Winning His Spurs: A Tale of the Crusades
A Study Guide
It may be said with certainty that there are some very strong feelings associated with the topic of the Crusades. I emphasize the word “feelings” in the previous sentence because when it comes to this topic there are often more feelings than there is knowledge or understanding of the issues involved. Indeed our modern day verbiage has become such that we often speak about how we feel concerning any given matter rather than what we think about it. We would do well, however, to clarify the difference between our feelings and our thoughts. Our feelings (or emotions) are passive and reactionary whereas our thoughts require us to be engaged with our mind and proactivity working towards informed conclusions.
When it comes to the Crusades we have been taught by popular culture to feel badly that they ever happened. We have been taught to feel ashamed of any association with Christianity and warring against foreign people in the name of Christ. What we have not often been taught about is what actually happened, or why it happened, so as to be able to make up our minds about the matter. Too few people know enough about the historical wars, and the political, religious, and ethical circumstances leading to them, to have an informed opinion as to whether there was anything good or just about them at all.
No scholar worth his salt will give you a one-sided view of the Crusades (This alone should tell you how many scholars there are not worth the dirt they stand on let alone their salt). To decry the Crusades as absolute evil acts of oppression by Christians against the middle-eastern peace loving Muslims is a narrative that lacks any historical grounding. On the other hand, to assume that everyone involved in the Crusades was a saint and motivated purely by good will would be utterly naive as well. Thankfully G.A. Henty does not fall into either extremity.
In Winning His Spurs we get another great work of historical fiction from the same man who brought us The Dragon and the Raven, The Young Carthaginian, and more than 100 other historical-fiction novels. Henty is laudable for his ability to weave an entertaining and intriguing fictional story into the midst of real historical events, all while making clear to his reader what is history and what is his own invention. These tales are full of examples of virtue and vice, each receiving their own proper reward, making them ideal for young readers still growing into maturity and learning the paths of the good life.
In this present story we meet Cuthbert, a lad of just 15 at the beginning of the story, who accompanies King Richard (the Lionheart) from England to the Holy Land during the third Crusade (c. 1189-1192 A.D.). The mission was clear, to wrest the Holy Land (Israel, and Jerusalem in particular) from the hands of the infidel (the unfaithful, namely the Muslim forces that had forcefully taken over the area). The Christians of Europe were aghast that the land where Christ and his disciples had walked was now under the control of those who have no reverence for the Son of God. Further, though for centuries Christians, Jews, and Muslims had gotten along peaceably enough and free trade and travel (not to mention the exchange of learning and philosophy) had endured, now the Christians in the area were sorely oppressed, taxed, and harassed. Christians could no longer safely travel to see the place where the Lord had performed his earthly ministry and miracles (something very important to medieval Christians).
Many Christians at the time felt it was their Christian duty to restore freedom to their brethren in Christ and put an end to the cruelties of their Muslim oppressors. Many others wanted to make sure the holy sites of old could be traveled to by the faithful on spiritual pilgrimage. Admittedly, though, many others simply longed for the opportunity to become famous through brave deeds of battle, to gain the spoils of war, and to rid themselves of the boredom and monotony at home. It was a mixed endeavor with mixed motivations. To assign blame simply to one side or there other for everything that happened during the Crusades (be it the Christians or the Muslims) is simply too simple.
Henty does a wonderful job of showing the complexity of the ethical situation for those who loved the Lord and his people, not ignoring the bad men standing right next to the good men, while still holding fast to the reality and importance of God’s moral law. He is not ambiguous about what is good even though knowing what is the right course of action in any given moment can often be hard to discern. This book is a great introduction to the topic of the Crusades. It should certainly not be the last or only thing one reads on the topic, but it is a fitting place to begin for those who want a reasonably balanced perspective while still affirming the truth and goodness of Christianity amidst a difficult time in Christian history.
Part of the fun of this story, by the way, is that it is kind of like reading the other side of the Robin Hood story, for it is this Crusade that left England in the hands of the infamous Prince John while the Lionheart king of England was off fighting in the Holy Lands. One can read Winning His Spurs while imagining Robin Hood, back home in England, opposing the opportunist would-be-king who was ravaging his own people. So enjoy the other side of the story!
This post is the landing page for the study Guide of G. A. Henty’s Winning His Spurs. As it was written in English, any edition will work fine with the present study guide. Below you will find links, as they become available, to discussion questions for each chapter of this book. Please feel free to use them for your own private enjoyment, in your classroom, or homeschool. To see the growing list of completed Study Guides you can click HERE.