Uncovering the truth of history’s bloodiest religious war. The Crusades have long been romanticised in culture but crucially misunderstood in history … This three-part series sets out to shed new light on these legendary wars. Using fresh evidence, renowned medieval historian and author, Dr Thomas Asbridge, re-examines the romanticised history to find out what really happened eight centuries ago…

Bloody and brutal, the Crusades were meant to be the religious wars to end all others. Except they didn't and, in modern times, their history has been hijacked by politics and religious fervor, with both Muslim and Western worlds misunderstanding the truth. This series sets out to re-analyse the romanticised, idealised history to find out what really happened eight centuries ago, through detailed archaeology and fresh scrutiny of ancient sites and long discarded eyewitness testimony.