The Count of Chartres

This is a story of courage, bravery and devotion to an ideal. Count Stefan is one of the wealthiest men in France. When Pope Urban II organizes a "crusade" to the Holy Land in 1095 A.D., Stefan is reluctant to go. Prodded by his wife, Adela, he goes anyway. En route he meets the Emperor Alexius and his daughter Anna. Meanwhile, Peter the Monk organizes a crusade of the people or peasants. Among them are Adelaide and her sister, Lettie, and daughter, Clare. They meet two relic sellers who are from Provence, like themselves. The nobles and the peasants meet near Antioch, and from that point the stories intermingle. Stefan's marriage is compromised by both the behavior of his wife and Philip, the king of France, and Stefan's own troubled heart. Adelaide's biggest concern is the welfare of her daughter. A spell-binding story built on actual historical primary sources, The Count of Chartres: The Reluctant Crusader is a page-turning saga that will hold in thrall both history and fiction lovers.