Tink's Medieval Times - Crusades O'Clock

Welcome to this second part of the biography of the second Sultan of Rum, Kilij Arslan I. This promises to be a splendid tale of a Phoenix rising from the ashes, so to speak. Kilij Arslan is an absolute boss, in so many respects, but an ultimately doomed character - too much of an adventurer, like his father. I'm loathe to give away too much more (though watch out for Danishmend and Muhammad Tapar!). I hope you enjoy getting to know Kilij Arslan - though relatively short-lived, in the grand scheme of things, he is a great character, with a "never give up" attitude. I hope you enjoy the episode!

#turkey #kilij #arslan #phoenix #crusades

Time for Round 2 of the Great Experiment!

Unscripted History is an attempt, by me, to create a summary of several Crusades O'Clock Episodes in an easier to digest format.

It is not scripted.

It is essentially just me talking.

The dates are correct, but everything else is unedited.

Have I advertised this well enough?

Let me know what you think in the poll, or by email at [email protected]

There is simply too much Kilij Arslan to fit into one episode, so...

Find before you the period 1094-1098, in which the young Kilij Arslan cuts his teeth as a ruler in a turbulent world. With pirates, Crusaders and all manner of rivals intriguing against him at every turn, find out how the second Sultan of Rum - in modern Turkey - survives (just about!) the first half decade of his reign.

There's a red wedding style banquet, there's Iranian romance fiction... What's not to love?

Blast the Trumpets! Crusades O'Clock Returns!

This is perhaps a bit of a throwback to an earlier period, but an important one! When thinking about the relaunch, I couldn't help but think that my major protagonist should be the medieval Middle East's great survivor, Kilij Arslan I of Rum. This episode is largely about his father, Suleiman, who is also pretty cool!

This episode ends in 1095, but don't be put off. It is a great story, and provides a lot of important background that makes the First Crusade and its context make a great deal more sense! I hope you enjoy it.

#crusades #turkey #kilijarslan

This is a time of tension, of rifts between old rivals breaking into open conflict. Both in Muslim held Tripoli and on the Crusader dominated fields beyond the city's walls, relationships are strained to breaking point.

Who will triumph? Will Fakhr al Mulk get the support of the Seljuk Sultan Muhammad Tapar? Will the Fatimids finally get their hands on the city they have coveted? Will Bertrand of Toulouse, William-Jordan of Cerdagne, or their powerful backers Tancred of Antioch or Baldwin of Jerusalem get their hands on the city?

Tune in to find out!

#Crusaders #Tripoli #Egypt #Damascus

Raymond of Toulouse is dead...

But his dream lives on...

Join us for the first in two episodes looking at the nominal County of Tripoli's efforts to seize its eponymous city.

#Crusades #Tripoli #Raymond #Byzantine

This episode is the second detour into the Crusaders' neighbours - mainly focussing on Fatimid Egypt (with a soupcon of Burid Damascus!)

A question that has oft troubled me (and my pupils) is why the Fatimid Caliphate, given its wealth and abundant reserves of manpower, proved quite so ineffective against the Crusader States.

I hope this episode goes some way towards resolving the mystery, whilst providing some entertaining and insightful anecdotes about Fatimid commanders and their performance. The Fatimid "General Disastrous" and an exciting cast of characters await you...

#Crusades #Egypt #Disaster

A lengthy, and hopefully long awaited, episode. We have obviously looked at the Crusaders' victories over the Seljuks and their tributaries, but haven't yet addressed why their Sultans were so ineffective at combatting the Crusader threat...

... until now!

Buckle up for a story of great escapes, assassinations and executions, family grudges and feisty Turkish princesses. It promises to be a corker... except for Berkiyaruq and his haemorrhoids...

Enjoy!

#crusades #Seljuks #greatescape #princesses

Raymond, Raymond, we have missed you.

Herein lies a summary of Raymond's work and deeds, and especially his efforts to besiege the port city of Tripoli.

You have to respect his audacity - appointing himself Count of Tripoli before he had even taken the city from the Muslims!

He also fights some pretty awesome battles, builds a massive castle with a seriously cool name, and then falls through a burning roof. What's not to love about this guy?

But does he take Tripoli in the end?

All will be revealed... #Crusades #Toulouse #suspense #castles

WARNING: This is an experiment.

Unscripted History is an attempt, by me, to create a summary of several Crusades O'Clock Episodes in an easier to digest format.

It is not scripted.

It is essentially just me talking.

The dates are correct, but everything else is unedited.

Have I advertised this well enough?

Let me know what you think in the poll, or by email at [email protected]