Join us for a talk with author and historian Steve Tibble, as he discusses his book “Crusader Criminals: The Outlaws of the Holy Land”. Going beyond the familiar tales of religious warfare and military conquest, Tibble delves into the darker, lesser-known side of the crusades—a world teeming with gangsters, pirates, bandits, and opportunists who thrived in the chaos of conflict.
Based on extraordinary evidence, Crusader Criminals reveals how the real driver of violence in the region was not ideology, but demographics: a flood of restless, dislocated young men who turned the Holy Land into a crucible of lawlessness. Tibble’s vivid storytelling and meticulous research shed new light on the underworld of the medieval Middle East, offering a bold new perspective on one of history’s most mythologised eras. Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation that reframes the crusades not just as holy war—but as a hotbed of criminality.
