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In 1095 Pope Urban II launched the first of several crusades to seizethe Christian holy places of Palestine;the Muslim world responded with a jihad against the invaders, pitting holy waragainst holy war. But as University of London historyprofessor Jonathan Phillips insists, the conflict was never as simple as Christianityversus Islam, but rather a farrago of struggle and intrigue between RomanCatholics, Greeks, Armenians, Sunni and Shiite Muslims and other groups aswell. The crusades were the first efforts by Western Europeans to colonize theoutside world and left ruptures between civilizations that have yet to heal. Holy Warriors is a soundly researched,engaging account of the ideas and personalities of the crusading age and theirlegacy.