Birth of the Kingdom: Book Three of the Crusade Trilogy - Tapa blanda

By year 1192, Arn de Gotha has become one of the most feared warriors of the Knights Templar fighting among the Crusaders to liberate Palestine from the hands of the Saracens. At the great battle for Jerusalem, a prolonged and bloody struggle in which the Christians are finally defeated, Arn is saved from certain death by Saladin, his longtime enemy and trusted friend. Ravaged by wounds and illness, Arn is at last granted his wish: to return to his homeland, which, in the intervening years, has been plagued by endless wars.

Arn makes his way back to Sweden accompanied by a following of skilled craftsmen and doctors from the Holy Land, whose trades and skills are yet unknown to the Northern world. Arn's ambition is one the rival clans of Sweden could only dream of: to unite the country under the Folkung lineage, and establish lasting peace.

But questions of dynasty are not the only ones on Arn's mind. After twenty years of separation--years of brutal fighting for Arn, and desolate imprisonment for his betrothed is Cecilia, the woman for whom he was exiled, still waiting for him? Can love survive twenty years of separation and hardship? Arn must discover if their love has endured his exile, and if it can sustain his new quest: to create a new people, a new society, both Christian and Muslim, both craftsmen and warriors, with Arn at its helm, fighting for peace in a savage land.

A rousing, satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable and original epic, Birth of the Kingdom tells the story of the founding of a nation, and the undying love that made it possible.

Swedish-born journalist Jan Guillou is the creator of the two most successful Swedish works of fiction of all time: the Hamilton series and the Crusades Trilogy, including The Road to Jerusalem and The Templar Knight. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. He lives in Stockholm.