About this episode

This episode explores how the Crusades impacted northern and eastern Europe, revealing a broader narrative beyond Jerusalem.

The Crusades reshaped Europe far beyond Jerusalem — and we’ve forgotten it For most people, the Crusades begin and end with Jerusalem, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. But that narrow view hides a far bigger story. In this episode of History Rage , medieval archaeologist Professor Aleks Pluskowski takes aim at the myth that crusading was confined to the eastern Mediterranean — and reveals how crusades transformed northern and eastern Europe in ways that still shape the modern world Drawing on decades of archaeological research and historical evidence, Aleks explains how the Baltic Crusades were longer, more successful, and ultimately more influential than those in the Levant. From the rise of the Teutonic Order to the foundation of cities like Riga and Tallinn, this conversation exposes a forgotten chapter of European history that fundamentally reshaped societies, borders and identities You’ll hear why crusading was a papally authorised penitential war, how it expanded beyond Jerusalem to target pagans, heretics and political enemies, and why northern Europe became the Crusades’ most enduring battlefield. Aleks also unpacks the diversity of pre-Christian belief systems in the…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Bavill

Guest: Aleks Pluskowski

Topics covered

• Crusades
• medieval history
• Baltic region
• Teutonic Order
• colonialism
• nationalism
• archaeology

Keywords

• Crusades
• Baltic Crusades
• Teutonic Order
• medieval archaeology
• European history
• colonialism
• nationalist myths

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Teutonic Order

Places: Baltic, Jerusalem, Riga, Tallinn

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