Between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, crusading armies waged a long holy war against the last pagan peoples of northern Europe, above all around the Baltic Sea. Led by Catholic rulers, churchmen and warrior monks, they set out to extend Christendom through conquest and conversion, and in doing so helped shape a new world whose effects are still felt today.
Historians Thomas Williams and Aleks Pluskowski take the stage with broadcaster Jonathan Phillips for a lively conversation on the conquest, conversion, migration and resistance that reshaped northern Europe. Drawing on their new books, God's Hammer and The Black Cross, they explore how warfare, faith and ambition came together to transform Baltic societies and cultures. The talk offers an accessible introduction to one of the medieval world's most fascinating and often overlooked chapters, followed by a discussion with the authors.
Williams, a former British Museum curator, writes on medieval warfare and identity, while Pluskowski, Professor of Medieval Archaeology at the University of Reading, specialises in frontier societies. The evening also includes a book signing, with both authors' titles available to buy on the night.
