Birth of the Kingdom: Book Three of the Crusades Trilogy

Inthe final gripping volume of Jan Guillou’sboundary-breaking Crusades Trilogy, exiled warrior Arnde Gotha returns home to Sweden, determined to liberate and unite his homelandin what promises to be his greatest trial yet. Traveling from Saladin’ssand-swept Holy Lands to the Scandinavian North, Arn’sfinal adventure is a captivating historical narrative encompassing the strugglefor honor, the quest for lost love, and the momentous clash of European andMiddle Eastern cultures. Fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden,William Dietrich, and James Clavell will beenthralled by Jan Guillous’ Birth of the Kingdom,the stunning and dramatic climax to a tale begun in The Road to Jerusalemand The Templar Knight, and a masterpiece of epic and magisterialhistorical fiction. |

One of the fiercest and most feared warriors of the Knights Templar, Arn de Gotha can finally return home to his beloved Sweden, now that Jerusalem has been lost to Saladin. But during his twenty years of exile, Arn's homeland has been torn apart by warring clans—and the brave nobleman soldier is determined to reunite it and establish lasting peace.

Waiting for him is his beloved Cecilia, emerging from a convent to join him after their unfathomably long separation, against the stern demands of her clan. Their reunion could incite a war unless they can convince the clan that love ranks higher than politics, and that it can sustain a new quest: to create a new people, a new society, with Arn at its helm.

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“Destined to become a classic, The Road to Jerusalem is a brilliant, dramatic recreation of the medieval world, offering suspense, intrigue, a touching love story, and an extremely appealing young hero. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.” - Sharon Kay Penman, New York Times bestselling author of Devil's Brood

“It is thrilling and inspiring; bloody and romantic; utterly of the time it is set in, and utterly of the modern. A thoroughly stirring achievement.” - Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: the Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic

“A resolutely medieval world-bleak, hidebound, saturated with religious faith, full of both miracles and almost untraceably complex political intrigue-but one shaped with enough compassion and skill to appeal to contemporary readers, who will be eagerly awaiting the next volume of the saga.” - Kirkus Reviews