I was delighted to receive my copy of Warfare in the Age of Crusades: The Latin East We are nearing completion of Volume Two: Europe. This is a major vidication of all of our collective work.

768- 814 CE - Charles the Great or Charlemagne was a charismatic and powerful ruler of the Frankish peoples. He was said to be very intelligent, aggressive, capable on the battlefield, and an exceptional statesman. Charlemagne undertook fifty-four military campaigns with the small Frankish army, about 8,000 men. Charlemagne's aggressive …

751- 768 CE - Pepin was the son of Charles Martel in Austrasia. Pepin was crowned king and anointed with holy oil by a representative of the Pope. The Frankish kings were anointed symbolizing the relationship of their king with God. Pepin's son Charlemagne succeeded him to the throne.

The Ka'ba is a shrine which contains a black meteorite known as "The Black Stone." This stone is located in the city of Mecca, and is worshiped by followers of Islam.

500ml iced white tea = summertime

A holy war. Muhammad and his followers perpetrated raids against their enemies, these raids were called Jihad in the Quran which meant "striving in the way of the Lord."