Overview: 'God wills it!' With that cry of medieval knights a new era in European history began. Across Europe a wave of pious enthusiasm led many thousands to leave their homes, family, and friends to march to a distant land in a great struggle for Christ. Yet the crusades were more than simply a holy war. They represent a synthesis of attitudes and values that were uniquely medieval-so medieval, in fact, that the crusading movement is rarely understood...

When Garron of Kersey returns home to claim his title as Baron Wareham, he's shocked to find Wareham Castle very nearly destroyed by a man called the Black Demon. According to the last starving servants in the castle, the Black Demon was looking for gold belonging to Garron's brother Arthur. Among his remaining servants is the enigmatic Merry. Together they bring Wareham back to its former splendor. But that is only the beginning. Did Arthur really...

"Modern day kids Annie and Nico go on a magical history tour back to the Middle Ages to find out what started the Crusades--and why there were so many of them. They travel to Jerusalem (where it all started) and they meet kings and popes and emperors and sultans... including Richard the Lionheart and his famous adversary Saladin. Along the way, Nico discovers that the Crusades weren't just about religion and the Holy Wars weren't just between Christians...