Does Climate History Unlock the Secrets of the Crusades?

In this episode, we look at something called the Medieval Warm Period. This first came to our notice a long time ago in the writings of a medieval monk and historian called William of Malmesbury. Writing in around 1120, he surprised later historians with his flowing descriptions of a buoyant English wine industry. But were climatic conditions so benign elsewhere? The answer is a resounding no since it now appears that the Islamic world was pushed to the edge of collapse in the early Middle Ag...