Ebook: The Accursed Tower: the fall of Acre and the end of the Crusades

"The 1291 siege of Acre was the Alamo of the Christian Crusades -- the final bloody battle for the Holy Land. After a desperate six weeks, the beleaguered citadel surrendered to the Mamluks, bringing an end to Christendom's two-hundred year adventure in the Middle East. In The Accursed Tower, Roger Crowley delivers a lively narrative of the lead-up to the siege and a vivid, blow-by-blow account of the climactic battle. Drawing on extant Arabic sources as well as untranslated Latin documents, he argues that Acre is notable for technical advances in military planning and siege warfare, and extraordinary for its individual heroism and savage slaughter. A gripping depiction of the crusader era told through its dramatic last moments, The Accursed Tower offers an essential new view on a crucial turning point in world history." --Amazon.com.;A brief timeline of the Crusades -- The Accursed Tower -- The second kingdom of Jerusalem -- Death on the Nile -- Between the Mamluks and the Mongols -- The lion of Egypt -- A puppy yelping at a mastiff -- War to the enemy -- My soul longed for Jihad -- The red tent -- Bolts of thunder, flashes of lightning -- Sorties -- Negotiations -- See the wound! -- The terrible day -- Everything was lost -- A habitation for snakes -- The evidence for the fall of Acre.