"Hello! I'm Ken and this is Teach Medieval!"
Are you interested in the medieval period? Are you studying it at school, college or university? Then we're here for you! 'Teach Medieval' is a podcast channel dedicated to bringing you the most engaging and accessible conversations with the finest experts in the period! So what are you waiting for? Get listening ... and get learning!!
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'THE FIFTH CRUSADE' w. Thomas Smith (Ep.2: Why did the Fifth Crusade fail?)
In this exciting new double episode of the podcast, I’m delighted to be joined by Dr Thomas Smith to explore the astonishing story of the Fifth Crusade, the subject of his new book, The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt. Few medieval conflicts are as dramatic, ambitious or consequential, and yet it remains one of the most overlooked crusades in both popular history and academic study. That neglect feels profoundly unjust. The Fifth Crusade was a truly epic undertaking: innovative in its strategy, international in its scope, packed with unexpected twists and culminating in a dramatic conclusion.
Dr Smith is on a mission to bring this remarkable campaign the attention it deserves, and across these two episodes we dive deeply into its story and significance. In the first episode, we follow the crusade step by step, tracing the campaign from beginning to end. In the second, we move from narrative to analysis, examining the key themes and ultimate reasons behind one of history’s most fascinating failures.
Episode 1: What were the main events of the Fifth Crusade?
Episode 2: Why did the Fifth Crusade fail?
This mini-series is based upon Dr Thomas Smith's new book:
The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifth-Crusade-History-Campaign-Conquer/dp/0300283954/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3T35O0FDVWSNY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dfLEBSr1ucvJu6DQQDEJ9-xF4GptTuqiHVnVTr26q8jDs-1Lj-gV4b_6XhWOmxOsYN0J8lzyK28E9CdoR2Ekeujpgc6rLle83yc-TZsaoCV31GlrsgbVR793cp23hve-1gMsp3jr7zZN0smbK7vEWz9Ilv9Ro-MYfTI1q3fvmSzl7G_UahBZlQY_6P60c2N54uD5gMcjse1PQGrXPh4jPb6dTW4vkGNHgh2LxGii358.2HIw2sCjpIOX9o58OIPgZAsGA3DnlOhbnkhyLDzy0Uc&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+fifth+crusade&qid=1784554248&sprefix=the+fifth+crusade%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-1)
Other recommended works by Dr Thomas Smith:
Rewriting the First Crusade: Epistolary Culture in the Middle Ages (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rewriting-First-Crusade-Epistolary-Crusading/dp/1837653879/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NFX1QQEEWWIT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CiPH4hofiGbt35F9akgysCDP7zNVPw2DEmUomZ_W1kHAd7hItjvem1mqtRuM75BT.8wnAjwbM0u99CtXnw80CRFpt98bIUgSu3d7fS8uPKgw&dib_tag=se&keywords=rewriting+the+first+crusade&qid=1784554439&sprefix=rewriting+the+first+crusade%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-1)
Further reading:
Andrew Jotischky: Crusading and the Crusader States (2nd Ed.) (https://amzn.to/3JopgiQ)
Jonathan Phillips: The Crusades 1095-1204 (https://amzn.to/4mMwQSC)
Jonathan Riley-Smith: The Crusades: A History (4th Ed.) (https://amzn.to/3I2CbXu)
Social media:
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/teachmedieval_podcast/)
X (Twitter) (https://x.com/TeachMedieval)
Threads (https://www.threads.com/@teachmedieval_podcast)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086312090674)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-pickering-01a68a2b4/)
Main theme by Aroshanti (https://aroshanti.com/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Jul 2026
'THE FIFTH CRUSADE' w. Thomas Smith (Ep.1: What were the main events?)
In this exciting new double episode of the podcast, I’m delighted to be joined by Dr Thomas Smith to explore the astonishing story of the Fifth Crusade, the subject of his new book, The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt. Few medieval conflicts are as dramatic, ambitious or consequential, and yet it remains one of the most overlooked crusades in both popular history and academic study. That neglect feels profoundly unjust. The Fifth Crusade was a truly epic undertaking: innovative in its strategy, international in its scope, packed with unexpected twists and culminating in a dramatic conclusion.
Dr Smith is on a mission to bring this remarkable campaign the attention it deserves, and across these two episodes we dive deeply into its story and significance. In the first episode, we follow the crusade step by step, tracing the campaign from beginning to end. In the second, we move from narrative to analysis, examining the key themes and ultimate reasons behind one of history’s most fascinating failures.
Episode 1: What were the main events of the Fifth Crusade?
Episode 2: Why did the Fifth Crusade fail?
This mini-series is based upon Dr Thomas Smith's new book:
The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifth-Crusade-History-Campaign-Conquer/dp/0300283954/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3T35O0FDVWSNY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dfLEBSr1ucvJu6DQQDEJ9-xF4GptTuqiHVnVTr26q8jDs-1Lj-gV4b_6XhWOmxOsYN0J8lzyK28E9CdoR2Ekeujpgc6rLle83yc-TZsaoCV31GlrsgbVR793cp23hve-1gMsp3jr7zZN0smbK7vEWz9Ilv9Ro-MYfTI1q3fvmSzl7G_UahBZlQY_6P60c2N54uD5gMcjse1PQGrXPh4jPb6dTW4vkGNHgh2LxGii358.2HIw2sCjpIOX9o58OIPgZAsGA3DnlOhbnkhyLDzy0Uc&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+fifth+crusade&qid=1784554248&sprefix=the+fifth+crusade%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-1)
Other recommended works by Dr Thomas Smith:
Rewriting the First Crusade: Epistolary Culture in the Middle Ages (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rewriting-First-Crusade-Epistolary-Crusading/dp/1837653879/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NFX1QQEEWWIT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CiPH4hofiGbt35F9akgysCDP7zNVPw2DEmUomZ_W1kHAd7hItjvem1mqtRuM75BT.8wnAjwbM0u99CtXnw80CRFpt98bIUgSu3d7fS8uPKgw&dib_tag=se&keywords=rewriting+the+first+crusade&qid=1784554439&sprefix=rewriting+the+first+crusade%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-1)
Further reading:
Andrew Jotischky: Crusading and the Crusader States (2nd Ed.) (https://amzn.to/3JopgiQ)
Jonathan Phillips: The Crusades 1095-1204 (https://amzn.to/4mMwQSC)
Jonathan Riley-Smith: The Crusades: A History (4th Ed.) (https://amzn.to/3I2CbXu)
Social media:
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/teachmedieval_podcast/)
X (Twitter) (https://x.com/TeachMedieval)
Threads (https://www.threads.com/@teachmedieval_podcast)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086312090674)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-pickering-01a68a2b4/)
Main theme by Aroshanti (https://aroshanti.com/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
3 Jul 2026
'THE CRUSADER STORM' w. Nicholas Morton (Ep.3: What was the Egyptian perspective?)
This podcast mini-series is inspired by Associate Professor Nicholas Morton (https://www.ntu.ac.uk/staff-profiles/arts-humanities/nicholas-morton)’s new book, The Crusader Storm: A Global History of the Wars for the Middle East. Rather than repeating the familiar Western-focused crusader narrative, Morton deliberately moves beyond it. Traditional histories often centre European perspectives, framing the Crusades primarily as a story of Western knights, kings, and religious ambition. Morton instead eschews this narrow lens to create a far richer, multi-perspective account of the conflicts and the Crusader states that emerged in the medieval Middle East.
Across the series, we explore how Byzantine, Syrian, Egyptian and other regional voices shaped and experienced these wars. The result is an utterly fascinating re-examination of a world in constant flux, where alliances, cultures, and identities overlapped in unexpected ways. This mini-series brings Morton’s ground-breaking scholarship to life, revealing the Crusades as a truly global history of interconnected struggle and transformation.
This episode is part of a mini-series:
Ep.1: What was the Byzantine perspective on the crusades?
Ep.2: What was the Syrian perspective on the crusades?
Ep.3: What was the Egyptian perspective on the crusades?
Recommended works by Associate Professor Nicholas Morton:
The Crusader Storm: A Global History of the Wars for the Middle East (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crusader-Storm-Global-History-Middle/dp/1399818724/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XYQDBMS30D0L&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.g5o98cKb4KSJUeVSJ0mL35jG9DDHYxrKcZ2foh1oIpG33hzOE4oi8JaQ03si8SXKXPZnoA9qWLD3hyfEdpACFh6fLsyURNT-xAVAaCnneNo.iy4olPXZ2rgKCzAkop9DpoX1ITdAh9n9n5k3on6RutA&dib_tag=se&keywords=crusader+storm&qid=1781813784&sprefix=crusader+storm%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.95fd378e-6299-4723-b1f1-3952ffba15af)
The Field of Blood: The Battle for Aleppo and the Remaking of the Medieval Middle East (https://amzn.to/477Hj68)
The Crusader States and their Neighbours: A military history 1099-1187 (https://amzn.to/45EGxvL)
Encountering Islam on the First Crusade (https://amzn.to/4oZKd4b)
The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East (https://amzn.to/45mRZgC)
Further reading:
Andrew Jotischky: Crusading and the Crusader States (2nd Ed.) (https://amzn.to/3JopgiQ)
Jonathan Phillips: The Crusades 1095-1204 (https://amzn.to/4mMwQSC)
Jonathan Riley-Smith: The Crusades: A History (https://amzn.to/3UCW8qx)
If you would like to keep up to date with all things ‘Teach Medieval’, you can find us on:
Instagram: @teachmedieval (http://instagram.com/teachmedieval)
Twitter: @TeachMedieval (http://twitter.com/teachmedieval)
Threads: Teach Medieval (https://www.threads.net/@teachmedieval?hl=en)
Facebook: Teach Medieval (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086312090674)
LinkedIn: Teach Medieval (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-pickering-01a68a2b4/)
Main theme by Aroshanti (https://aroshanti.com/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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