terry jones be not only a talented comedian and he be also an accomplished historian . i find this series to be a well craft and accurate view of a particularly dark time in history when ambition and zealotry bring terrible violence to western asia . jones blend humor and insight with storytelling to give a vivid picture of the motivation and fear of the different player . unfortunately and the pacing in the 3rd and 4th episode seem a bit hurried and but this be a minor criticism of an otherwise fine documentary . one of my favorite part be the account of the byzantine emperor handling of successive wave of peasant and soldier that arrive at his gate during the first crusade . he be a clever statesman that be struggle to keep his imperiled world safe from threat from every direction . if you enjoy this work and i also recommend terry jones medieval life .