Dr Thomas Smith FRHistS FRAS - author and historian of the Middle Ages
Dr Thomas Smith is an author and public historian whose work brings the drama and complexities of the Middle Ages vividly to life. His writing centres on character-driven, pacy narrative. Blending action with the wider context, it aims to give readers a tangible sense of momentum and place.
An elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Asiatic Society, Thomas received his PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2013.
A leading specialist on the crusades, Thomas is the author of The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt (forthcoming Yale, 14 July 2026), Rewriting the First Crusade (2024), Curia and Crusade (2017) and, with Dr Susan Edgington, The Deeds of the Franks who Conquered Jerusalem, an edition and translation published by Oxford University Press.
In 2018, Curia and Crusade received a Highly Commended award in the British Records Association’s Janette Harley Prize.
Thomas has edited seven other academic books and written more than 40 articles and book chapters, including for the Cambridge History of the Crusades and The New Cambridge History of Britain.
Beyond the page, Thomas has served as a historical consultant on the TV series Vikings and made media appearances on podcasts including Gone Medieval (History Hit Network) and for Medievalists.net.
Thomas is an experienced public speaker and has delivered talks on medieval history across Britain, Ireland, the United States, Australia, Japan, Germany, Austria, France, and Israel.
All his books can be found on his Amazon Author page, but nothing beats ordering them from your local independent booksellers! Follow Thomas on Instagram, Facebook, and Academia.
He is represented by The Andrew Lownie Literary Agency: https://www.andrewlownie.co.uk
Thomas' new book, The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt, is forthcoming with Yale and will appear in summer 2026.
The story of the Egyptian crusade has the power to surprise and shock in equal measure. Along with a vivid sense of place of crusaders in the land of the pyramids, readers will gain a new understanding of the crusades, the nature of holy war in the Middle Ages, and the lives of the people who were at its centre.
Praise:
“Throughout this well-researched book, Smith displays an admirable command of a wide range of sources — both Christian and Muslim — and introduces the reader to some unlikely characters, such as St Francis of Assisi, who unexpectedly showed up to the Crusader camp in 1219.”—Anatoly Grablevsky, The Critic
“Vivid, dynamic and thought-provoking, The Fifth Crusade tells the complex story of holy war in Egypt between 1218 and 1221 with deep insight and compelling drama.”—Helen Castor, author of The Eagle and the Hart
“A page-turning and immensely readable book, The Fifth Crusade is packed full of fine detail and careful research, making it comprehensive and wholly engaging.”—Helen Carr, author of Sceptred Isle
“An excellent new look on one of the more overlooked, and fascinating, Crusades. Smith has an uncanny ability to draw readers into the world of the Crusader. The Fifth Crusade is intelligent, important, and overwhelmingly entertaining.”—Eleanor Janega, author of The Once and Future Sex
“This is crusading history as it deserves to be told. With acute judgement and narrative flair, Thomas Smith guides us through the turbulent campaign in which, in the early thirteenth century, the combined forces of Christian Europe attempted to take Egypt. Drawing from an expert understanding of the age and participant testimony, Smith takes us into the heart of the crusaders’ camp, as we experience events unfurl from the point of view of those who fought. This is a masterful telling of an epic crusading adventure.”—Sophie Thérèse Ambler, author of The Song of Simon de Montfort
“A wonderful read—this is popular history at its very best. Smith is the rarest and most welcome kind of historian—someone who is an expert scholar at the top of his game, highly respected by his academic peers, but who can also tell beautifully crafted and captivating stories for a broader audience.”—Steve Tibble, author of Assassins and Templars
“In a compelling blend of vivid, confident storytelling and front-line scholarship, Thomas Smith nimbly weaves a path between kings, prophets, popes and sultans to bring the Fifth Crusade to life. The reader is fully drawn into the fears, frustrations and victories of the crusaders as they fought against the heat, the Muslims and the mighty River Nile. Unjustly neglected by scholars, this important and accessible book allows the Fifth Crusade to take its proper place in the history of the struggle for the Holy Land.”—Jonathan Phillips, author of The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin
“Smith offers a vivid, energetic and beautifully detailed account of the Fifth Crusade. Careful use of primary sources shines through the narrative, which offers different perspectives and reminds the reader of the depth and richness medieval history has to offer.”—Matt Lewis, author of Richard III
Thomas' second academic-facing book is Rewriting the First Crusade: Epistolary Culture in the Middle Ages (Boydell Press, 2024) – an exploration of the letters from the First Crusade, yielding evidence for a number of reinterpretations of the movement.
Praise:
Ranked no. 1 among the Best Medieval Books of 2024 by Medievalists.net
"All in all, Smith’s book is certainly the latest word in crusade studies: a fundamental reconsideration of all the letters of the First Crusade, using modern techniques and carried out at a very high level." – Journal of Ecclesiastical History
"Smith makes an important contribution to our understanding of the manuscript milieu that conveyed these narratives, and to the process of reassessing how historians should be reading and teaching them now." –
"An excellent testament to the indispensable role of the auxiliary historical sciences, especially palaeography and diplomatics, in the study of history" – Francia recensio
"This industrious monograph, drawing from an impressive array of historiography [...] is a most welcome contribution to the field" – Journal of Religious History, Literature and Culture
Thomas' first academic-facing book is Curia and Crusade: Pope Honorius III and the Recovery of the Holy Land, 1216–1227 (Brepols, 2017), which develops a revisionist interpretation of how the papacy marshalled the crusading movement.
Award:
Highly Commended – British Records Association Janette Harley Prize 2018
Praise:
"Insightful, highly detailed and much needed – [a] splendid work" – Reviews in History
"Shines through its originality', 'great analytical finesse', 'great meticulousness" – Le Moyen Age
"Energetically opens new avenues for research" – Al-Masāq
"A valuable addition to the literature" – Church History