In this Conflicted Conversation, Nicholas Morton discusses his new book The Crusader Storm: A Global History of the Wars for the Middle East.
Associate Professor in History at Nottingham Trent University, Nicholas reframes the Crusades as one part of a much larger transformation of the medieval Middle East, driven above all by Seljuk-Turkmen expansion, Byzantine contraction, Fatimid decline and the fragmentation of political power.
Nicholas explains:
The Seljuk-Turkmen transformation of the medieval Middle East
Why the Crusades were not the region’s main event
Dandanqan, nomadic warfare and the rise of Seljuk power
Abbasids, Fatimids and fragmented government before the First Crusade
Manzikert, Byzantine civil war and the Turkish conquest of Anatolia
Frankish-Turkish rivalry, alliances and shared warrior culture
Crusader violence and Christianity’s uneasy relationship with holy war
Nizari Ismailis, Seljuk civil wars and competing Muslim priorities
Damascus and Byzantium as key powers in Crusader geopolitics
The Middle East as a crossroads of trade, ideas and cultural exchange
Follow Nicholas on X: https://x.com/NicholasMorto11
On Bluesky: @nicmorton.bsky.social
On Instagram: @Nicholas Morton
And his You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MedievalNearEast
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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.
Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.
Produced by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews.
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