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Biography
Thomas Asbridge is a medieval history scholar at Queen Mary University of Londonand has been since 1999. He is the author of The First Crusade: A New History (2004), a book which describes the background, events, and consequences of the First Crusade, as well as of The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land (2010), a volume providing a view on the crusading movement, portraying the ideas of justified violence and jihad.
Asbridge also published The Creation of the Principality of Antioch, 1098-1130. Asbridge also wrote and presented a three-part BBC tv series on The Crusades. Asbridge was also the historical consultant to Kingdom Of Heaven (2005).
Asbridge has, more recently, expanded his retinue with books on Medieval England and France, the first major release being The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power behind Five English Thrones in 2015, based on the life of William Marshal, a knight within Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry the Young King, and Richard I's retinue. Asbridge presented a BBC documentary on Marshal in 2017. He is currently in the process of writing a book on Richard I.
Asbridge graduated from Cardiff University with a BA in Ancient and Medieval History, before studying for a PhD at the Royal Holloway, University of London.