysterious. Born to a noble family in the area of ...

: Grand Commander of the Knights Templar under

. The following historical figures are mentioned in the book or involved with the plot, but do not appear as characters themselves: * Abaga: Mongol

il-khan The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate ( fa, ایل خانان, ''Ilxānān''), known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (, ''Qulug-un Ulus''), was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. The Ilkhanid realm ...

, ruler of Persia, from 1265 to 1282. * Charles d'Anjou: King of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, later also king of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

after ousting

. *

Lucia of Tripoli Lucia (died aft. 1292 or ca 1299) was the last countess of Tripoli, a Crusader state in the Levant. Biography She was the daughter of Bohemund VI, Prince of Antioch and Sibylla of Armenia. Her brother was Bohemund VII of Tripoli. When Bohemund ...

: Last

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

ess of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

, until its fall at the hands of Kalawun in 1289. * Louis IX of France: King of France from 1226 to 1270. * Philip IV of France: King of France from 1285 to 1314. *

Pope Gregory X Pope Gregory X ( la, Gregorius X; – 10 January 1276), born Teobaldo Visconti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 September 1271 to his death and was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. He was ...

: Pope from 1271 to 1276. *

Pope Nicholas IV Pope Nicholas IV ( la, Nicolaus IV; 30 September 1227 – 4 April 1292), born Girolamo Masci, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1288 to his death on 4 April 1292. He was the first Franciscan to be ele ...

: Pope from 1288 to 1292.

Publication history

''Crusade'' was first released in United States and the United Kingdom in August 2007. Below is the release details for the first edition hardback and paperback copies in these publication regions. *2007, United States, Dutton Adult , Pub date 2 August 2007, Hardback *2007, United Kingdom, Hodder & Stoughton , Pub date 23 August 2007, Hardback *2007, United Kingdom, Hodder & Stoughton , Pub date 1 September 2007, Trade paperback *2008, United Kingdom, Hodder Paperback , Pub date 7 February 2008, Paperback *2008, United States, Plume , Pub date 29 July 2008, Paperback

Reception

The novel received a mostly positive reception from reviewers. In a positive review for on-line review site ''My Shelf'', John Washburn stated that Young was "careful to maintain historical accuracy while at the same time bringing her characters to life in a brilliant manner.". He claimed to be "mesmerized by the brutal emotion found in this book, much in the same way I was with the first book." and ended the review with "I am more than pleased, and I eagerly anticipate the third installment.". These sentiments were mirrored by A. Jurek, writing for ''Curled Up'', who stated that "the plot moves swiftly despite complexities and complications exploding on each page."; praising Young's "use of dramatic irony" and, of the characters, stated that "they are complex, human, and deeply flawed, driven as they are by their flaws to commit unspeakable betrayals and barbarities for the sake of ideals, hoping to achieve some good with their questionable acts.". In a mostly positive review for ''Reviewing the Evidence'', Christine Zibas stated that "For those who are particularly interested in this historical time frame, Crusade is sure to pique their interest; for the more general reader, it may require a bit more slogging through the first part of the story to get truly involved in the book's characters and action.". Andre Delicata, writing for Malta's ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' was a little more critical of the novel, stating that the novel's problem is that "there is simply too much setting with meticulous descriptions where everything is dealt with in equal depth, resulting in a text with several climaxes and anti-climaxes but no real focus.", and that without this "modulation of detail" the reader is simply left with an "information overload". Delicata also comments that "if the spirit of an age is what you're after, then look no further than Crusade, which captures it voluminously and thoroughly satisfies those with a passion of detail verging on the obsessive.".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crusade (Robyn Young Novel) 2007 British novels Novels set during the Crusades Knights Templar in popular culture Sequel novels English historical novels Novels by Robyn Young Fiction set in the 1270s Dutton Penguin books Novels set in the 13th century