Slave ships haunt the seas, bearing human cargos to further the wealth of the rich and destroy the souls of the slave traffickers. Russell Lawrence is an avid skeptic. Captain of the slave ship Barbados, wealthy, and a respected leader, he views religion as a crutch for the weak. But when the debauchery of the slave trade begins to destroy his good morals, his battle becomes more than fighting pirates and mutineers. What if there really is a God?Impressed as a cabin boy, Jack Dunbar sees his forced service on the Barbados as a God-given opportunity to witness Christ to the crew. But his efforts to influence the hardened slavers seems to be doing little good. How is it possible to live as a Christian on the sin-ravaged seas? Can his light shine bright in Africa's dark interior?Back in Grosvenor Square, Elizabeth Grey battles opposition from society and her self-seeking fiancé. Her work with John Newton to end the slave trade is being harshly attacked. She faces life branded as a jilter and radical if she stands up for what she believes in. Will she ever glean the strength to call sin by its rightful name?A tale of adventure on the high seas, redemption, and faith. Sin abounds. Is grace enough to conquer doubt and triumph over evil?

    When she is married at sixteen, Beatrice becomes the Chatelaine of Montaillou where a revival of the Cathar heresy is gathering momentum. Widowed at a young age, Beatrice has an affair with the village priest, Pierre Clergue, and she is drawn into the subterfuge and intrigue surrounding the heresy. The curse of the yellow crosses, her father's punishment for his Cathar beliefs seems to be following her, but she escapes the dangerous hot-bed of heresy that Montaillou has become by marrying again and moving to the lowlands. In 1317, a new Bishop Inquisitor, Jacques Fournier is appointed to seek out and destroy the Cathars and their supporters. His systematic and rigorous approach terrifies all who encounter him. Beatrice is summoned for questioning by him and the book starts as she walks towards this first interrogation. She is retained as a prisoner in the Bishopric in filthy and degrading conditions, with the threat of torture hanging over her for nine months. She is interrogated on eight separate occasions. Her remarkable life story and the fate of the last Cathars are revealed as the story moves towards its final, tragic denouement.

    Here we see the Battle of Crecy across the cultural landscape of Europe, through chronicles and letters, through poems and prophecies, through sermons and laments, enabling us to understand the events of 26 August 1346 like never before. Together with other experts, the editors have gathered, edited, and translated over 80 fourteenth-century sources concerning this fascinating and important conflict - sources from Bohemia to France, from Italy to Wales - many here printed or translated for the first time. Original essays provide historical context and literary background to help interpret the battle in light of this new material. Among the discoveries: despite its fame, the location of the battle has been misidentified for centuries, and the actions of the men on both sides of the bloodied field have been completely misunderstood. This unparalleled accumulation of material means that the Battle of Crecy will never be seen the same again."

    Beginning in the run-up to the First Crusade in 1095, to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and ending with the Turkish attack on Belgrade in 1456, this reference is a comprehensive guide to the events of each Crusade, concentrating on the Near East, but also those Christian expeditions sanctioned by the Papacy as ‘Crusades’ in the medieval era. As well as clashes between Christians and Muslims in the Latin States, Timothy Venning also chronicles the Albigensian Crusade, clashes in Anatolia and the Balkans and the Reconquista in the Iberian Peninsula. Both detailed and accessible, this chronology draws together material from contemporary Latin/Frankish, Byzantine and Arab/Muslim sources with assessment and explanation to produce a readable narrative which gives students an in-depth overview of one of the most enduringly fascinating periods in medieval history. Including an introduction by Peter Frankopan which summarises and contextualises the period, this book is an essential resource for students and academics alike.