Into the competition for land, resources, and power, some leaders on both sides began to appeal to religion to rally support for their cause. Wars became increasingly religious in nature.

but I understand your point. It would have been nice if he had included more details on a number of different things, perhaps including people and their names, to give one a better feel for what actually happened. No Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Rushd, Maimonides, or even El Cid! Too much general description and one eyes start to glaze over in the middle of an article. It’s a shame for such an interesting subject. Hopefully the PBS documentary (which I hope to catch tonight) will be better.