JERUSALEM TRILOGY, BOOK II: Defender of Jerusalem

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Second book in a series of historical fiction books about Balain d'Ibelin, blending fiction and history. Acts as a biography of sorts that brings scholarly research into a coherent and accessible form. Details Jerusalem is under siege; Salah ad-Din has succeeded in uniting Shiite Egypt with Sunnite Syria and has now declared jihad against the Christian kingdom. While King Baldwin IV struggles to defend his kingdom from the external threat despite the increasing ravages of leprosy, the struggle for the succession threatens to tear the kingdom apart from the inside. Balian d'Ibelin stands out for his loyalty to the dying king, the kingdom, and Christianity itself.