From Pagans to Crusaders: How the Baltic Crusades Transformed Europe

Explore the dramatic conquest, conversion, migration and resistance that reshaped northern Europe with Thomas Williams and Aleks Pluskowski. Between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, crusading armies unleashed a relentless holy war against the last pagan societies in northern Europe, particularly in the Baltic Sea region. Led by Catholic rulers, churchmen and warrior monks, they sought to expand Christendom through conquest and conversion. In the process they forged a new world with a profound legacy that resonates into the present. With Jonathan Phillips, join authors Thomas Williams and Aleks Pluskowski for a lively conversation exploring the dramatic centuries of conquest, conversion, migration and resistance that reshaped northern Europe. Drawing on their new books, God's Hammer: A History of the Viking Crusades and Black Cross: A History of the Baltic Crusades, they will trace how warfare, faith and ambition combined to transform societies and cultures around the Baltic Sea. Blending fresh scholarship with compelling storytelling, this special event offers an accessible introduction to one of the medieval world's most fascinating and often overlooked chapters, followed by a discussion with the authors about the events and enduring legacy of the Baltic Crusades. Thomas Williams is a historian and archaeologist specialising in the early Middle Ages, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and Royal Historical Society. A former curator at the British Museum, his work engages with ritualised geography, warfare, identity and power across medieval northern Europe. He is the bestselling author of Viking Britain, Viking London and Lost Realms. His latest book, God's Hammer: A History of the Viking Crusades, explores how the Viking world became part of medieval Christendom and the age of the Crusades. Aleks Pluskowski is Professor of Medieval Archaeology at the University of Reading, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. A specialist in the archaeology of medieval frontier societies, he has led major research projects on the Baltic Crusades and is the author of The Archaeology of the Prussian Crusade, Environment, Colonization and the Baltic Crusader States and The Teutonic Knights. His latest book, The Black Cross: A History of the Baltic Crusades, offers a wide-ranging history of the crusades and their lasting impact on Europe. There will be a book signing as part of this event, with Thomas and Aleks's publications available for purchase on the evening. Image credit: Magnus Elander and Wikimedia Commons