The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Boy Crusaders, by John G. Edgar

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Title: The Boy Crusaders
A Story of the Days of Louis IX.

Author: John G. Edgar

Release Date: September 19, 2008 [EBook #26671]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOY CRUSADERS ***

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Presented to Master
Thomas St. Lawrence
Stephenson as a Birthday
present from the Crew
of the yacht "Northumbria"

Sept. 12th 1841[1]

[Illustration: In vain were all attempts to drag him from his steed;
before his mighty battle-axe the Saracens seemed to fall as corn before
the reaper.--p. 169.]

THE

BOY CRUSADERS:

=A Story of the Days of Louis IX.=

BY

J. G. EDGAR,

AUTHOR OF 'THE BOY PRINCES,' ETC.

=Eight Full Page Illustrations.=

=Edinburgh:=

GALL & INGLIS, 6 GEORGE STREET.

PREFACE.

AMONG the many adventurous enterprises which rendered the age of
feudalism and chain-armour memorable in history, none were more
remarkable or important than the 'armed pilgrimages' popularly known as
the Crusades; and, among the expeditions which the warriors of mediaeval
Europe undertook with the view of rescuing the Holy Sepulchre from the
Saracens, hardly one is so interesting as that which had Louis IX. for
its chief and Joinville for its chronicler.

In this volume I have related the adventures of two striplings, who,
after serving their apprenticeship to chivalry in a feudal castle in the
north of England, assumed the cross, embarked for the East, took part in
the crusade headed by the saint-King of France, and participated in the
glory and disaster which attended the Christian army, after landing at
Damietta--including the carnage of Mansourah, and the massacre of
Minieh.

In writing the 'Boy Crusaders' for juvenile readers, my object has
been--while endeavouring to give those, for whose perusal the work is
intended,