European history: medieval period, middle ages Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC On a Knifes Edge
Book SynopsisFrom critically acclaimed Eastern Front expert Prit Buttar, this is the engrossing story of the German resurgence after the battle of Stalingrad. Containing haunting first-hand accounts of the horrors of life on the front line, this gripping narrative reveals in startling detail the story of a bitter struggle for survival against terrible odds.The battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II. The German capture of the city, their encirclement by Soviet forces shortly afterwards, and the hard-fought but futile attempts to relieve them, saw bitter attritional fighting and extremes of human misery inflicted on both sides. The surrender of General Friedrich von Paulus'' army left Germany''s eastern armies severely weakened, but the Red Army had suffered enormous losses as it overreached itself in trying to exploit its great victory. The war was not over. Germany would continue the fight, and the battles that took place in the winter of 1942/43 would Trade ReviewAlthough it's only part of the story, it's a richly detailed history worth reading for any student of the Eastern Front. * The Armourer, January 2019 *This is another impressive work from Buttar, who is one of my favourite authors currently writing on the Eastern Front of both World Wars. -- Dr John Rickard * historyofwar.org *
£15.29
Oxford University Press Inc Kutuzov
Book SynopsisA full-life portrait of the man Tolstoy immortalized, Stalin lionized, and Russian history has manipulated and mythologized beyond recognition.Every Russian knows him purely by his patronym. He was the general who triumphed over Napoleons Grande Armée during the Patriotic War of 1812, not merely restoring national pride but securing national identity. Many Russians consider Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Golenischev-Kutuzov the greatest figure of the 19th century, ahead of Pushkin, Tchaikovsky, even Tolstoy himself. Immediately after his death in 1813, Kutuzovs remains were hurried into the pantheon of heroes. Statues of him rose up across the Russian empire and later the Soviet Union. Over the course of decades and centuries he hardened into legend.As award-winning author Alexander Mikaberidze shows in this fascinating, often startling, and wholly humanizing new biography, Kutuzovs story is far more compelling and complex than the myths that have encased him. An unabashed imperiaTrade ReviewAlexander Mikaberidze's new biography Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace does justice to a complex man * Andrew Roberts, The Telegraph *Mikaberidze makes his subject come wonderfully alive. * Willard Sunderland, Times Literary Supplement *Accessible and impressively researched, this sweeping biography unearths the real man behind a national symbol. Readers of European military history will be enthralled. * PublishersWeekly.com *Mikhail Kutuzov has had more than his share of hagiographers and debunkers. Alexander Mikaberidze has produced a detailed, fascinating, and well-written biography of one of Russia's most famous generals that draws on an immense range of sources, conveys a sense both of the general and the man, and provides fair and considered judgments on the most controversial moments in his career. * Dominic Lieven *Drawing on a vast array of sources and written in a lively, engaging style, Alexander Mikaberidze's biography of Kutuzov conveys the drama of the great field marshal's life and career, offering a sweeping panorama of society, politics, culture, foreign relations, and war in tsarist Russia in the age of the French Revolution and Napoleon. An impressive accomplishment. * Alexander Martin, author of The Holy Roman Empire to the Land of the Tsars: One Family's Odyssey *Iconic military leader, trusted diplomat, skilled administrator, and loving family man Mikhail Kutuzov at last has received his historical due. Mikaberidze's sparkling prose, rigorous research, deep knowledge, and panoramic narrative free the field marshal from the mythmaking of earlier scholarship. At once erudite and riveting, this highly original account of Kutuzov's monumental life movingly conveys the drama, suffering, and endless striving that defined one of the foundational periods in modern world history. * Elise Kimerling Wirtschafter, author of From Victory to Peace: Russian Diplomacy after Napoleon *Lazy, gluttonous, cunning, brave, pious, courtly, and coarse, Kutuzov enraged his detractors, enthralled his admirers, and strangled his enemies in silky webs of bureaucratic intrigue. He destroyed Napoleon's Grand Army in Russia, was intimately portrayed by Tolstoy, and later lionized by Stalin and Putin. He has needed a discerning biography since his death in 1813. Alexander Mikaberidze has given us one, at last. Kutuzov conveys the sweep, color, and controversy of the field marshal's epic life. * Geoffrey Wawro, author of A Mad Catastrophe and The Franco-Prussian War *An authoritative biography of General Kutuzov strips away the layers of propaganda that have encrusted its subject since 1812. * New York Review of Books *A biography necessarily focuses on individuals, but Mikaberidze's book raises questions an individual perspective cannot answer. * Gregory Afinogenov, New York Review *Table of ContentsList of Maps Acknowledgments Author's Note Prologue PART I Chapter 1 A Boy from Pskov Province, 1747- 1762 Chapter 2 The Masters and the Apprentice, 1763- 1771 Chapter 3 At Death's Door, 1772- 1785 Chapter 4 "An Eagle from the Lofty Flock," 1786- 1789 Chapter 5 "The Gutters Dyed with Blood, 1790 Chapter 6 The Glorious Hero of Macin, 1791- 1792 PART II Chapter 7 The Envoy of Her Imperial Majesty, 1793 Chapter 8 At the Court of the Sultan, 1794 Chapter 9 Military Philosophe and Courtier, 1794- 1797 Chapter 10 The Wrathful Czar, 1796- 1801 Chapter 11 Walking the Tightrope, 1801- 1804 1 PART III Chapter 12 Confronting Napoleon, 1805 Chapter 13 The Glorious Retreat" Chapter 14 The Tale of Two Ruses Chapter 15 The Eclipse of Austerlitz PART IV Chapter 16 The Wilderness Years, 1806- 1808 Chapter 17 The Carnage on the Danube, 1809 Chapter 18 Call to Arms, 1810- 1811 Chapter 19 The Master of War, 1811 Chapter 20 Between War and Peace, January- June 1812 PART V Chapter 21 The Fateful Year Chapter 22 The Road to Borodino Chapter 23 The Hollow Victory Chapter 24 The Torrent and the Sponge Chapter 25 The Old Fox of the North" Chapter 26 The Turning Point Chapter 27 The Golden Bridge" Chapter 28 The Chase Chapter 29 The Great Escape Chapter 30 The Last Campaign Epilogue Notes Select Bibliography Index
£27.62
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Teutonic Knight vs Lithuanian Warrior
Book SynopsisFeaturing full-colour artwork, maps and carefully chosen illustrations, this exciting book investigates the Teutonic Knights and their Lithuanian foes during the epic Lithuanian Crusade.The Teutonic Knights were a military order committed to spreading Christendom eastwards into the non-Christian realms of the Baltic and Russia. They progressively extended their control across the various feuding tribes of the Baltic until they confronted the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a relatively well-organized and cohesive state. Fully illustrated, this book investigates the fighting men on both sides, assessing their origins, tactics, armament and combat effectiveness in three clashes of the Lithuanian Crusade. The battle of Voplaukis (1311), triggered by a major Lithuanian invasion of newly Christianized lands, saw the Teutonic Knights defeat the numerous but relatively poorly equipped Lithuanian raiders once they had brought them to battle. As a result, the Lithuanians would begin to prepareTrade ReviewA good introduction to the subject. -- Dave Watson * The Balkan Wargamer *The analysis chapter is interesting and points to the shift from fighting pagan tribes to organised states like Lithuania and Poland. * The Balkan Wargamer *Table of Contents(Subject to confirmation) Introduction The Opposing Sides Combat 1 Combat 2 Combat 3 Analysis Aftermath Bibliography Index
£14.39
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Cadiz
Book SynopsisThis is the tale of Western Europe's oldest continuously inhabited city, a 3,000-year history of war and seafaring, culture and commerce, liberalism and resistance.Helen Crisp and Jules Stewart offer a vibrant account of Cádiz past and present, from its ancient founding myths to its reinvention as a trendy tourist destination. They illuminate Cádiz's experiences under Roman and Moorish rule; explore its centuries of maritime warfare, from Francis Drake to the Battle of Trafalgar; and probe its role in Spain's Golden Age' of empire, when it dominated trade with the New World. As Spain's de facto capital during the Peninsular War, Cádiz also produced Europe's first liberal constitution in 1812. And in 1936, it was the port of entry for Franco's troops, mustered to overthrow the Republic.Cádiz has excited the passions of travellers for centuries. Lord Byron was enchanted by the ladies of the city, whom he described as form'd for all the witching arts of love'. Benjamin Disraeli fell in lo
£23.75
Oxford University Press The Donkey and the Boat
Book SynopsisA new account of the Mediterranean economy in the 10th to 12th centuries, forcing readers to entirely rethink the underlying logic to medieval economic systems. Chris Wickham re-examines documentary and archaeological sources to give a detailed account of both individual economies, and their relationships with each other.Chris Wickham offers a new account of the Mediterranean economy in the tenth to twelfth centuries, based on a completely new look at the sources, documentary and archaeological. Our knowledge of the Mediterranean economy is based on syntheses which are between 50 and 150 years old; they are based on outdated assumptions and restricted data sets, and were written before there was any usable archaeology; and Wickham contends that they have to be properly rethought. This is the first book ever to give a fully detailed comparative account of the regions of the Mediterranean in this period, in their internal economies and in their relationships with each other. It focusses Trade ReviewGenuinely field-changing * Hannah Skoda, Books of the Year 2023, BBC History Magazine *An impressive book that turns the history of the Mediterranean upside down...an extraordinarily rich and wide-ranging reinterpretation of the Mediterranean...a monumental achievement that fully deserves to take its place among classic studies of Mediterranean history. * David Abulafia, Times Literary Supplement *A comprehensive and ground-breaking study...well-researched, well-written, and thought-provoking... an essential reading for anyone interested in Mediterranean history or the development of the European economy. * Richard Tuttle, World History Encyclopedia *Nothing short of impressive...a must read * Tobias Daniels, Sehepunkte *Punchy, eye-wateringly ambitious, and occasionally amusing, The Donkey & The Boat will set the benchmark for debate on this subject for many years to come. * Nicholas Morton, Engelsberg Ideas *Brilliant... the sheer depth of [Wickham's] research and the breadth of his insights warrants close attention. * Nicholas Morton, Books of the Year 2023, Engelsberg Ideas *Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: Egypt 3: North Africa and Sicily 4: Byzantium 5: Islamic Spain and Portugal 6: North-Central Italy 7: A Brief History of the Mediterranean Economy in the Tenth to Twelfth Centuries 8: The Internal Logic of Feudal Economies
£38.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Atlas of the Eastern Front
Book SynopsisThe Eastern Front of World War II was a nightmarish episode of human history, on a scale the like of which the world had never seen, and most likely never will see again. This expansive collection of maps offers a visual guide to the theater that decided the fate of the war, spanning the thousands of miles from Berlin to the outskirts of Moscow, Stalingrad, East Prussia and all the way back. The accuracy and detail of the military cartography found in this volume illuminates the enormity of the campaign, revealing the staggering dimensions of distance covered and human losses suffered by both sides.Table of ContentsForeword Introduction 1. Barbarossa 1941 2. Soviet counter-offensive 1941-42 3. Blau-Summer 1942 4. Soviet Stalingrad Offensive '1942-43 5. Summer 1943 6. Soviet offensives 1944 7. Central Europe/Germany 1945 Bibliography Appendices
£40.00
Canongate Books Dark Queen Waiting
Book SynopsisOctober, 1471. Edward IV sits on the English throne; the House of York reigns supreme. With her young son, Henry Tudor, in exile in France, Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, shelters deep in the shadows, secretly plotting for the day when Henry can be crowned the rightful king.But as her supporters are picked off one by one, it becomes clear that a traitor lurks within Margaret''s household. When one of her most loyal henchmen, Jacob Cromart, is murdered in St Michael''s Church, where he had claimed sanctuary, Margaret orders her sharp-witted clerk, Christopher Urswicke, to find out who has betrayed her.How could a man be killed inside a church where the doors are all locked, with no sign of an intruder or weapon? If he is to protect Margaret''s remaining supporters from suffering a similar fate, Urswicke must solve a baffling mystery where nothing is as it first appears.
£13.29
Birlinn General Under the Hammer: Edward I and Scotland
Book SynopsisFew aspects of Scottish history inspire as fervent an interest as the wars with England. The exploits of not one, but two, national heroes – William Wallace and Robert Bruce – have excited the attention of a host of novelists, filmmakers, artists and songwriters, as well as historians. But few have ventured to examine it in depth from an English perspective. Yet there could have been no Wallace or Bruce, no Stirling Bridge or Bannockburn, without the English kings’ efforts to subjugate their northern neighbour. This book explores how Edward I attempted to bring the Scottish kingdom under his control during the last years of the thirteenth and early years of the fourteenth centuries. Despite England’s overwhelming military might, victory was by no means inevitable, and Scotland’s leaders proved able to create a successful front to repel a far more powerful enemy. Packed with detail, description and analysis, Under the Hammer paints a vivid picture of a key period in the history of both nations.
£12.34
Oxford University Press Inc Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest
Book SynopsisAn update of a popular work that takes on the myths of the Spanish Conquest of the Americas, featuring a new afterword.Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest reveals how the Spanish invasions in the Americas have been conceived and presented, misrepresented and misunderstood, in the five centuries since Columbus first crossed the Atlantic. This book is a unique and provocative synthesis of ideas and themes that were for generations debated or perpetuated without question in academic and popular circles. The 2003 edition became the foundation stone of a scholarly turn since called The New Conquest History. Each of the book''s seven chapters describes one myth, or one aspect of the Conquest that has been distorted or misrepresented, examines its roots, and explodes its fallacies and misconceptions. Using a wide array of primary and secondary sources, written in a scholarly but readable style, Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest explains why Columbus did not set out to prove the world was round, the conquistadors were not soldiers, the native Americans did not take them for gods, Cortés did not have a unique vision of conquest procedure, and handfuls of vastly outnumbered Spaniards did not bring down great empires with stunning rapidity. Conquest realities were more complex--and far more fascinating--than conventional histories have related, and they featured a more diverse cast of protagonists-Spanish, Native American, and African. This updated edition of a key event in the history of the Americas critically examines the book''s arguments, how they have held up, and why they prompted the rise of a New Conquest History.Trade ReviewSeven Myths of the Spanish Conquest is an engaging and highly readable account of the history of the conquest of the Amerias. * Jennifer Jobb, Against the Current *A daring revisionist critique.... Restall's provocative analysis, wide-ranging scholarship and lucid prose make this a stimulating contribution to the debate on one of history's great watersheds. * Publishers Weekly *This is an important book. It should be read by all high school world history teachers, and by professors of the same....a powerful indictment of the myths that we all inadvertently rely on to explain a complex and distant period. It will undoubtedly stir up a discussion about the reality of these myths and what others might find in both popular and scholarly writing in this field, and others. * John F. Schwaller, American Historical Review *Rejecting the conventional hierarchy that placed 'subhuman' Indians below 'superhuman'' Europeans, Matthew Restall's re-examination of the Spanish conquest portrays a far more complex process in which Indians were central participants on both sides of the struggle. * The Economist *Matthew Restall has written a serious and important book, but one that is also delightful as it addresses issues about the Spanish conquest that have long intrigued scholars....It serves the needs of Latin Americanists who have not kept up with the latest literature on the subject, as well as the many scholars who address the conquest in their writings. * John E. Kicza, Renaissance Quarterly *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: The Lost Words of Bernal Diaz Ch 1 A Handful of Adventurers: The Myth of Exceptional Men Ch 2 Neither Paid Nor Forced: The Myth of the King's Army Ch 3 Invisible Warriors: The Myth of the White Conquistador Ch 4 Under the Lordship of the King: The Myth of Completion Ch 5 The Lost Words of La Malinche: The Myth of (Mis)Communication Ch 6 The Indians Are Coming to an End: The Myth of Native Desolation Ch 7 Apes and Men: The Myth of Superiority Epilogue: Cuauhtemoc's Betrayal Afterword Permissions Notes References Index
£999.99
Faber & Faber The Bloody White Baron
Book SynopsisRoman Ungern von Sternberg was a Baltic aristocrat, a violent, headstrong youth posted to the wilds of Siberia and Mongolia before the First World War. After the Bolshevik Revolution, the Baron - now in command of a lethally effective rabble of cavalrymen - conquered Mongolia, the last time in history a country was seized by an army mounted on horses. He was a Kurtz-like figure, slaughtering everyone he suspected of irreligion or of being a Jew. And his is a story that rehearses later horrors in Russia and elsewhere. James Palmer''s book is an epic recreation of a forgotten episode and will establish him as a brilliant popular historian.
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers The Holocaust
Book SynopsisThis is a very thorough account of the experience of the Jews of Europe during World War II. It is virtually a day-by-day account, in men and women's own words, of the horrifying events of the Holocaust - the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jewish race.
£17.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Roman History The Reign of Augustus Penguin
Book SynopsisFollowing Rome's long road to peace after decades of civil war, Cassius Dio provides the fullest account of the reign of the first emperor in Books 50 through 60 of his Roman History.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Table of ContentsRoman History: The Reign of AugustusIntroduction by John CarterBibliographical NoteAcknowledgmentsA Note on the TextThe Roman HistoryNotesChronological TableList of ConsulsKey to Place-NamesMaps1. Italy2. North-West Europe3. Germany4. South-East and Western Anatolia5. The Middle East6. North-Western Africa7. Egypt8. The Balkans9. South Russia10. Plan of Rome11. SpainIndex
£11.69
Oxford University Press Radical Enlightenment
Book Synopsis"The Radical Enlightenment" was a set of ideas which helped lay the foundations of the modern world on the basis of equality, democracy, secularism, and universality. This study by cultural historian, Jonathan Israel, shows how Spinoza and his thought set the intellectual current towards the political revolutions of the later 18th century.Trade ReviewThe tributes which Israel has received for Radical Enlightenment are thoroughly merited; this book will become a modern classic upon the subject. * David J. Sturdy, Cultural and Social History 2004-2006 *Deserves to be widely read because it is an example of ground-breaking vastly well-informed and thoroughly new history * David Horspool, The Guardian *The scholarship is breathtaking. Israel has read everything, absorbed every nuance, followed up every byway ... Five years from now, our views of the Enlightenment will have been enormously influenced by Israel. * Peter Watson, New Statesman *There is much to praise in Israel's majestic account of the Enlightenment and his detective work in placing Spinoza at the heart of it. * A.C. Grayling, FT Weekend *Magnificent and magisterial, Radical Enlightenment will undoubtedly be one of truly great historical works of the decade. * John Adamson, Sunday Telegraph *We have gained a much more detailed and fine-grained view of the sheer diversity and intellectual creativity not just amongst those who may have been influenced by Spinoza, but also amongst their critics, and those who may be deemed part of either the moderate Enlightenment or even a Counter-Enlightenment. * Professor Thomas Munck, Reviews in History *Table of ContentsI. THE 'RADICAL ENLIGHTENMENT'; II. THE RISE OF PHILOSOPHICAL RADICALISM; III. EUROPE AND THE 'NEW' INTELLECTUAL CONTROVERSIES 1680-1720; IV. THE INTELLECTUAL COUNTER-OFFENSIVE; V. THE CLANDESTINE PROGRESS OF THE RADICAL ENLIGHTENMENT 1680-1750
£52.25
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of
Book SynopsisTrade Review"It is wonderful to have David Lowenthal's splendid translation of Montesquieu's Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and their Decline back in print. This neglected masterpiece deserves attention from all who are concerned with self-government--whether their focus is on history or on its prospects in our own time." --Paul A. Rahe, University of Tulsa
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd The New Spaniards
Book SynopsisA fully revised, expanded and updated edition of this masterly portrayal of contemporary Spain.The restoration of democracy in 1977 heralded a period of intense change that continues today. Spain has become a land of extraordinary paradoxes in which traditional attitudes and contemporary preoccupations exist side by side. Focussing on issues which affect ordinary Spaniards, from housing to gambling, from changing sexual mores to rising crime rates. John Hooper''s fascinating study brings to life the new Spain of the twenty-first century.Trade ReviewUnputdownable . . . A must for anyone . . . who wants to know what Spain is really like. (New Statesman, London)Hooper . . . not only knows where Spain has been in recent decades and centuries, but he also has an impressively authoritative view of where exactly it is today and where it is headed. (The Washington Post)
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Patriots and Liberators
Book SynopsisA reissue of Simon Schama's landmark study of the Netherlands from 17801813, this is a tale of a once-powerful nation's desparate struggle to survive the treacheries and brutality of European war and politics.Between 1780 and 1813 the Dutch Republic a country once rich enough to be called the cash till of Europe and powerful enough to make war with England was stripped of its colonies, invaded by its enemies, driven to the edge of bankruptcy, and, finally, reduced to becoming an appendage of the French empire an appendage not even the French seemed to value overmuch. Out of these events Simon Schama has constructed a gripping chronicle of revolution and privateering, constitutions and coups, in a tiny nation desperately struggling to stay afloat in a sea of geopolitics.Like his classics The Embarrassment of Riches' and Citizens', Patriots and Liberators' combines a mastery of historical sources with an unabashed delight in narrative. The result confirms Schama as a historian in the Trade Review‘An outstanding work of historical scholarship…Simon Schama writes brilliantly. He can bring a character alive in a sentence…This powerful book reads with the ease of a novel. Every page glitters with intelligence and perception. In every way “Patriots and Liberators” is an extraordinary achievement.’ J.H. Plumb ‘This remarkable book is more than a revision, it is a revelation.’ A.J.P. Taylor, Observer ‘A dramatic story, full of pathos and true comedy. If any book may be said to inhale without sententiousness the clear, calm and steadying air of a European ideal, this is it.’ Michael Ratcliffe, The Times ‘Schama’s book is written in the grand manner, its sweep is as impressive as its erudition and the constant brilliance of its style. He gives the Dutch revolution back to the people to whom it belonged – the Dutch.’ Economist
£17.09
Penguin Books Ltd The Making of Europe
Book SynopsisA wave of internal conquest, settlement and economic growth took place in Europe during the High Middle Ages, which transformed it from a world of small separate communities into a network of powerful kingdoms with distinctive cultures. In this vivid and provocative book Robert Bartlett vividly shows how Europe was itself a product of colonization, as much as it was later a colonizer, and what this did to shape the continent and the world today.
£11.69
Oxford University Press Scotland
Book SynopsisSince Devolution in 1999 Scotland has become a focus of intense interest both within Britain and throughout the wider world. In this Very Short Introduction, Rab Houston explores how an independent Scottish nation emerged in the Middle Ages, how it was irrevocably altered by Reformation, links with England and economic change, and how Scotland influenced the development of the modern world. Examining politics, law, society, religion, education, migration, and culture, he examines how the nation''s history has made it distinct from England, both before and after Union, how it overcame internal tensions between Highland and Lowland society, and how it has today arrived at a political, social and culture watershed. Authoritative, lucid, and ranging widely over issues of environment, people, and identity, this is Scotland''s story without myths: an ideal introduction for those interested in the Scots, but also a balanced yet refreshing challenge to those who already feel at home in Scotland past and present. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewHouston's survey is clear and certainly concise. * Clare Beck, The Scotsman *A whistle-stop tour through the history of Scotland's politics, religion, education, economy and culture...both complex and rich. * Clare Beck, The Scotsman *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Politics and Government ; 2. Religion ; 3. Education ; 4. Society ; 5. Economy and Environment ; 6. Scotland and the Wider World ; 7. Culture ; Conclusions
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman
Book SynopsisEdward Gibbon's six-volume History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-88) is among the most magnificent and ambitious narratives in European literature. Its subject is the fate of one of the world's greatest civilizations over thirteen centuries - its rulers, wars and society, and the events that led to its disastrous collapse. Here, in volumes three and four, Gibbon vividly recounts the waves of barbarian invaders under commanders such as Alaric and Attila, who overran and eventually destroyed the West. He then turns his gaze to events in the East, where even the achievements of the Byzantine emperor Justinian and the campaigns of the brilliant military leader Belisarius could not conceal the fundamental weaknesses of their empire.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Table of ContentsThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume IIChapter XXVIIDeath of GratianRuin of Arianism.St. Ambrose.First civil War againt Maximus.Character, Administration and Pennance of Theodosius.Death of Valentinian II.Second civil War, againt Eugenius.Death of Theodosius.A.D.379-383. Character and Conduct of the Emperor Gratian. His Defects383 Discontent of the Roman Troops. Revolt of Maximus in Britain. Flight and Death of Gratian383-387. Treaty of Peace between Maximus and Theodosius380 Baptism and orthodox Edicts of Theodosius340-380. Arianism of Constantinople378 Gregory Nazianzen accepts the mission of Constantinople380 Ruin of Arianism at Constantinople381 In the East. The Council of Constantinople. Retreat of Gregory Nazianzen380-394. Edicts of Theodosius against the Heretics385 Execution of Priscillian and his Associates375-397. Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan385 His successful Opposition to the Empress Justina387 Maximus invades Italy. Flight of Valentinian. Theodosius takes Arms in the Cause of Valentinian388 Defeat and Death of Maximus. Virtues of Theodosius. Faults of Theodosius387 The Sedition of Antioch. Clemency of Theodosius390 Sedition and Massacre of Thessalonica388 Influence and Conduct of Ambrose390 Pennance of Theodosius388-391. Generosity of Theodosius391 Character of Valentinian392 His Death392-394. Usurpation of Eugenius. Theodosius prepares for War394 His Victory over Eugenius395 Death of Theodosius. Corruption of the Times. The Infantry lay aside their ArmourChapter XXVIIFinal Destruction of Paganism.Introduction of the Worship of Saints, and Relics, among the Christians.A.D.378-395. The Destruction of the Pagan Religion. State of Paganism at Rome.384 Petition of the Senate for the Altar of Victory388 Conversion of Rome381 Destruction of the Temples in the Provinces. The Temple of Serapis at Alexandria389 Its final Destruction390 The Pagan Religion is prohibited. Oppressed390-420. Finally extinguished. The Worship of the Christian Martyrs. General ReflectionsI. Fabulous Martyrs and RelicsII. MiraclesIII. Revival of PolytheismIV. Introduction of Pagan CeremoniesChapter XXIXFinal Division of the Roman Empire between the Sons of TheodosiusReign of Arcadius and HonoriusAdministration of Rufinus and Stilicho.Revolt and Defeat of Gildo in Africa.A.D.395 Division of the Empire between Arcadius and Honorius386-395. Character and Administration of Rufinus395 He oppresses the East. He is disappointed, by the Marriage of Arcadius. Character of Stilicho, the Minister, and General of the Western Empire385-408. His Military Command395 The Fall and Death of Rufinus396 Discord of the two Empires386-398. Revolt of Gildo in Africa397 He is condemned by the Roman Senate398 The African War398 Defeat and Death of Gildo398 Marriage, and Character of HonoriusChapter XXXRevolt of the Goths.They plunder Greece. Two great Invasions of Italy by Alaric and Radagaisus.They are repulsed by Stilicho.The Germans over-run Gaul.Usurpation of Constantine in the West.Disgrace and Death of Stilicho.A.D.395 Revolt of the Goths396 Alaric marches into Greece397 He is attacked by Stilicho. Escapes to Epirus398 Alaric is declared Master-general of the eastern Illyricum. Is proclaimed King of the Visigoths400-403. He invades Italy403 Honorius flies from Milan. He is pursued and besieged by the Goths. Battle of Pollentia. Boldness and Retreat of Alaric404 The Triumph of Honorius at Rome. The Gladiators abolished. Honorius fixes his Residence at Ravenna400 The Revolutions of Scythia405 Emigration of the northern Germans406 Radagaisus invades Italy. Besieges Florence. Threatens Rome. Defeat and Destruction of his Army by Stilicho. The Remainder of the Germans invade Gaul407 Desolation of Gaul. Revolt of the British Army. Constantine is acknowledged in Britain and Gaul408 He reduces Spain404-408. Negociation of Alaric and Stilicho408 Debates of the Roman Senate. Intrigues of the Palace. Disgrace and Death of Stilicho. His Memory persecuted. The Poet Claudian among the Train of Stilicho's DependentsChapter XXXIInvasion of Italy by Alaric.Manners of the Roman Senate and People.Rome is thrice besieged, and at length pillaged by the Goths.Death of Alaric.The Goths evacuate Italy.Fall of Constantine.Gaul and Spain are occupied by the Barbarians.Independence of Britain.A.D.408 Weakness of the Court of Ravenna. Alaric marches to Rome. Hannibal at the Gates of Rome. Genealogy of the Senators. The Anician Family. Wealth of the Roman Nobles. Their Manners. Character of the Roman Nobles, by Ammianus Marcellinus. State and Character of the People of Rome. Public Distribution of Bread, Bacon, Oil, Wine, &c. Use of the public Baths. Games and Spectacles. Populousness of Rome. First Siege of Rome by the Goths. Famine. Plague. Superstition409 Alaric accepts a Ransom, and raises the Siege. Fruitless Negociations for Peace. Change and Succession of Ministers. Second Siege of Rome by the Goths. Attalus is created Emperor by the Goths and Romans410 He is degraded by Alaric. Third Siege and Sack of Rome by the Goths. Respect of the Goths for the Christian Religion. Pillage and Fire of Rome. Captives and Fugitives. Sack of Rome by the Troops of Charles V. Alaric evacuates Rome and ravages Italy408-412. Possession of Italy by the Goths410 Death of Alaric412 Adolphus, King of the Goths, concludes a Peace with the Empire, and marches into Gaul414 His Marriage with Placidia. The Gothic Treasures410-417. Laws for the Relief of Italy and Rome413 Revolt and Defeat of Heraclian, Count of Africa409-413. Revolutions of Gaul and Spain. Character and Victories of the General Constantius411 Death of the Usurper Constantine411-416. Fall of the Usurpers, Jovinus, Sebastian, and Attalus409 Invasion of Spain by the Suevi, Vandals, Alani, &c.414 Adolphus, King of Goths, marches into Spain415 His Death415-418. The Goths conquer and restore Spain419 Their Establishment in Aquitain. The Burgundians420, &c. State of the Barbarians in Gaul409 Revolt of Britain and Armorica409-449. State of Britain418 Assembly of the Seven Provinces of GaulChapter XXXIIArcadius Emperor of the East.Administration and Disgrace of Eutropius.Revolt of Gainas.Persecution of St. John Chrysostom.Theodosius II. Emperor of the East.His Sister Pulcheria.His Wife Eudocia.The Persian War, and Division of Armenia.A.D.395-1453. The Empire of the East395-408. Reign of Arcadius395-399. Administration and Character of Eutropius. His Venality and Injustice. Ruin of Abundantius. Destruction of Timasius397 A cruel and unjust Law of Treason399 Rebellion of Tribigild. Fall of Eutropius400 Conspiracy and Fall of Gainas398 Election and Merit of St. John Chrysostom398-403. His Administration and Defects403 Chrysostom is persecuted by the Empress Eudocia. Popular Tumults at Constantinople404 Exile of Chrysostom407 His Death438 His Relics transported to Constantinople408 Death of Arcadius. His supposed Testament408-415. Administration of Anthemius414-453. Character and Administration of Pulcheria. Education and Character of Theodosius the Younger421-460. Character and Adventures of the Empress Eudocia422 The Persian War431-440. Armenia divided between the Persians and the RomansChapter XXXIIIDeath of Honorius.Valentinian III. Emperor of the West.Administration of his Mother Placidia.Ætius and Boniface.Conquest of Africa by the Vandals.A.D.423 Last Years and Death of Honorius423-425. Elevation and Fall of the Usurper John425-455. Valentinian III. Emperor of the West425-450. Administration of his Mother Placidia. Her two Generals, #&198;tius and Boniface427 Error and Revolt of Boniface in Africa428 He invites the Vandals. Genseric king of the Vandals429 He lands in Africa. Reviews his Army. The Moors. The Donatists430 Tardy Repentance of Boniface. Desolation of Africa. Siege of Hippo. Death of St. Augustin431 Defeat and Retreat of Boniface432 His Death431-439. Progress of the Vandals in Africa439 They surprise Carthage. African Exiles and Captives. Fable of the Seven SleepersChapter XXXIVThe Character, Conquests, and Court of Attila, King of the Huns.Death of Theodosius the Younger.Elevation of Marcian to the Empire of the East.A.D.376-433. The Huns. Their Establishment in modern Hungary433-453. Reign of Attila. His Figure and Character. He discovers the Sword of Mars. Acquires the Empire of Scythia and Germany430-440. The Huns invade Persia441, &c. They attack the Eastern Empire. Ravage Europe, as far as Constantinople. The Scythian, or Tartar Wars. State of the Captives446 Treaty of Peace between Attila, and the Eastern Empire. Spirit of the Azimuntines. Embassies from Attila to Constantinople448 The Embassy of Maximin to Attila. The royal Village and Palace. The Behaviour of Attila to the Roman Ambassadors. The royal Feasts. Conspiracy of the Romans against the Life of Attila. He reprimands, and forgives the Emperor450 Theodosius the Younger dies. Is succeeded by MarcianChapter XXXVInvasion of Gaul by Attila.He is repulsed by Ætius and the Visigoths.Attila invades and evacuates Italy.The Deaths of Attila, Ætius, and Valentinian the ThirdA.D.450 Attila threatens both Empires, and prepares to invade Gaul433-454. Character and Administration of Ætius. His Connection with the Huns and Alani419-451. The Visigoths in Gaul under the Reign of Theodoric435-439. The Goths besiege Narbonne, &c.420-451. The Franks in Gaul under the Merovingian Kings. The Adventures of the Princess Honoria451 Attila invades Gaul and besieges Orleans. Alliance of the Romans and Visigoths. Attila retires to the Plains of Champagne. Battle of Châlons. Retreat of Attila452 Invasion of Italy by Attila. Foundation of the Republic of Venice. Attila gives Peace to the Romans453 The Death of Attila. Destruction of his Empire454 Valentinian murders the Patrician Ætius. ravishes the Wife of Maximus455 Death of Valentinian. Symptoms of the Decay and Ruin of the Roman GovernmentChapter XXXVISack of Rome by Genseric, King of the Vandals.His naval Depredations.Succession of the last Emperors of the West, Maximus, Avitus, Majorian, Severus, Anthemius, Olybrius, Glycerius, Nepos, Augustulus.Total Extinction of the Western Empire.Reign of Odoacer, the first Barbarian King of Italy.A.D.439-445. Naval Power of the Vandals455 The Character and Reign of the Emperor Maximus. His Death. Sack of Rome by the Vandals. The Emperor Avitus453-466. Character of Theodoric, King of the Visigoths456 His Expedition into Spain. Avitus is deposed457 Character and Elevation of Majorian457-461. His Salutary Laws. The Edifices of Rome457 Majorian prepares to invade Africa. The Loss of his Fleet461 His Death461-467. Ricimer reigns under the Name of Severus. Revolt of Marcellinus in Dalmatia. of Ætius, in Gaul361-467. Naval War of the Vandals462, &C. Negocations with the Eastern Empire457-474. Leo, Emperor of the East467-472. Anthemius, Emperor of the West. The Festival of the Lupercalia468 Preparations against the Vandals of Africa. Failure of the Expedition462-472. Conquests of the Visigoths in Spain and Gaul468 Trial of Arvandus471 Discord of Anthemius and Ricimer472 Olybrius, Emperor of the West. Sack of Rome, and Death of Anthemius. Death of Ricimer. of Olybrius472-475. Julius Nepos and Glycerius, Emperors of the West475 The Patrician Orestes476 His Son Augustulus, the last Emperor of the West476-490. Odoacer, King of Italy476 or 479. Extinction of the Western Empire. Augustus is banished to the Lucullan Villa. Decay of the Roman Spirit476-490. Character and Reign of Odoacer. Miserable State of ItalyChapter XXXVIIOrigin, Progress, and Effects of the monastic Life.Conversion of the Barbarians to Christianity and Arianism.Persecution of the Vandals in Africa.Extinction of Arianism among the Barbarians.A.D.I. Institution of the Monastic LifeOrigin of the Monks305 Antony, and the Monks of Egypt341 Propagation of the monastic Life at Rome328 Hilarion in Palestine360 Basil in Pontus370 Martin in Gaul. Causes of the rapid Progress of the monastic Life. Obedience of the Monks. Their Dress and Habitations. Their Diet. Their manual Labour. Their Riches. Their Solitude. Their Devotion and Visions. The Coenobites and Anachorets395-451. Simeon Stylites. Miracles and Worship of the Monks. Superstition of the AgeII. Conversion of the Barbarians360, &c. Ulphilas, Apostle of the Goths400, &c.The Goths, Vandals, Burgundians, &c. embrace Christianity. Motives of their Faith. Effects of their Conversion. They are involved in the Arian Heresy. General Toleration. Arian Persecution of the Vandals429-477. Genseric477 Hunneric484 Gundamund496 Thorismund523 Hilderic530 Gelimer. A general View of the Persecution in Africa. Catholic Frauds. Miracles500-700. The Ruin of Arianism among the Barbarians577-584. Revolt and Martyrdom of Hermenegild in Spain586-589. Conversion of Recared and the Visigoths of Spain600, &c. Conversion of the Lombards of Italy612-712. Persecution of the Jews in Spain. ConclusionChapter XXXVIIIReign and Conversion of Clovis.His Victories over the Alemanni, Burgundians, and Visigoths.Establishment of the French Monarchy in Gaul.Laws of the Barbarians.State of the Romans.The Visigoths of Spain.Conquest of Britain by the Saxons.A.D.The Revolution of Gaul476-485. Euric, King of the Visigoths481-511. Clovis, King of the Franks486 His Victory over Syagrius496 Defeat and Submission of the Alemanni. Conversion of Clovis497, &c. Submission of the Armoricans and the Roman Troops499 The Burgundian War500 Victory of Clovis532 Final Conquest of Burgundy by the Franks507 The Gothic War. Victory of Clovis508 Conquest of Aquitain by the Franks510 Consulship of Clovis536 Final Establishment of the French Monarchy in Gaul. Political Controversy. Laws of the Barbarians. Pecuniary Fines for Homicide. Judgments of God. Judicial Combats. Division of Land by the Barbarians. Domain and Benefices of the Merovingians. Private Usurpations. Personal Servitude. Example of Auvergne. Story of Attalus. Privileges of the Romans of Gaul. Anarchy of the Franks. The Visigoths of Spain. Legislative Assemblies of Spain. Code of the Visigoths. Revolution of Britain449 Descent of the Saxons455-582. Establishment of the Saxon Heptarchy. State of the Britons. Their Resistance. Their Flight. The Fame of Arthur. Desolation of Britain. Servitude of the Britons. Manners of the Britons. Obscure or fabulous State of Britain. Fall of the Roman Empire in the WestGeneral Observations on the Fall of the Roman Empire in the WestChapter XXXIXZeno and Anastasius, Emperors of the East.Birth, Education, and first Exploits of Theodoric the Ostrogoth.His Invasion and Conquest of Italy.The Gothic Kingdom of Italy.State of the West.Military and Civil Government.The Senator Boethius.Last Acts and Death of Theodoric.A.D.455-475. Birth and Education of Theodoric474-491. The Reign of Zeno491-518. of Anastasius475-488. Service and Revolt of Theodoric489 He undertakes the Conquest of Italy. His march489-490. The three Defeats of Odoacer493 His Capitulation and Death493-526. Reign of Theodoric, King of Italy. Partition of Lands. Separation of the Goths and Italians. Foreign Policy of Theodoric. His defensive Wars509 His Naval Armaments. Civil Government of Italy according to the Roman Laws. Prosperity of Rome500 Visit of Theodoric. Flourishing State of Italy. Theodoric an Arian. His Toleration of the Catholics. Vices of his Government. He is provoked to persecute the Catholics. Character, Studies, and Honours, of Boethius. His Patriotism. He is accused of Treason524 His Imprisonment and Death525 Death of Symmachus526 Remorse and Death of TheodoricChapter XLElevation of Justin the Elder.Reign of Justinian:I. The Empress Theodora.II. Factions of the Circus, and Sedition of Constantinople.III. Trade and Manufacture of Silk.IV. Finances and Taxes.V. Edifices of Justinian.Church of St. Sophia.Fortifications and Frontiers of the Eastern Empire.VI. Abolition of the Schools of Athens, and the Consulship of Rome.A.D.482 or 483. Birth of the Emperor Justinian518-527. Elevation and Reign of his Uncle Justin I.520-527. Adoption and Succession of Justinian527-565. The Reign of Justinian. Character and Histories of Procopius. Division of the Reign of Justinian. Birth and Vices of the Empress Theodora. Her Marriage with Justinian. Her Tyranny. Her Virtues548 And Death. The Factions of the Circus. At Rome. They distract Constantinople and the East. Justinian favours the Blues532 Sedition of Constantinople, surnamed Nika. The Distress of Justinian. Firmness of Theodora. The Sedition is suppressed. Agriculture and Manufactures of the Eastern Empire. The Use of Silk by the Romans. Importation from China by Land and Sea. Introduction of Silk-worms into Greece. State of the Revenue. Avarice and Profusion of Justinian. Pernicious Savings. Remittances. Taxes. Monopolies. Venality. Testaments. The Ministers of Justinian. John of Cappadocia. His Edifices and Architects. Foundation of the Church of St. Sophia. Description. Marbles. Riches. Churches and Palaces. Fortifications of Europe. Security of Asia after the Conquest of Isauria. Fortifications of the Empire, from the Euxine to the Persian Frontier488 Death of Perozes, King of Persia502-505. The Persian War. Fortifications of Dara. The Caspian or Iberian Gates. The Schools of Athens. They are suppressed by Justinian. Proclus485-529. His Successors. The last of the Philosophers541 The Roman Consulship extinguished by JustinianChapter XLIConquests of Justinian in the West.Character and first Campaigns of Belisarius.He invades and subdues the Vandal Kingdom of Africa.His Triumph.The Gothic War.He recovers Sicily, Naples, and Rome.Siege of Rome by the Goths.Their Retreat and Losses.Surrender of Ravenna.Glory of Belisarius.His domestic Shame and Misfortunes.A.D.533 Justinian resolves to invade Africa523-530. State of the Vandals. Hilderic530-534. Gelimer. Debates on the African War. Character and Choice of Belisarius529-532. His Services in the Persian War533 Preparations for the African War. Departure of the Fleet. Belisarius lands on the Coast of Africa. Defeats the Vandals in a first Battle. Reduction of Carthage. Final Defeat of Gelimer and the Vandals534 Conquest of Africa by Belisarius. Distress and Captivity of Gelimer. Return and Triumph of Belisarius535 His sole Consulship. End of Gelimer and the Vandals. Manners and Defeat of the Moors. Neutrality of the Visigoths550-620. Conquests of the Romans in Spain534 Belisarius threatens the Ostrogoths of Italy522-534. Government and Death of Amalasontha, Queen of Italy535 Her Exile and Death. Belisarius invades and subdues Sicily534-536. Reign and Weakness of Theodatus, the Gothic King of Italy537 Belisarius invades Italy, and reduces Naples536-540. Vitiges, King of Italy536 Belisarius enters Rome537 Siege of Rome by the Goths. Valour of Belisarius. His Defence of Rome. Repulses a general Assault of the Goths. His Sallies. Distress of the City. Exile of Pope Sylverius. Deliverance of the City. Belisarius recovers many Cities of Italy538 The Goths raise the Siege of Rome. Lose Remini. Retire to Ravenna. Jealousy of the Roman Generals. Death of Constantine. The Eunuch Narses. Firmness and Authority of Belisarius538, 539. Invasion of Italy by the Franks. Destruction of Milan. Belisarius besieges Ravenna539 Subdues the Gothic Kingdom of Italy. Captivity of Vitiges540 Return and Glory of Belisarius. Secret History of his Wife Antonina. Her Lover Theodosius. Resentment of Belisarius and her Son Photius. Persecution of her Son. Disgrace and Submission of BelisariusChapter XLIIState of the Barbaric World.Establishment of the Lombards on the Danube.Tribes and Inroads of the Sclavonians. Origin, Empire, and Embassies of the Turks.The Flight of the Avars.Chosroes I. or Nushirvan King of Persia.His prosperous Reign and Wars with the Romans.The Colchian or Lazic War.The Æthiopians.A.D.527-565. Weakness of the Empire of Justinian. State of the Barbarians. The Gepidæ. The Lombards. The Sclavonians. Their Inroads545 Origin and Monarchy of the Turks in Asia. The Avars fly before the Turks, and approach the Empire558 Their Embassy to Constantinople569-582. Embassies of the Turks and Romans500-530. State of Persia531-579. Reign of Nushirvan, or Chosroes. His Love of Learning533-539. Peace and War with the Romans540 He invades Syria. And ruins Antioch541 Defence of the East by Belisarius. Description of Colchos, Lazica, or Mingrelia. Manners of the Natives. Revolution of Colchos. Under the Persians, before Christ, 500. Under the Romans, before Christ, 60130 Visit of Arrian522 Conversion of the Lazi542-549. Revolt and Repentance of the Colchians549-551. Siege of Petra549-556. The Colchian or Lazic War540-561. Negociations and Treaties between Justinian and Chosroes522 Conquests of the Abyssinians533 Their Alliance with JustinianChapter XLIIIRebellions of Africa.Restoration of the Gothic Kingdom by Totila.Loss and Recovery of Rome.Final Conquest of Italy by Narses.Extinction of the Ostrogoths.Defeat of the Franks and Alemanni.Last Victory, Disgrace and Death of Belisarius.Death and Character of Justinian.Comets, Earthquakes, and Plague.A.D.535-545. The Troubles of Africa543-558. Rebellion of the Moors540 Revolt of the Goths541-544. Victories of Totila, King of Italy. Contrast of Greek Vice and Gothic Virtue544-548. Second Command of Belisarius in Italy546 Rome besieged by the Goths. Attempt of Belisarius. Rome taken by the Goths547 Recovered by Belisarius548 Final Recal of Belisarius549 Rome again taken by the Goths.549-551. Preparations of Justinian for the Gothic War552 Character and Expedition of the Eunuch Narses. Defeat and Death of Teias, the last King of the Goths. Invasion of Italy by the Franks and Alamanni554 Defeat of the Franks and Alamanni by Narses554-568. Settlement of Italy559 Invasion of the Bulgarians. Last Victory of Belisarius561 His Disgrace and Death565 Death and Character of Justinian531.539. Comets. Earthquakes542 Plague-its Origin and Nature542-594. Extent and DurationChapter XLIVIdea of the Roman Jurisprudence.The Laws of the Kings.The Twelve Tables of the Decemvirs.The Laws of the People.The Decrees of the Senate.The Edicts of the Magistrates and Emperors.Authority of the Civilians.Code, Pandects, Novels, and Institutes of Justinian:I. Rights of Persons.II. Rights of Things.III. Private Injuries and Actions.IV. Crimes and PunishmentsThe Civil or Roman Law. Laws of the Kings of Rome. The Twelve Tables of the Decemvirs. Their Character and Influence. Laws of the People. Decrees of the Senate. Edicts of the Prætors. The perpetual Edict. Constitutions of the Emperors. Their Legislative Power. Their Rescripts. Forms of the Roman Law. Succession of the Civil LawyersA.U.C.303-648. The first Period648-988. Second Period988-1230. Third Period. Their Philosophy. Authority. SectsA.D.527 Reformation of the Roman Law by Justinian527-546.Tribonian528, 529. The Code of Justinian530-533. The Pandects or Digest. Praise and Censure of the Code and Pandects. Loss of the ancient Jurisprudence. Legal Inconstancy of Justinian534 Second Edition of the Code534-565. The Novels533 The InstitutesI. OF PERSONS. Freemen and Slaves. Fathers and Children. Limitations of the paternal Authority. Husbands and Wives. The religious Rites of Marriage. Freedom of the Matrimonial Contract. Liberty and Abuse of Divorce. Limitations of the Liberty of Divorce. Incest, Concubines, and Bastards. Guardians and WardsII. OF THINGS. Right of Property. Of Inheritance and Succession. Civil Degrees of Kindred. Introduction and Liberty of Testaments. Legacies. Codicils and Trusts.III. OF ACTIONS. Promises. Benefits. Interest of Money. InjuriesIV. OF CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS. Severity of the Twelve Tables. Abolition or Oblivion of penal Laws. Revival of capital Punishments. Measure of Guilt. Unnatural Vice. Rigour of the Christian Emperors. Judgments of the People. Select Judges. Assessors. Voluntary Exile and Death. Abuses of Civil JurisprudenceChapter XLVReign of the younger Justin.Embassy of the Avars.Their Settlement on the Danube.Conquest of Italy by the Lombards.Adoption and Reign of Tiberius.Of Maurice.State of Italy under the Lombards and the Exarchs.Of Ravenna.Distress of Rome.Character and Pontificate of Gregory the First.A.D.565 Death of Justinian565-574. Reign of Justin II. or the Younger566 His Consulship. Embassy of the Avars. Alboin, King of the Lombardshis Valour, Love, and Revenge. The Lombards and Avars destroy the King and Kingdom of the Gepidæ567 Alboin undertakes the Conquest of Italy. Disaffection and Death of Narses568-570. Conquest of a great Part of Italy by the Lombards573 Alboin is murdered by his Wife Rosamond. Her Flight and Death. Clepho, King of the Lombards. Weakness of the Emperor Justin574 Association of Tiberius578 Death of Justin II.578-582. Reign of Tiberius II. His Virtues582-602. The Reign of Maurice. Distress of Italy584-590. Autharis, King of the Lombards. The Exarchate of Ravenna. The Kingdom of the Lombards. Language and Manners of the Lombards. Dress and Marriage. Government643 Laws. Misery of Rome. The Tombs and Relics of the Apostles. Birth and Profession of Gregory the Roman590-604. Pontificate of Gregory the Great, or First. His spiritual Office. And temporal Government. His Estates. And Alms. The Saviour of RomeChapter XLVIRevolutions of Persia after the Death of Chosroes or Nushirvan.His Son Hormouz, a Tyrant, is deposed.Usurpation of Baharam.Flight and Restoration of Chosroes II.-His Gratitude to the Romans.The Chagan of the Avars.Revolt of the Army against Maurice.His Death.Tyranny of Phocas.Elevation of Heraclius.The Persian War.Chosroes subdues Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor.Siege of Constantinople by the Persians and Avars.Persian Expeditions.Victories and Triumph of Heraclius.A.D.Contest of Rome and Persia570 Conquest of Yemen by Nushirvan572 His last War with the Romans579 His Death579-590. Tyranny and Vices of his son Hormouz590 Exploits of Bahram. His Rebellion. Hormouz is deposed and imprisoned. Elevation of his Son Chosroes. Death of Hormouz. Chosroes flies to the Romans. His Return, and final Victory. Death of Bahram591-603. Restoration and Policy of Chosroes570-600. Pride, Policy, and the Power of the Chagan of the Avars595-602. Wars of Maurice against the Avars. State of the Roman Armies. Their Discontent. And Rebellion602 Election of Phocas. Revolt of Constantinople. Death of Maurice and his Children602-610. Phocas Emperor. His Character. And Tyranny610 His Fall and Death610-642. Reign of Heraclius603 Chosroes invades the Roman Empire611 His Conquest of Syria614 Of Palestine616 Of Egypt. Of Asia Minor. His Reign and Magnificence610-622. Distress of Heraclius. He solicits Peace621 His Preparations for War622 First Expedition of Heraclius against the Persians623, 624, 625. His second Expedition626 Deliverance of Constantinople from the Persians and Avars. Alliances and Conquests of Heraclius627 His third Expedition. And Victories. Flight of Chosroes628 He is deposed. And murdered by his Son Siroes. Treaty of Peace between the two EmpiresChapter XLVIITheological History of the Doctrine of the Incarnation.The Human and Divine Nature of Christ.Enmity of the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Constantinople.St. Cyril and Nestorius.Third General Council of Ephesus.Heresy of Eutyches.Fourth General Council of Chalcedon.Civil and Ecclesiastical Discord. Intolerance of Justinian.The Three Chapters.The Monothelite Controversy.State of the Oriental Sects:I. The Nestorians.II. The Jacobites.III. The Maronites.IV. The Armenians.V. The Copts.VI. The AbyssiniansA.D.The Incarnation of ChristI. A pure Man to the Ebonites. His Birth and ElevationII. A pure God to the Docetes. His incorruptible BodyIII. Double Nature of CerinthusIV. Divine Incarnation of ApollinarisV. Orthodox Consent and verbal Disputes412-444. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria413, 414, 415. His Tyranny428 Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople429-431. His Heresy431 First Council of Ephesus. Condemnation of Nestorius. Opposition of the Orientals431-435. Victory of Cyril435 Exile of Nestorius448 Heresy of Eutyches449 Second Council of Ephesus451 Council of Chalcedon. Faith of Chalcedon451-482. Discord of the East482 The Henoticon of Zeno508-518. The Trisagion, and religious War, till the Death of Anastasius514 First religious War519-565. Theological Character and Government of Justinian. His Persecution of Heretics. Of Pagans. Of Jews. Of Samaritans. His Orthodoxy532-698. The three Chapters553 Vth general Council: IId of Constantinople564 Heresy of Justinian629 The Monothelite Controversy639 The Ecthesis of Heraclius648 The Type of Constans680, 681. VIth general Council: IIId of Constantinople. Union of the Greek and Latin Churches. Perpetual Separation of the Oriental SectsI. The Nestorians500 Sole Masters of Persia.500-1200 Their Missions in Tartary, India, China, &c.883 The Christians of St. Thomas in IndiaII. The JacobitesIII. The MaronitesIV. The ArmeniansV. The Copts or Egyptians537-568. The Patriarch Theodosius538 Paul551 Apollinaris580 Eulogius609 John. Their Separation and Decay625-661. Benjamin, the Jacobite PatriarchVI. The Abyssinians and Nubians530 Church of Abyssinia1525-1550 The Portuguese in Abyssinia1557 Mission of the Jesuits1626 Conversion of the Emperor1632 Final Expulsion of the Jesuits
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University of California Press Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the
Book SynopsisA work on Alexander the Great. It combines analyses of terrain, climate, and supply requirements that account for Alexander's strategic decision in the light of the options open to him.Table of ContentsList of Tables and Maps Acknowledgments Frequently Abbreviated Works Introduction 1. The Macedonian Army and Its Logistic System 2. Greece and Turkey 3. Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, and Iraq 4. Iran and Afghanistan 5. Uzbekistan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and Southern Iran 6. Conclusion Appendix Note on the Maps Maps Bibliography Index
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Vintage Publishing The Tyrannicide Brief
Book SynopsisCharles I waged civil wars that cost one in ten Englishmen their lives. But in 1649 parliament was hard put to find a lawyer with the skill and daring to prosecute a King who was above the law: in the end the man they briefed was the radical barrister, John Cooke.Cooke was a plebeian, son of a poor farmer, but he had the courage to bring the King''s trial to its dramatic conclusion: the English republic. Cromwell appointed him as a reforming Chief Justice in Ireland, but in 1660 he was dragged back to the Old Bailey, tried and brutally executed.John Cooke was the bravest of barristers, who risked his own life to make tyranny a crime. He originated the right to silence, the ''cab rank'' rule of advocacy and the duty to act free-of-charge for the poor. He conducted the first trial of a Head of State for waging war on his own people - a forerunner of the prosecutions of Pinochet, Miloševic and Saddam Hussein, and a lasting inspiration to the modern world.Trade ReviewRedeems from obscurity an unsung hero of true greatness... Sheds invigorating light on the course of the English civil war * Spectator *Robertson has come up with that desperately rare thing: a subject worthy of biography who has never before been addressed and, to his huge advantage, in his field. The result is a work of literary advocacy as elegant, impassioned and original as any the author can ever have laid before a court -- Anthony Holden * Observer *Robertson tells a spellbinding story. He combines lucid analysis of the legal issues with acute understanding of the various factions. His prose is crisp and he inserts some comments that only a professional advocate, as opposed to an academic historian, would make -- Christopher Silvester * Daily Telegraph *Fascinating... Illuminating... This is a work of great compassion and, at a time when it seems to be fashionable for politicians to denigrate lawyers, it is an essential read for anyone who believes in the fearless independence of the law -- John Cooper * The Times *[Robertson's] forensic intelligence can penetrate where professional historians have not reached -- Blair Worden * Literary Review *
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Little, Brown Book Group Germany Jekyll and Hyde
Book SynopsisBrilliantly insightful analysis of Hitler's Germany first published in 1940, written by the author of DEFYING HITLERTrade ReviewSebastian Haffner's book is unmatched as a contemporary analysis of the Third Reich. It is quite remarkable that, writing in 1940, he could produce such acute insights into Hitler's character and political hold over Germany * IAN KERSHAW *An alarm call trying to awaken the British to the unique nature of Hitler and the Nazi regime ... Remarkably prescient * J. G. BALLARD *Haffner's clear-sighted analysis annihilates any claim by his contemporaries not to have known about Nazi crimes. Apocryphally, Churchill told his cabinet to read this book so that they would understand the Nazi threat. We should do likewise to understand how close we came to ignoring it * OBSERVER *A powerful and sustained text . . . it explodes with rhetorical fireworks. Haffner produces a convincing picture of the Nazis, their numbers, their power and the destructive nihilism that united them * Giles MacDonogh, BBC HISTORY *
£11.39
Oxford University Press Spain A History
Book SynopsisFrom Roman times to the present day, Spain has occupied a significant role in the evolution of our Western world. This book highlights the notable trends, intellectual and social, of each particular era in its history. The imposition of Roman rule created the notion of Hispania as a single entity. Chapters on the Visigoth monarchy, Moorish Spain, the establishment of an empire, the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, all chart the political and economic development of Spain, but also emphasise the extraordinary and diverse artistic and literary achievements of the Spanish people within this one country at these different times. Moving on to the nineteenth century, we read of the rise of liberalism, and of its fall, which ushered in a period of disarray leading to the Civil War and authoritarian rule. Today Spain is a fully integrated and enthusiastic member of the European community. The contributors to this work are all specialists in their field, and provide an authoritative overview of two thousand years of Spanish history for the student and general reader.Trade ReviewThe book, which is nicely illustrated, contains nine essays ... which cover the history of Spain, still unfamliar to most English-speakers, from prehistoric times to the present. The essays are well written by experts in that particular period and show how many of the trends we usually regard as 'post-Franco' have been about for some time in the ebb and flow of Spanish history. * Contemp. Rev. *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Prehistoric and Roman Spain ; 2. Visigothic Spain ; 3. The Early Middle Ages ; 4. The Late Middle Ages ; 5. The Improbable Empire ; 6. Vicissitudes of a World Power, 1500-1700 ; 7. Flow and Ebb, 1700-1833 ; 8. 1833-1931 ; 9. Spain from 1931 to the Present
£15.29
Oxford University Press The Dutch Republic
Book SynopsisThe `Dutch Golden Age'', the age of Grotius, Spinoza, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and a host of other renowned artists and writers was also remarkable for its immense impact in the spheres of commerce, finance, shipping, and technology. It was in fact one of the most spectacularly creative episodes in the history of the world. In this book, Jonathan Israel gives the definitive account of the emergence of the United Provinces as a great power, and explains the subsequent decline in the eighteenth century. He places the thought, politics, religion, and social developments of the Golden Age in their broad context, and examines the changing relationship between the northern Netherlands and the south, which was to develop into modern Belgium.One of the principal aims of the book is to counter the oversimplification which characterizes so much history writing today, and to provide a new type of integrated history which draws the different dimensions of the discipline firmly together in strictly non-technical language. The result is a comprehensive and lucid account as useful to the reader primarily interested in artistic and cultural history as to the student who needs a survey of the Republic''s institutions, class structure, and economic development. At the same time it will provide an invaluable aid to scholars interested in new research and new interpretations.Trade ReviewThis is a magnificent doorstop of a book ... As an account of what made possible one of the most dazzling "Golden Ages" in European history it is unlikely to be bettered. * Sunday Telegraph *Israel has produced a classic ... Any scholar would be delighted to write a book of such learning, vigour and confidence. Very few indeed have done so, and no other has matched Israel on his topic. * THES *Table of ContentsPART 1: THE MAKING OF THE REPUBLIC, 1477-1588 ; PART 2: THE EARLY GOLDEN AGE, 1588-1647 ; PART III: THE LATER GOLDEN AGE, 1647-1702 ; PART IV: THE AGE OF DECLINE, 1702-1806
£999.99
The History Press Ltd The Little History of England
Book SynopsisWhat did the Romans do for us?Did King Arthur really exist?Who was Bloody Mary?Why did Great Britain go to war with Napoleon?Formed out of a union of warring Germanic kingdoms in the tenth century ad, England rose to become the most powerful nation in the world and the operations room of an empire spanning a quarter of the world's land surface.The Little History of England tells the great story of English history as simply as possible. This fast-paced and comprehensive narrative takes the reader on a journey from the beginning of the world to the present day. Historian Jonathan McGovern brings an insider's perspective into play, explaining the real significance behind the tumultuous history of this remarkable country.
£13.49
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) The Destruction of the Dubova Shtetl
Book SynopsisBorn in the Belarusian shtetl Lyuban in 1885, Rokhl Faygnberg witnessed and wrote about many of the defining events of modern Jewish historywars, pogroms, and the birth of the State of Israel. She became the first professional Jewish female author who earned a living from writing novels and penning essays for the Yiddish and Hebrew press. After the pogroms of the civil war in Ukraine 1918-1921, which she powerfully chronicled in her work, she moved to Poland and eventually settled in Mandate Palestine in 1933, where she published largely in Hebrew under the name Rakhel Imri. She died in Tel Aviv in 1972.Elissa Bemporad is Professor of History and Chair in East European Jewish History and the Holocaust at Queens College and CUNY Graduate Center, USA. She is the author of Becoming Soviet Jews: The Bolshevik Experiment in Minsk (2013), winner of the National Jewish Book Award, the Fraenkel Prize in Contemporary History, and a finalist for the Jordan Schnitzer Award. Her most recent book, entitled Legacy of Blood: Jews, Pogroms, and Ritual Murder in the Lands of the Soviets (2019), also won a National Jewish Book Award. Elissa is also the co-editor of two volumes: Women and Genocide: Survivors, Victims, Perpetrators (2018, with Joyce Warren); and Pogroms: A Documentary History of Anti-Jewish Violence (2021, with Gene Avrutin). She is editor of Jewish Social Studies and is currently working on a biography of Ester Frumkin.
£16.14
Yale University Press Edward III
Book SynopsisA landmark biography of the charismatic king beloved of fourteenth-century EnglandTrade Review“Mark Ormrod’s Edward III is majestically compelling.”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Daily Telegraph (Books of the Year) -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * The Daily Telegraph (Books of the Year) *“Ormrod has mastered the complex interplay of circumstance, motive, and personality to provide an original and important account not only of a King but of a nation at a critical stage of its history. Edward III is a remarkable achievement and deserves a wide readership, both among professional historians and the general public.”—Scott L. Waugh, Times Literary Supplement -- Scott L. Waugh * Times Literary Supplement *“Ormrod’s sheer mastery of his sources informs every page of his text. Here we have the long-awaited authoritative biography of the king for our generation.”—Nigel Saul, Reviews in History -- Nigel Saul * Reviews in History *'Ormrod presents a picture of Edward III that is complex and convincing. Above all, what emerges is the supreme quality of statesmanship and political skill displayed in the king’s best years. This is a masterly study of a complex reign, with its triumphs in the French wars, and with the eventual tragedy of the final years marred by corruption and failing finances.' - Michael Prestwich, author of The Three Edwards: War and State in England, 1272-1377 -- Michael Prestwich'Mark Ormrod's Edward III is a distinguished contribution to the scholarship of medieval England. At the centre is the development, and eventual decline, of the royal personality; chivalric society and its influence is given its due place, as is the king’s leadership of his country in peace and war. At long last we have a book which does full justice to its subject, and which be read with profit by both scholar and general reader alike.' - Christopher Allmand, author of The Hundred Years War: England and France at War, c.1300-c.1450 -- Christopher Allmand'This is a magnificent study of Edward III and his reign, a broadly conceived, richly textured and deeply humane evocation of the king and his age. It is as colourful and captivating — one imagines — as the tapestries with which Edward adorned his apartments; but it is as solidly built as Windsor Castle.' - Michael Bennett, author of Richard II and the Revolution of 1399 -- Michael Bennett'W. Mark Ormrod sets a new and dazzling standard in the writing of biographies of medieval rulers. He brings Edward III vividly to life and a gripping and taut series of analyses focus on the multiple problems facing the English monarchy, Edward's attempts to impose a new agenda, and the lasting effects this had on the character of English kingship.' - Anthony Goodman, author of John of Gaunt: The Exercise of Princely Power in Fourteenth-Century Europe -- Anthony Goodman“Part of the problem is that Edward III’s respect for the conventional images of kingship has obscured his personality, making him seem like a cardboard cut out. Perhaps the greatest merit of Mark Ormrod’s magnificent new biography, is that it penetrates behind this image…..Ormrod is at his best in describing the personality of the King, and his impact on English political society.”—Jonathan Sumpton, Literary Review -- Jonathan Sumpton * Literary Review *"Ormrod (Univ. of York, UK) has proven himself to be the ideal historian to produce a superlative biography of King Edward. . . . Ormrod gets as close to understanding Edward and his reign as anyone is likely to get."—A.C. Reeves, Choice -- A.C. Reeves * Choice *"A long-awaited addition to the English Monarchs series" Northern History Journal * Northern History Journal *"A dauntingly large but majestically compelling study of one of England’s most successful war leaders. Ormrod’s vivid prose captures wonderfully the personal quality of medieval politics." Sunday Telegraph. * Sunday Telegraph *
£25.00
Oxford University Press The History of the English People 10001154
Book SynopsisHenry of Huntingdon's History is a major source for events in England and Normandy during his lifetime, including the Battle of Hastings, the reigns of William II, Henry I, and Stephen, written with panache and passion and embellished with anecdotes such as Henry's death from a surfeit of lampreys, and Cnut and the waves.
£7.99
Penguin Books Ltd Montaillou
Book SynopsisAn enthralling account of day-to-day life in a medieval French village. Using records gathered by the Catholic Church in its pursuit of heretics, the book recreates the lives of a rich cast of village characters.Table of ContentsPart 1 The ecology of Montaillou - the house and the shepherd: environment and authority; the domus; a dominant house - the Clergue family; the shepherds; the great migrations; the life of the shepherds in the Pyrenees; the shepherd's mental outlook. Part 2 An archaeology of Montaillou - from body language to myth: body language and sex; the libido of the Clergues; temporary unions; marriage and love; marriage and the condition of women; childhood and other ages in life; death in Montaillou; cultural exchanges; social relationships; concepts of time and space; fate, magic and salvation; religion in practice; morality, wealth and labour; magic and the other world.
£11.69
Orion Publishing Co The Somme A New History WN Military
Book SynopsisOn 1 July 1916, after a stupendous 7-day artillery preparation, the British Army finally launched its attack on the German line around the River Somme. Over the next four and half months they continued to attack, with little or no gain, and with horrendous losses to both sides. This book, written by the world''s foremost expert in the subject, describes in chilling detail everything from the grand strategy to the experience of the men on the ground. Illustrated throughout, it is a stunning and absorbing depiction of the horror that was the Somme in 1916.
£9.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Civil Wars
Book SynopsisThe only suriving continuous narrative source for the events between 133 and 70 BCAppian's writings vividly describe Catiline's conspiracy, the rise and fall of the First Triumvirate, and Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon, defeat of Pompey and untimely death. The climax comes with the brith of the Second Triumvirate out of anarchy, the terrible purges of Proscriptions which followed and the titanic struggle for world mastery which was only to end with Augustus's defeat of Antony and Cleopatra.If Appian's Roman History as a whole reveals how an empire was born of the struggle against a series of external enemis, these five books concentrate on an even greater ordeal. Despite the rhetorical flourishes, John Carter suggests in his Introductions, the impressive 'overall conception of the decline of the Roman state into violence, with its sombre highlights and the leitmotif of fate, is neither trivial nor inaccurate.'For more than seventy years, Penguin hasTable of ContentsThe Civil Wars - Appian Translated with an Introduction by John CarterAcknowledgmentsIntroductionBibliographical NoteNotes on the TranslationTable of DatesTHE CIVIL WARSBook IBook IIBook IIIBook IVBook VNotesAppendixMaps:A. Northern and Central ItalyB. Southern Italy and SicilyC. Greece and the Aegean BasinD. Provinces and Kingdoms of the EastIndex
£11.69
British Museum Press Sex on Show Seeing the Erotic in Greece and Rome
Book SynopsisThe Greeks and Romans were not shy about sex. In classical Greece, statues of erect penises served as boundary-stones and signposts. In Rome, marble satyrs and nymphs grappled in gardens. How are we to make sense of this abundance of sexual imagery? Were these images seductive, shocking, humorous? This title answers these questions.
£21.25
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Coin Finds in Britain A Collectors Guide Shire
Book SynopsisOver the centuries Britain's soil has yielded countless spectacular hoards of ancient coins and other artefacts, affording us priceless insights into our ancestors' lives and it is not only such large finds that await discovery but also many thousands of individual pieces. Wonderfully, discoveries both minor and momentous are frequently made not by teams of professionals but by amateur archaeologists and metal-detector enthusiasts, for whom this book is intended as a helpful companion. It provides a catalogue of commonly encountered coins, dating from ancient times until the modern day, explaining their historical context, how they might have come to be lost and where they may be found today.Table of ContentsBritain’s Buried Coinage / Iron Age Coins / Roman Coins / Medieval Coins / Post-medieval Coins / Tokens, Counters and Medals / Recording Coin Finds / Further Reading / Index
£8.99
Headline Publishing Group The Zookeepers Wife An unforgettable true story
Book SynopsisNow a major motion picture, starring Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl, based on a remarkable true story of bravery and sanctuary during World War II - out in Spring 2017.When Germany invades Poland, Luftwaffe bombers devastate Warsaw and the city''s zoo along with it. With most of their animals killed, or stolen away to Berlin, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski begin smuggling Jews into the empty cages.As the war escalates Jan becomes increasingly involved in the anti-Nazi resistance. Ammunition is buried in the elephant enclosure and explosives stored in the animal hospital. Plans are prepared for what will become the Warsaw uprising. Through the ever-present fear of discovery, Antonina must keep her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and animal inhabitants - otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes - as Europe crumbles around them.Written with the narrative drive and emotional punch of a novel, The Zookeeper''s Wife is a remarkable tTrade ReviewI can't imagine a better story or storyteller. The Zookeeper's Wife will touch every nerve you have * Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything is Illuminated *Alternatingly funny, moving and terrifying. This powerful thriller would be a great novel - except that it happens to be true. * Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs and Steel *
£10.44
Cornell University Press The Romanian Revolution of December 1989
Book SynopsisThe Romanian Revolution of 1989 was the most spectacularly violent and remains today the most controversial of all the East European upheavals of that year. Despite (or perhaps because of) the media attention the revolution received, it remains...Trade Review"Siani-Davies has reconstructed the rush of events during these three revolutionary weeks literally hour by hour. The effect is to draw the reader in as if he or she were there, while at the same time soaring above and viewing the overall flow and structure of a revolution. In short, Siani-Davies has done more than provide an exceedingly fine-grained account of the overthrow of the Ceausescu regime; he has given students of revolution an example with all the inner mechanics exposed."—Foreign Affairs, September/October 2005"Among the Communist governments in eastern Europe that collapsed, nowhere was the overthrow as violent and blood as in the Romanian revolution of 1989, which cost more than 1,000 lives. Peter Siani-Davies, utilizing a wide variety of Romanian sources, has written a detailed history of the revolution that brought the overthrow of the Communist government in Romania and the execution of Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena on Christmas Day, 1989."—Keith Eubank, The Virginia Quarterly Review"Here is a remarkable portal to a crossroad in contemporary politics for Romanian aficionados and Cold War history buffs. Peter Siani-Davies touches western and southern urban locales in focusing on the immediate background and aftermath of Nicolae Ceausescu's overthrow. He critically assesses evidence gleaned from Romanian newspapers and offers probabilities and possibilities for matters still awaiting the disclosure of primary records."—Frederick Kellogg, Slavic Review, Summer 2006"Splendidly researched and compellingly argued, this book is an original and persuasive contribution to our understanding of the collapse of Ceausescu's dictatorship, the December 1989 revolutionary upheaval, and the difficult birth of democracy in Romania. It is mandatory reading for all those interested in a luminously sophisticated approach to the myths and realities of the Romanian Revolution."—Vladimir Tismaneanu, University of Maryland, author of Stalinism for All Seasons: A Political History of Romanian Communism"Finally, a near-definitive account of how Ceausescu fell! This fascinating book shows that this was indeed a classic revolution. It was violent, mass based, and it deeply transformed Romania. Peter Siani-Davies has made a valuable addition to the analytic literature on mass political movements. Impeccably documented and reasoned, his book will provide comparative students of revolution enormous amounts of material. We rarely get such detailed accounts of how various leaders, factions, and ordinary people are swept up in chaotic circumstances they often do not quite understand. In Romania, the outcome was deliverance from a stultifying tyranny, but this study makes it clear that chance and human errors play a role in determining outcomes, though underlying structural and historical factors ultimately count even more."—Daniel Chirot, Senior Fellow, United States Institute of Peace
£23.99
Vintage April Blood
Book SynopsisOne of the world's foremost authorities on the Italian Renaissance, Lauro Martines was born in Chicago, has a Ph.D. from Harvard University, but has been living in London since 1970. Until recently he communted to Los Angeles, where he was Professor of European History at the University of California. He and his wife, the novelist Julia O'Faolain, lived for some years in Florence. His best known books include Lawyers and Statecraft in Renaissance Florence (1968), Society and History in English Renaissance Verse (1985), An Italian Renaissance Sextet: Six Tales in Historical Context (1994), Strong Words: Writing and Social Strain in the Italian Renaissance (2001), and Power and Imagination, now available in Pimlico.Trade ReviewA spine-chilling political drama of conspiracy, murder and bloody revenge * The Times *A riveting tale in which we can recognise analogies with our own world * Financial Times *Sheds light on the whole apparatus of political powering Renaissance Florence * Week *Captivating * Times Literary Supplement *Elegant and incisive...a masterful reconstruction * Sunday Times *
£12.34
Faber & Faber The West End Front
Book SynopsisMeet the girl from MI5 who had the gravy browning licked from her legs by Dylan Thomas; the barman who was appointed the keeper of Winston Churchill's private bottle of whisky; the East End Communist who marched with his comrades into the air-raid shelter of the Savoy; the throneless prince born in a suite at Claridge's declared...
£12.34
Faber & Faber Fatal Path
Book SynopsisThis is a magisterial narrative of the most turbulent decade in Anglo-Irish history: a decade of unleashed passions that came close to destroying the parliamentary system and to causing civil war in the United Kingdom. It was also the decade of the cataclysmic Great War, of an officers'' mutiny in an elite cavalry regiment of the British Army and of Irish armed rebellion. It was a time, argues Ronan Fanning, when violence and the threat of violence trumped democratic politics. This is a contentious view. Historians have wished to see the events of that decade as an aberration, as an eruption of irrational bloodletting. And they have have been reluctant to write about the triumph of physical force. Fanning argues that in fact violence worked, however much this offends our contemporary moral instincts. Without resistance from the Ulster Unionists and its very real threat of violence the state of Northern Ireland would never have come into being. The Home Rule part
£11.69
Pan Macmillan Warriors in Scarlet
Book SynopsisIan Knight's Warriors in Scarlet is a comprehensive and stirring history of the Victorian army between 1837 to 1860, from the Battle of Bossendon Wood to the Crimean War, a period of seismic change as the rapid expansion of the empire saw the British army fighting in small wars across the world.An acclaimed military historian, Knight reveals the brutal reality of colonial conflict from both sides. Drawing on first-hand accounts he shows us the reality of life for the British soldier in this era – the drudgery of peacetime service for the ordinary soldier, the excitement and privations of posting overseas, the floggings and desertions, the regimental pride and comradeship.Knight vividly recreates the action on the ground, from bloody skirmishes in Southern Africa and siege warfare in New Zealand to disasters like the 1842 retreat from Kabul and Chillianwalla in the Punjab. British soldiers trained in tactics that had beaten Napoleon were forced
£12.34
Pan Macmillan The Fall of the Roman Empire
Book SynopsisPeter Heather was born in Northern Ireland in 1960 and educated at Maidstone Grammar School and New College, Oxford. He has taught at University College, London, and Yale University, and is currently a Fellow of Medieval History at Worcester College, Oxford.Trade Review"'a colourful and enthralling narrative...an account full of keen wit and an infectious relish for the period.' Independent On Sunday 'provides the reader with drama and lurid colour as well as analysis... succeeds triumphantly.' Sunday Times 'a fascinating story, full of ups and downs and memorable characters' Spectator 'bursting with action...one can recommend to anyone, whether specialist or interested amateur.' History Today 'a rare combination of scholarship and flair for narrative' Tom Holland"
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd The Struggle for Mastery
Book SynopsisThe two-and-a-half centuries after 1066 were momentous ones in the history of Britain. In 1066, England was conquered for the last time. The Anglo-Saxon ruling class was destroyed and and the English became a subject race, dominated by a Norman-French dynasty and aristocracy. This book shows how the English domination of the kingdom was by no means a foregone conclusion. The struggle for mastery in the book's title is in reality the struggle for different masteries within Great Britain. The book weaves together the histories of England, Scotland and Wales in a new way and argues that all three, in their different fashions, were competing for dominationTrade Review"This is a fine, up-to-date synthesis of a grand subject, now suitably enlarged." T.N. Bisson, Henry Charles Lea Professor of Medieval History, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsThe Struggle for MasteryList of Maps and Genealogical TablesPrefaceMapsMoney, Technical Terms, and Names of People and Places1. The Peoples of Britain2. The Economies of Britain3. The Norman Conquest of England, 1066-874. Wales, Scotland and the Normans, 1058-945. Britain and the Anglo-Norman Realm, 1087-11356. Britain Remodelled: King Stephen, 1135-54, King David, 1124-53, and the Welsh Rulers7. King Henry II, Britain and Ireland, 1154-898. Richard the Lionheart, 1189-99, and William the Lion, 1165-12149. The Reign of King John, 1199-121610. The Minority of Henry III and its Sequel, 1216-34, Llywelyn the Great, 1194-1240, and Alexander II, 1214-4911. Britain During the Personal Rule of King Henry III, 1234-5812. The Tribulations of Henry III, the Triumphs of Alexander III and Llywelyn, Prince of Wales, 1255-7213. Structures of Society14. Church, Religion, Literacy and Learning15. King Edward I: The Parliamentary State16. Wales and Scotland: Conquest and CoexistenceGenealogical TablesBibliographyIndex
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd The Ancien Régime and the Revolution
Book SynopsisThe Ancien Régime and the Revolution is a comparison of revolutionary France and the despotic rule it toppled. Alexis de Tocqueville (180559) is an objective observer of both periods providing a merciless critique of the ancien régime, with its venality, oppression and inequality, yet acknowledging the reforms introduced under Louis XVI, and claiming that the post-Revolution state was in many ways as tyrannical as that of the King; its once lofty and egalitarian ideals corrupted and forgotten. Writing in the 1850s, Tocqueville wished to expose the return to despotism he witnessed in his own time under Napoleon III, by illuminating the grand, but ultimately doomed, call to liberty made by the French people in 1789. His eloquent and instructive study raises questions about liberty, nationalism and justice that remain urgent today.
£10.44
Amberley Publishing Richard III: The Young King to be
Book SynopsisA major new biography of the young Richard III. Richard III is a paradox - the most hated of English kings, yet the most beloved, a deeply pious man, yet materialistic to the point of obsession, puritan, yet the father of at least two illegitimate children. This new biography concentrates on the much neglected early part of Richard's life - from his birth in 1452 as a cadet of the House of York to his marriage to the beautiful Anne Neville - and shows how his experiences as the son of an ambitious duke, a prisoner of war, an exile, his knightly training and awe of his elder brother, King Edward IV, shaped the character of England's most controversial monarch. From the insignificant younger brother of a would-be king to Knight of the Garter, duke, respected soldier and loyal supporter to Edward IV, Richard faced extreme danger and heady triumph, poverty and abundance, neglect and acclamation as the House of York rose to the heights of power and propelled him a glorious career at Court.
£10.44
Headline Publishing Group Monte Cassino
Book Synopsis80th anniversary of the Battle of Monte CassinoThe six-month battle for Monte Cassino was Britain''s bitterest and bloodiest encounter with the German army on any front in World War Two.At the beginning of 1944 Italy was the western Allies'' only active front against Nazi-controlled Europe, and their only route to the capital was through the Liri valley. Towering over the entrance to the valley was the medieval monastery of Monte Cassino, a seemingly impenetrable fortress high up in the ''bleak and sinister'' mountains. This was where the German commander, Kesselring, made his stand.MONTE CASSINO tells the extraordinary story of ordinary soldiers tested to the limits under conditions reminiscent of the bloodbaths of World War One. In a battle that became increasingly political, symbolic and personal as it progressed, more and more men were asked to throw themselves at the virtually impregnable German defences. It is a story of incompetence, hubris
£10.44
Orion Publishing Co Fatal Colours Towton 1461 Englands Most Brutal
Book SynopsisA gripping account of the Wars of the Roses battle of Towton - the most brutal day in English history.''Vivid, humane and superbly researched'' David Starkey''The story has never been told so well or so excitingly'' Desmond SewardThe Battle of Towton in 1461 was unique in its ferocity and brutality, as the armies of two kings of England engaged with murderous weaponry and in appalling conditions to conclude the first War of the Roses. Variously described as the largest, longest and bloodiest battle on English soil, Towton was fought with little chance of escape and none of surrender. Fatal Colours includes a cast of strong and compelling characters: a warrior queen, a ruthless king-making earl, even a papal legate who excommunicates an entire army.Combining medieval sources and modern scholarship, George Goodwin colourfully recreates the atmosphere of 15th century England and chronicles the vicious in-fighting as the inTrade ReviewFatal Colours is more thank a book about one battle, vivid, humane and superbly researched though it is. It is an account of a moment of profound crisis in English politics -- David StarkeyA fantastic historical account of how one man's incompetence put so many at risk * BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH *A sobering, revealing account of a dreadful day and a dreadful war. * THE PRESS *For a nation that is so fond of a bellicose past, it is astonishing that so little is known about this most bloody day in English history. George Goodwin's emotive account of this half-time mark in the Wars of the Roses is an essential addition to our gory story. -- AA Gill, Hon Patron of Towton Batlefield SocietyThe Wars of the Roses have attracted many historians: some deal in the technicalities of military strategy; some chronicle the lives of the chief protagonists. Much rarer is the ability to combine all three - but Goodwin has pulled it off in this page-turning read. -- Helen Castor * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *The story has never been told so well or so excitingly...George Goodwin rightly argues that while Towton can claim to be the biggest, longest and bloodiest English battle, what really marks it out is its brutality, its final casual indifference to the rules of war and humanity. -- Desmond Seward * BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *Brilliantly researched and superbly written, Fatal Colours vividly brings to life one of the most dramatic periods of our history. -- Tracey Borman, author of ELIZABETH'S WOMENUtterly captivating, perfectly balanced between fascinating detail and nail biting narrative. I was particularly struck by the attention given to ordinary soldiers and the way in which George had winnowed out the often poignant stories of their lives from the documentary evidence - it's a subject which is often overlooked and gave a fresh perspective on the battle. -- Lisa Hilton, author of QUEENS CONSORTGoodwin... charts his way through the off-putting complexities of the family tree very nicely, enlivening the minor characters while giving the major characters their proper weight in the story.... eloquent and easily digestible account, told with an eye for the salient detail, and I hope this is the first in a series of histories of this fascinating but poorly served period....you close Goodwin's wanting to read more -- Toby Clements * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Written with clarity of style, accessible and engaging. A significant addition to the literature on the period -- Professor Anthony GoodmanA cracking job. A very enjoyable read -- David Cooke, Chairman Yorkshire Battlefields TrustFull of fascinating detail. I enjoyed it immensely. -- Allan Harley, Secretary of the Wars of the Roses FederationGoodwin evokes the poignant details of that calamitous day with remarkable force. -- Benjamin Evans * The Daily Telegraph *The author has used careful research and written an interesting account of this period. It is well recommended. * THE HISTORIAN *
£10.44
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Division Leclerc
Book Synopsis''General Leclerc'' was the nom de guerre adopted by the Gaullist officer Philippe de Hautcloque, to protect his family in occupied France. He became France''s foremost fighting commander, and his armored division (the ''2e DB'') its most famous formation. Starting as a small scratch force of mostly African troops organised and led by Leclerc in French Equatorial Africa, it achieved early success raiding Italian and German positions in co-operation with Britain's Long Range Desert Group. Following the Allied victory in North Africa it was expanded and reorganised as a US Army-style armoured division, with American tanks and other armoured vehicles. Shipped to the UK, in spring 1944, it was assigned to Patton''s US Third Army, landing in time for the Normandy breakout and being given the honour of liberating Paris in August 1944. Combining a thorough analysis of their combat and organisation with detailed colour plates of their uniforms and equipment, this is the fascinating stoTrade ReviewA very interesting account with top notch artwork illustrating the colourful vehicle markings and uniforms of the division's units * Tracklink *Table of Contents* Introduction: Philippe de Hautecloque becomes 'Francois Leclerc' * Gaullist mission to French Equatorial Africa, August 1940 * The Colonne Leclerc – seizure of French West Africa – raids on Italians in southern Libya – capture of strategic Kouffra Oasis, March 1941 * Co-operation with LRDG – link-up with Eighth Army, 1942 * Brigade-strength 'L Force' in Tunisia, February-May 1943 * Formation of division, May-August 1943 - equipment by US Army * Assignment to Patton's Third Army in UK, spring 1944 * August 1944: Operation 'Cobra', and liberation of Paris * Alsace/Lorraine – capture of Strasbourg, November 1944 * Into Bavaria, April 1945 * Occupation duties, and stand down, 1946.
£14.24
John Wiley and Sons Ltd A Companion to the Roman Empire
Book SynopsisA Companion to the Roman Empire provides readers with a guide both to Roman imperial history and to the field of Roman studies, taking account of the most recent discoveries. Provides a guide both to Roman imperial history and to the field of Roman studies. Takes account of recent discoveries.Trade Review"Another admirable edition to Blackwell's large expanding series of Companions, it is of comparable length, but with just 30 contributors and 30 chapters … it gives each other more depth and breadth." (Ancient East and West, 2008) "For those with reservations about the 'companion' phenomenon, [this volume] is an excellent advertisement for the benefits of such an exercise.... This volume is almost uniformly good as a guide to central topics in Roman history from the first to the forth century, with a number of outstanding discussions," (The Classical Review, 2008) "A very impressive collection indeed, summarising and building on the latest scholarship, especially the view that there is more to history than politics and the powerful." (Journal of Classics Teaching) "Scholar, student, and interested layperson will all find much to ponder here, and the editor, publisher, and contributors are to be commended for the success of their undertaking. This Companion, at least, constitutes a welcome addition to the field, offers a clear statement of the current state of the discipline, and provides inspiration for future directions" (New England Classical Journal) "This Companion to the Roman Empire provides a fascinating and scholarly insight into our ancient past. It is an ideal reference tool for students and scholars alike, presenting new methods and modes of study that should provoke thought among the readership. It also brings together many disciplines of study that allow scholars to study an Empire as vast and influential as that created by the Romans." (Reference Reviews) "The thirty chapters in this latest title in Blackwell's excellent "Companions to the Ancient World" series are written by such experts in their fields as Maud Gleason, Judith Evans Grubbs, Amy Richlin and Ann Hanson ... No comparable handbook exists ... Essential. All levels/libraries." (Choice—A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2007) "This elegantly and carefully edited book is a resounding success." (Scholia Reviews) "David Potter has assembled an impressive array of scholars whose essays in this volume provide overviews and summarize the current state of scholarship on a variety of topics. A Companion to the Roman Empire succeeds in meeting the needs of its diverse audience and also offers a few surprises." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)Table of ContentsList of Illustrations x List of Tables xiii Notes on Contributors xiv Acknowledgments xvi Reference works: Abbreviations xvii Ancient authors: Abbreviations and Glossary xx The Emperors of Rome from Augustus to Constantine xxix Introduction: The Shape of Roman History: The Fate of the Governing Class 1David S. Potter PART I THE SOURCES 21 1 Constructing a Narrative 23Cynthia Damon 2 Roman Imperial Numismatics 35William E. Metcalf 3 Documents 45Traianos Gagos and David S. Potter 4 Art, Architecture, and Archaeology in the Roman Empire 75Lea Stirling 5 Interdisciplinary Approaches 98James B. Rives PART II NARRATIVE 113 6 The Emergence of Monarchy: 44 BCE–96 CE 115Greg Rowe 7 Rome the Superpower: 96–235 CE 126Michael Peachin 8 The Transformation of the Empire: 235–337 CE 153David S. Potter PART III ADMINISTRATION 175 9 The Administration of the Provinces 177Clifford Ando 10 The Transformation of Government under Diocletian and Constantine 193Hugh Elton 11 The Roman Army 206Nigel Pollard 12 Greek Cities Under Roman Rule 228Maud W. Gleason 13 Cities and Urban Life in the Western Provinces of the Roman Empire 30 BCE–250 CE 250Jonathan Edmondson PART IV SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE 281 14 The Imperial Economy 283David Mattingly 15 Landlords and Tenants 298Dennis P. Kehoe 16 The Family 312Judith Evans Grubbs 17 Sexuality in the Roman Empire 327Amy Richlin 18 On Food and the Body 354Veronika E. Grimm 19 Leisure 369Garrett G. Fagan 20 Spectacle 385David S. Potter PART V INTELLECTUAL LIFE 409 21 The Construction of the Past in the Roman Empire 411Rowland Smith 22 Imperial Poetry 439K. Sara Myers 23 Greek Fiction 453Joseph L. Rife 24 Roman Law and Roman History 477John Matthews 25 Roman Medicine 492Ann Hanson 26 Philosophy in the Roman Empire 524Sara Ahbel-Rappe PART VI RELIGION 541 27 Traditional Cult 543David Frankfurter 28 Jews and Judaism 70–429 CE 565Yaron Z. Eliav 29 Christians in the Roman Empire in the First Three Centuries CE 587Paula Fredriksen 30 Christian Thought 607Mark Edwards Bibliography 620 Index 681
£37.95
Pen & Sword Books Ltd U48 The Most Successful UBoat of the Second World
Book SynopsisComplete history of the patrols of a key U-boat and its notorious commander.
£13.49