European history: medieval period, middle ages Books

Book SynopsisIn June 1941, Finnish troops invaded the Soviet Union alongside the forces of Nazi Germany, sparking a bitter three-year conflict. This absorbing study examines the composition, tactics, and training of both sides. In a bid to recapture territory conceded following the Winter War of 1939--40, Finnish forces cooperated with Nazi Germany and other Axis powers during the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Rapid Finnish progress in reoccupying lost ground in Karelia during the first few months of the invasion gave way to a more static form of warfare from October 1941. The Finns resisted German pressure to participate fully in the Axis attack on the beleaguered Soviet-held city of Leningrad, and the Continuation War came to be characterized by trench warfare and unconventional operations conducted by both sides behind the front lines. In June 1944 the stalemate was abruptly ended by a massive Soviet offensive that pushed the Finns back; the two sides clashed in a Table of ContentsIntroduction The Opposing Sides Sortavala Kuuterselkä Tali–Ihantala Analysis Aftermath Unit Organizations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis title explores and illustrates the armies of France, and six countries allied against Louis XIV, in a wide-ranging Continental conflict that ushered in more than a century of European warfare.Formed in 1689, the ''Grand Alliance'' or League of Augsburg was a military coalition of the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic, Britain, Spain and the Duchy of Savoy, to resist Louis XIV''s rich, powerful and expansionist France. The first stage of the nine year conflict that followed also coincided with the so-called ''Glorious Revolution'' in Britain (168891), when the throne passed to the Dutch Protestant leader, William of Orange, the head of a multi-national Dutch, Danish and English army, which finally expelled James II''s Jacobite and French forces from Ireland. The long war on the continent was notable for the first widespread use of regimental uniforms and flintlock muskets with bayonets, plus the sophisticated use of siege warfare under the great French engineer, VTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION French expansionism, 1667–88 The ‘Glorious Revolution’: Britain, 1688–91 Chronology of the ‘Glorious Revolution’ CHRONOLOGY OF THE EUROPEAN WAR ARMIES IN BRITAIN The English army, 1685 Expansion, 1686–88 The Scots army, 1685–88 The Irish army, 1685–88 William of Orange’s invasion army, 1688–90: Dutch & Anglo-Scots units Danish auxiliary corps Exile units William III’s British armies, 1689–98 The Jacobite army, 1688–91 French expeditionary corps THE FRENCH ARMY THE SPANISH ARMY THE IMPERIAL ARMY THE DUTCH ARMY THE SAVOYARD ARMY SELECT BIBLIOGRAPY PLATE COMMENTARIES INDEX

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Book SynopsisFeaturing specially commissioned artwork and maps, carefully chosen illustrations and insightful analysis, this book examines the legendary Mongol warriors and their vastly different European opponents. Having conquered much of Central Asia by 1237, the Mongols advanced into the northern Caucasus. The fall of several key centres such as Riazan and Vladimir was followed by Mongol victory at Kiev. Moving west, in 1241 two Mongol armies achieved stunning victories at the battles of Liegnitz in Poland and the Sajo River (Mohi) in Hungary, before suffering their only reverse of the campaign at the fortress of Klis. The Mongol forces regrouped in Hungary to prepare for a further advance into Austria and Germany, but the death of their leader, Ogedei Khan, meant that his generals were required to return to Mongolia to choose a successor. Smaller Mongol forces would return to raid in the years to come, but never again would Western Europe be threatened as it was in 1242.Fully illustrateTrade Reviewan interesting match-up, pitting two very different warriors against each other. -- Dave Watson * The Balkan Wargamer *This is an interesting match-up, pitting two very different warriors against each other. * The Balkan Wargamer *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Opposing Sides Liegnitz, 9 April 1241 Muhi, 1241 Esztergom and Székesfehérvár, 1242 Analysis Aftermath Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFor the first time ever, compare the British and German World War II big guns duelling with each other and harrying shipping in the Channel.One of the longest-running battles of World War II took place across the English Channel, in which huge artillery guns attempted to destroy each other, created psychological terror among the local inhabitants living near the coast, and harassed shipping over a four-year period.Neil Short examines the array of powerful weapons located across the Strait of Dover. Superb colour artworks explore both fixed gun batteries (including ''Jane'' and ''Clem'', and batteries Todt and Lindemann) and railway artillery (such as the German K5 and K12 guns, and the British 18in. ''Boche Buster''). Construction and targeting technology used by each side are also covered in detail, and the locations of all the major sites around Dover and Calais are pinpointed on easy to follow maps.Trade ReviewThis book deserves great praise for highlighting a little known part of the war. -- Simon Dalton * History Book Chat *An unusual subject, recommended. * Tankette *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chronology Design and Development Technical Specifications The Combatants The Strategic Situation Combat Statistics and Analysis Aftermath Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking new history of the wars of the Ottoman Expansion, a truly global conflagration that crisscrossed three continents and ultimately defined the borders and future of a modern Europe. The determined attempt to thwart Ottoman dominance was fought across five theaters from the Balkans to the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, from Persia to Russia. This intercontinental melee is expertly re-told in this fascinating new history by historian Si Sheppard.But this is not the story of a clash of civilizations between East and West as you might assume. Europe was not united against the Turks; the scandal of the age was the alliance between King Francis I of France and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Meanwhile, the resistance of the Saadi dynasty of Morocco to Ottoman encroachment played a critical role in denying Constantinople direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. By the same token, though religious imperatives were critical to the motivations of all th

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Book SynopsisHow do you tell that a country has died? In this devastating, pessimistic, though critically-timed revised edition of his classic book, Peter Hitchens describes and regrets the abolition of Britain. In the years since Peter Hitchens first wrote The Abolition of Britain, he argues, there has been an acceleration in the decay of society and culture. Fewer people read; universities have become less and less free; more churches are closing; language has become more homogenised; the city skyline is emblematic of the triumph of Mammon; the monarchy is merely hanging on and immigration is at an unprecedented and unsustainable level, a fact accepted even by those who first welcomed its growth.Hitchens, a former revolutionary Marxist, is amazed and amused by the way in which the nominal Conservative Party has now embraced culturally and socially revolutionary ideas, especially about the family, sexual politics and education, which he would have thought ambitious in his days as aTrade ReviewThis is a cri de coeur from an honest, intelligent and patriotic Englishman desperately worried about the corruption of this country and the likely effects of its lurch into the clutches of a European. * Spectator *Table of ContentsIntroduction: A Modern Man 1. The Warrior and The Victim 2. Born Yesterday 3. Class War 4. The Pink Bits 5. Hell Freezes Over 6. The Telescreen Triumphs 7. Forty Years On 8. A Real Bastard 9. The Queen`s English 10. Difficulties with Girls 11. Last Exit to Decency 12. Suburbs of the Mind 13. The Pill That Cured Morality 14. Health Warning 15. Is Britain Civilised 16. Year Zero Conclusion: Chainsaw Massacre

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING''Davies''s absorbing study serves up just enough sensationalism - and eccentricity - along with its serious inquiry'' SUNDAY TIMES''[A] revealing account of the jail''s 164-year history'' DAILY TELEGRAPH, 5* review''Insightful and thought-provoking and makes for a ripping good read'' JEREMY CORBYN''A much-needed and balanced history'' OBSERVER''Davies explores how society has dealt with disobedient women - from suffragettes to refugees to women seeking abortions - for decades, and how they''ve failed to silence those who won''t go down without a fight'' STYLISTSociety has never known what to do with its rebellious women. Those who defied expectations about feminine behaviour have long been considered dangerous and unnatural, and ever since the Victorian era they have been removed from puTrade ReviewReadable, compelling and illuminating * The Bookseller *Caitlin Davies writes with warmth, empathy and humour about the women - some brave and rebellious - who spent time in Holloway Prison. Assiduously researched, Bad Girls documents interweaving struggles against prejudice, injustice, ignorance and poverty . . . the real history of Holloway is written in this insightful and thought-provoking book - which makes for a ripping good read * Jeremy Corbyn *Davies's absorbing study serves up just enough sensationalism - and eccentricity - along with its serious inquiry . . . Davies captures the sense of camaraderie that blossomed inside Holloway, occasionally between warder and inmate . . . Davies uses the prison as a prism through which to chart changing attitudes to women over the past 164 years - beginning with the Victorian notion of "double deviance", which suggested that female criminals had broken not only the law of the land, but that of nature by committing "unwomanly" acts -- Helen Davies * SUNDAY TIMES *It's such a great read . . . fascinating * Jo Good, BBC Radio London *A rich, superbly researched, definitive history of Holloway Prison . . . There are so many heartbreaking stories within stories in the book' * The Herald *Meticulously records a much-needed and balanced history of this home to "royalty and socialites, spies and prostitutes . . . Nazis and aliens, terrorists and freedom fighters" and thousands of very ordinary desperate women -- Yvonne Roberts * Observer *Fascinating both for its portrait of larger-than-life women and the ways in which they were regarded by wide society during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries * History Revealed *Offers many great tales of those who called the now-closed Holloway prison their home for either long or short stretches of time . . . comprehensive and much-needed . . . A hefty section of the book examines the place of the prison in the suffragette movement, a welcome addition to this year's centenary celebration of the women's right to vote . . . a must-read * Camden New Journal *An enjoyable and enlightening read, which has much to recommend it * BBC History Magazine *

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Book SynopsisA BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'Nuanced, human and engaging' Nikesh Shukla, Observer 'Full of life, characters, gossip and all the richness of the local community' Sir David Jason 'A delightful story of growing up 'above the shop'' Nigel Slater, Observer 'Cleverly links her own memories of shop-bound life with the last 50 years of British history' Spectator 'I come from a hidden world: I am the daughter of shopkeepers. I've seen you on a Sunday morning, nipping out to get a pint of milk or to grab a newspaper. I came to know a lot about you; whether your politics leaned to the right or left, whether you were gay or straight, and whether you were plagued by cash-flow problems or had enough disposable income to indulge your penchant for Cadbury's Creme Eggs.' Babita Sharma was raised in a corner shop in Reading, and over the counter watched a changing world, from the clientele to the products Trade ReviewPart memoir, part social history, The Corner Shop is a gentle, charming and at times poignant look at our nation of shopkeepers . . . human, accessible and informative; a nuanced exploration of part of British Asian life that has long been stereotyped - and therein lies this book's strength. * Observer *A delightful story of growing up "above the shop" * Nigel Slater, Observer *An evocative real-life account of her own British Asian family running (and living above) a Reading shop * BBC Culture *One of the best books I've read of the immigrant experience in this country . . . it's the detail that makes it . . . a subtle, enjoyable book. * Daily Mail *A story of assimilation and triumph. * Radio Times *Sharma cleverly links her own memories of shop-bound life with the last 50 years of British history . . . How much we found out about you, says Sharma teasingly, as you dashed in for that last-minute bottle of wine. * Spectator *Full of life, characters, gossip and all the richness of the local community -- Sir David JasonA compelling, full selection box of a story -- Sanjeev KohliI loved it cover to cover. * Angela Clutton, author of THE VINEGAR CUPBOARD *

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Book SynopsisGranted extensive official access to the RAF and their archives, the author has been able to create a comprehensive, consolidated history of the Royal Air Force during the 1950s, a dynamic decade of expansion and technological development. This is the first release in a major new series.

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Book SynopsisThe first study of Sunderland during the Second World War. Large focus on the Home Front using source material drawn from local archives and contemporary newspapers.

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Book SynopsisJohn Breuilly brings together a distinguished group of international scholars to examine Germany's history from 1780 to 1918, featuring chapters on economic, demographic and social as well as cultural and intellectual history. There are also chapters on political and military history covering the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, the post-Napoleonic period, the revolutions of 1848-1849, the unification of Germany, Bismarckian Germany and Wilhelmine Germany, and Germany during the First World War.This new edition, which retains the helpful further reading suggestions for each chapter and a chronology, has been completely updated to take account of recent historiography. The statistical data has been expanded, more maps and images have been introduced, and there are two new chapters on transnational approaches and gender history. Finally, the editor has added a conclusion which reflects on the key developments in the history of Germany over the long nineteenth century.Providing clear suTrade ReviewOver the course of the 19th century, the Germans forged a nation. Yet building the nation state was only one part of a process of reorganizing society and reconnecting people nationally and trans-nationally. With great conceptual clarity and a wealth of information, this book charts how the Germans made sense of the modern world that emerged around them. * Benjamin Ziemann, Professor of Modern German History, University of Sheffield, UK *This sparkling collection of essays has a distinguished pedigree, and now it has been thoroughly updated with new authors and new ideas. All chapters address compelling debates about the transformations of German life from the French Revolution to the First World War, putting the lie to lamentations that the 19th century is somehow vanishing from writing on German and European history. Breuilly’s conclusion challenges readers to reconsider the social, economic, cultural and political changes that made Germany into one of the most modern—and restless—nations on earth. * James Retallack, Professor of History and German Studies, University of Toronto, Canada *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Maps List of Tables and Graphs Preface (2nd Edition, 2019) Preface (1st Edition, 2001) 1. Introduction, John Breuilly (London School of Economics, UK) 2. The German lands before 1815, Joachim Whaley (University of Cambridge, UK) 3. Germany 1815–1848: Restoration or pre-March?, Christopher Clark (University of Cambridge, UK) 4. 'Relative backwardness’ and long-run development: economic, demographic and social changes, Robert Lee (University of Liverpool, UK) 5. Cultural and intellectual trends, Astrid Kohler (Queen Mary University of London, UK) 6. The revolutions of 1848–1849 and the persistence of the old regime in Germany (1848-1850), Wolfram Siemann (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany) 7. Revolution to unification, John Breuilly (London School of Economics, UK) 8. Bismarckian Germany: State Structure and Political Culture, James M. Brophy (University of Delaware, USA) 9. Demographic growth, industrialization and social change, Volker Berghahn (Columbia University, USA) 10. A Nervous Age? Wilhelmine Germany before the First World War, Mark Hewitson (University College London, UK) 11. Imperial Germany: cultural and intellectual trends, Matthew Jefferies (University of Manchester, UK) 12. The First World War, Roger Chickering (Georgetown University, USA) 13. Gender Orders and Disorders, Ute Frevert (Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany) 14. Transnational Perspectives on 19th Century Germany, Ulrike Lindner (University of Cologne, Germany) 15. Conclusion: Making Connections in 19th Century Germany, John Breuilly (London School of Economics, UK) Appendix 1: Some basic statistics for Germany, 1815 to 1918 Appendix 2: Chronology: Germany, 1780–1918 Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe debate on Athenian democratic ideology has long been polarised around two extremes. A Marxist tradition views ideology as a cover-up for Athens' internal divisions. Another tradition, sometimes referred to as culturalist, interprets it neutrally as the fixed set of ideas shared by the members of the Athenian community.

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Book SynopsisFrom nomadic peoples to conquering empires, from tales of Amazon women to art nouveau, and from golden grave goods to the formation of countries that still exist today, Ball shows how the steppe has continually shaped Europe's destiny.

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Book SynopsisFor all its history of intersecting empires, the Balkans has been rarely framed as a global site of race and coloniality. This, as Piro Rexhepi argues inWhite Enclosuresis not surprising, given the perception of the Balkans as colorblind and raceless, a project that spans post-Ottoman racial formations, transverses Socialist modernity and is negotiated anew in the process of postsocialist Euro-Atlantic integration. Connecting severed colonial histories from the vantage point of body politic,Rexhepiturns to the borderland zones of the Balkans to trace past and present geopolitical attempts of walling whiteness. From efforts to straighten the sexualities of post-Ottoman Muslim subjects, to Yugoslav nonaligned solidarities between Muslims of the second and third world, to Roma displacement and contemporary emergence of refugee carceral technologies along the Balkan Route, Rexhepi points not only to the epistemic erasures that maintain the fantasy of whiteness but also to the disrupTrade Review"This book not only challenges Bosnian and Albanian dominant political discourses, which for decades have refused to acknowledge the unequal power dynamics between the Balkan periphery and the European centre. It also is a long overdue book. For it takes these Muslim-majority populations, despite their closeness to whiteness, as a starting point for imagining a different world in which internationalist solidarity among the oppressed is possible." -- Adem Ferizaj * Left East *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1. Nonaligned Muslims in the Margins of Socialism: The Islamic Revolution in Yugoslavia 43 2. Historicizing Enclosure: Refashioned Colonial Continuities as European Cultural Legacy 70 3. Enclosure Sovereignties: Saving Missions and Supervised Self-Determination 90 4. (Dis)Embodying Enclosure: Of Straightened Muslim Men and Secular Masculinities 107 5. Enclosure Demographics: Reproductive Racism, Displacement, and Resistance 128 Afterword 151 Notes 157 References 161 Index 181

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Book SynopsisThis book examines one of the most fundamental issues in twelfth-century English politics: justice. It demonstrates that during the foundational period for the common law, the question of judgement and judicial ethics was a topic of heated debate – a common problem with multiple different answers. How to be a judge, and how to judge well, was a concern shared by humble and high, keeping both kings and parish priests awake at night. Using theological texts, sermons, legal treatises and letter collections, the book explores how moralists attempted to provide guidance for uncertain judges. It argues that mercy was always the most difficult challenge for a judge, fitting uncomfortably within the law and of disputed value. Shining a new light on English legal history, Justice and mercy reveals the moral dilemmas created by the establishment of the common law.Trade Review‘Justice and Mercy is a remarkable book…the book resounds with the historiographic traditions and conflicts among the different schools of legal history and of intellectual history, both in Britain and on the continent. While the author is obviously well aware of them, she manages to avoid the pitfalls of adding to these ongoing conflicts.’Esther Cohen, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Medieval Review -- .Table of ContentsPrologue: the vanishing adulteress1 Introduction2 The problem with mercy: the schools3 The problem with mercy: the courts4 Twelfth-century models of justice and mercy5 Who should be merciful?6 Judgement in practice: the Church7 Histories of justice: the crown, persuasion and lordship8 Love your enemies? Popular mercy in a vengeance culture9 ConclusionBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThrough combinations of instructive prose and incantatory verse, liturgical rituals and herbal recipes, Latinate learning and oral tradition, the Old English remedies offer hope not only for bodily ailments but also for such dangers as solitary travel, swarming bees and stolen cattle. Hybrid healing works from the premise that the tremendous diversity of Old English medical texts requires an equally diverse range of interpretative methodologies. Through a case study approach, this exploration of early medicine offers a series of close readings tailored specifically to individual remedies, drawing from a range of fields including plant biology, classical rhetoric, archaeology, folkloristics and disability studies. Embracing the endless complexity of these Old English texts, Hybrid healing argues that the healing power of individual remedies ultimately derives from a dynamic and unpredictable process that is at once both deeply traditional and also ever-changing.Table of ContentsIntroduction: an Old English poetics of health and healing1 With hope and humility: hybridity as theoretical framework2 Of swords and status: hybridity of metaphor in Ic me on þisse gyrde beluce3 When healers are heroes: hybridity of battle in Wið færstice4 To persuade a plant: hybridity of rhetoric in Harley 5855 Of mandrakes and manuscripts: hybridity of being in Harley 6258B6 On health and hearing: hybridity of environment in Bald’s Leechbook7 From remedies to riddles: hybridity of genre in an Exeter Book riddleConclusion: With empathy and imagination: hybridity in the fieldIndex

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Book SynopsisMonastic experience in twelfth-century Germany provides a rare window on to monastery life in the tumultuous world of twelfth-century Swabia. From its founding in 992 through the great fire that ravaged it in 1159 and beyond, Petershausen weathered countless external attacks and internal divisions. Supra-regional clashes between emperors and popes played out at the most local level. Monks struggled against overreaching bishops. Reformers introduced new and unfamiliar customs. Tensions erupted into violence within the community. Through it all the anonymous chronicler struggled to find meaning amid conflict and forge connections to a shared past, enlivening his narrative with colorful anecdotes – sometimes amusing, sometimes disturbing. Translated into English for the first time, this fascinating text is an essential source for the lived experience of medieval monasticism.Trade Review'Monastic Experience in Twelfth-Century Germany provides a skillfully annotated and translated text of the Petershausen Chronicles. The Chronicles not only provide a glimpse into twelfth-century German monasticism and society, they are a fascinating read: a saint who refuses to give up his relics, a cruel murderer who boils his victim, battle scenes, visions, miracles, and delightfully detailed descriptions make the Chronicles anything but a dry historical account.'The American Benedictine Review -- .Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Chronicle of PetershausenPrologueBook OneBook TwoBook ThreeBook FourTranslation of the Relics of St. GebhardAdditional EntriesBook FiveBook SixAppendix 1: The Life of St. GebhardAppendix 2: Concordance of book and chapter numberingBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAcross western Europe the long tradition of castle-building took on its most sophisticated form in the later medieval period and then, in response to the development of gunpowder weapons, it underwent a fundamental change - from castle to fortress. This, the second volume of a highly illustrated new study of medieval fortification, gives a fascinating insight into the last great age of castles and the centuries of violence and conflict they were part of. It traces the advances made between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries, looking in particular at the form these fortifications took in contexts as different as Italy, Wales, France and the Iberian peninsula. Many would regard this period in the history of castles as the classic age. It was followed by a phase of relative decline as the conditions of warfare changed and castles had to be adapted to cope with cannon. The conventional castle gave way to new styles of fortification. But, as the authors demonstrate, they were still essential factors in military calculations and campaigns - they were of direct strategic and tactical importance wherever there was an attempt to take or hold territory.

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Book SynopsisEleanor of Provence was born in the province of her name in 1223. She has come to England at the age of twelve to marry the king, Henry III. He's sixteen years older, but was a boy when he ascended the throne. He's a kind, sensitive sort whose only personal attachments to women so far have been to his three sisters. The youngest of them is called Eleanor too. She was only nine when, for political reasons, her first marriage took place, but she's already a chaste twenty-year old widow when the new queen arrives in 1236. In a short time, this Eleanor will marry the rising star of her brother's court, a French parvenu named Simon de Montfort, thus wedding the fates of these four people together in an England about to undergo some of the most profound changes in its history. It's a tale that covers three decades at its heart, with loyalty to family and principles at stake, in a land where foreigners are subject to intense scrutiny and jealousy. The relationship between these two sisters-in-law, close but ultimately doomed, will reflect not just the turbulence and tragedy of their times, but also the brilliance and splendour.

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Book SynopsisIn a world where protocol was everything, discover how the princesses kicked back against the stifling solitude that threatened to consume them.

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Book SynopsisThe 'Defenestration of Prague', the coup d'etat staged by Protestant Bohemian nobles against officials of the Hapsburg Emperor triggered the Thirty Years War. When Habsburg Spain intervened in support of their Holy Roman Emperor relative, what had started as a localised political and religious dispute in Germany, transformed into a European and global conflict. In seeking to exploit the Bohemian revolt, Spanish Habsburg revanchist ambitions directed by the Spanish Count of Olivarez at the economically powerful Dutch Republic were allied with the Habsburg Emperor's counter-reformation ambitions. After the Bohemian defeat at the White Mountain in 1620 the war widened as the Dutch Republic, England, Transylvania, Denmark, Sweden, and Richelieu's France all intervened to roll back Habsburg hegemony and restore the balance power. There was extensive fighting across the globe, as the Dutch and English sought to challenge the Spanish Habsburg global monopoly. These colonial wars were a major factor in the Iberian revolutions with brought down the Habsburg Imperium. Professor Charles Boxer called it: the first world war. It was a tragic war of attrition but also an epic story of remarkable individuals including the 'titans' of the era,' Imperial General Wallenstein, warrior King Gustavus, sinister Count Olivarez, and the masters of international intrigue, realpolitik and diplomacy- Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin. Above all there were the decisive victories of the under-sung military genius of the era, Lennart Torstensson. The Treaties of Westphalia followed a war which not only changed the global balance of power, but accelerated over thirty years the transformation of the European continent from a world characterized by dynasties and the medieval concept of United Christendom to a European order that was recognisably modern.

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Book SynopsisThe trial of the Knights Templar is one of the most infamous in history. Accused of heresy by the king of France, the Templars were arrested and imprisoned, had their goods seized and their monasteries ransacked. Under brutal interrogation and torture, many made shocking confessions: denial of Christ, desecration of the Cross, sex acts and more. This book follows the everyday reality of the trial, from the early days of scandal and scheming in 1305, via torture, imprisonment and the dissolution of the order, to 1314, when leaders Jacques de Molay and Geoffroy de Charnay were burned at the stake. Through first-hand testimony and written records of the interrogations of 231 French Templars, this book illuminates the stories of hundreds of ordinary members, some of whom testified at the trial, as well as the many others who denied the charges or retracted their confessions. A deeply researched and immersive account that gives a striking vision of the relentless persecution, and the oft-underestimated resistance, of the once-mighty Knights Templar.Trade ReviewPraise for The Last Templar: Scrupulously detailed. -- Jerty Brotton * The Times *This is probably the definitive account not only of de Molay, but also of the political and financial factors at play in the closing years of the Temple. -- Kevin McClure * Fortean Times *A scrupulously scholarly analysis. -- C. J. Tyerman * Times Literary Supplement *A well-researched and thorough book. -- Alex Heminsley * Observer *a fine scholarly narrative of the fall of the Templars. -- Jonathan Sumption * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisThis new volumein the award-winning Atlas Series presents fresh perspectives on, and a nuancedunderstanding of, the history of the Irish Civil War (19223).

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Book SynopsisThis book surveys the economy of Wales from the first Norman intrusions of 1067 to the Act of Union of England and Wales in 1536. Key themes include the evolution of the agrarian economy; the foundation and growth of towns; the adoption of a money economy; English colonization and economic exploitation; the collapse of Welsh social structures and rise of economic individualism; the disastrous effect of the Glyndwr rebellion; and, ultimately, the alignment of the Welsh economy to the English economy. Comprising four chapters, a narrative history is presented of the economic history of Wales, 1067-1536, and the final chapter tests the applicability in a Welsh context of the main theoretical frameworks that have been developed to explain long-term economic and social change in medieval Britain and Europe.Table of ContentsPreface Abbreviations Maps Introduction 1 Early History, Conquest and Colonisation, 1067-1315 2 The Medieval Economy at its Apex, 1282-1348 3 Crises and Restructuring, 1315-1536 4 Modelling the Economy of Medieval Wales Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisUnearths the British national obsession with the suburban garden.

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Book SynopsisA monumental and exhilarating history of European thought, from the fall of Rome in the fifth century AD to the Scientific Revolution thirteen centuries later.The Awakening traces the recovery and refashioning of Europe''s classical heritage from the ruins of the Roman Empire. The process of preservation of surviving texts, fragile at first, was strengthened under the Christian empire founded by Charlemagne in the eighth century; later, during the High Middle Ages, universities were founded and the study of philosophy was revived. Renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought provided the intellectual impetus for the Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, whose ideas aesthetic, political and scientific were disseminated across Europe by the invention of the printing press. Equally momentous was Europe''s encounter with the New World, and the resulting maritime supremacy which conferred global reach on Europe''s merchants and colonists.

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Book SynopsisRichly imagined and recounted in vivid prose of extraordinary beauty, this book is a stunning illustration of Ransmayr’s talent for imbuing a captivating tale with intense metaphorical, indeed metaphysical force. The world’s most powerful man, Qiánlóng, emperor of China, invites the famous eighteenth-century clockmaker Alister Cox to his court in Beijing. There, in the heart of the Forbidden City, the Englishman and his assistants are to build machines that mark the passing of time as a child or a condemned man might experience it and that capture the many shades of happiness, suffering, love, and loss that come with that passing. Mystified by the rituals of a rigidly hierarchical society dominated by an unimaginably wealthy, god-like ruler, Cox musters all his expertise and ingenuity to satisfy the emperor’s desires. Finally, Qiánlóng, also known by the moniker Lord of Time, requests the construction of a clock capable of measuring eternity—a perpetuum mobile. Seizing this chance to realize a long-held dream and honor the memory of his late beloved daughter, yet conscious of the impossibility of his task, Cox sets to work. As the court is suspended in a never-ending summer, festering with evil gossip about the monster these foreigners are creating, the Englishmen wonder if they will ever escape from their gilded cage. More than a meeting of two men, one isolated by power, the other by grief, this is an exploration of mortality and a virtuoso demonstration that storytelling alone can truly conquer time. Trade Review"Time is naturally Ransmayr’s plaything in this tale, which in Simon Pare’s whisper-quiet translation from the German calls to mind Orhan Pamuk’s charming historical contraptions. The novel explores the way that excitement can cause it to race, boredom to stretch and slow it down, grief to bring it to a halt. . . . [A] quicksilver fantasy." * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisWhat would it have been like to walk down the streets of Viking Age Dublin a thousand years ago? What would you have seen, heard and smelled? How would this urban settlement have been different from an early medieval rural dwelling of this time a rath, a crannog or dún situated in the countryside? Such questions not only potentially interrogate the reality of people's lives in the past, but also open up topics such as diet, health and disease in urban and rural settings, the alteration and management of past environments and emergence of new forms of urban and rural communities in Europe.Dirt, Dwellings and Culture explores the living conditions and environments as experienced by early medieval people in Ireland, touching upon a wide range of environmental, architectural, artefactual and historical datasets from significant archaeological excavations of settlement sites across Ireland and Northern Europe. At its heart it focuses on a new and significant b

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Book SynopsisA brutal Civil War erupted across Ireland in June 1922. The IRA, in opposition to the development of a pro-Treaty government, returned to the familiar guerrilla tactics of the War of Independence. Hundreds of dugouts constructed in rural settings were key to the IRA campaign. These secret places offered safe shelter to men on the run, while also allowing for supplies and arms to be stored and prisoners held.Tormore Cave, high in the mountains of County Sligo, in the northwest of Ireland, was one such dugout. Over 30 Republican men sought refuge there for six weeks in September and October 1922. Like most dugouts, Tormore Cave was never mentioned in historical accounts or documentary sources, but its significance was remembered locally. Archaeological excavations conducted on the centenary of its occupation revealed the extensive modifications that had transformed this natural limestone cave into a habitable military dugout, a crucial refuge for combatants whose comrades had been executed or arrested by Government forces. The historical artefacts and environmental material recovered during the excavations, combined with detailed archaeological surveys and analyses, provide a fascinating insight into the conditions endured by those billeted there. The lives of the men and women directly associated with the cave dugout are explored, including an in-depth study of IRA General Officer Commanding Billy Pilkington a key figure during the Irish revolutionary period who has, until now, been largely overlooked.An Irish Civil War Dugout: Tormore Cave, County Sligo adopts a multidisciplinary approach, the first of its kind in an Irish context, combining archaeology, local and military histories, family memories, community recollections, and landscape studies. This groundbreaking study the first archaeological excavation of a Civil War site in Ireland, facilitates a wider discussion of the role of dugouts in guerrilla warfare. By focussing in detail on one site at a local level, this book provides a unique and valuable contribution to the Irish revolutionary period on a regional and national scale.

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Book SynopsisThe murder of the Princes in the Tower is the most famous cold case in British history. Traditionally considered victims of their ruthless uncle, there are other suspects too often and too easily discounted. There may be no definitive answer, but by delving into the context of their disappearance and the characters of the suspects, Matthew Lewis examines the motives and opportunities afresh, as well as asking a crucial but often overlooked question: what if there was no murder? What if Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York, survived their uncle’s reign and even that of their brother-in-law Henry VII?In this new and updated edition, compelling evidence is presented to suggest the Princes survived, which is considered alongside the possibility of their deaths to provide a rounded and complete assessment of the most fascinating mystery in history.

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Book SynopsisThe lives of the sons of Eleanor of Aquitaine are the stuff of legend. Her daughters, however, are less well known, and the fascinating personalities of her daughters-in-law have been almost entirely overlooked, as have those of the daughters she bore Louis VII of France. The Families of Eleanor of Aquitaine redresses this balance and showcases the lives, travels and careers of these ten very different women, who formed a great international network of political alliances that linked their parents, siblings, husbands and children all across Europe and the Holy Land.Some of these women found happiness; others endured lives of turmoil and conflict. Some of them were close; others never met. But two things linked them all: their connection to Eleanor and to the kingdoms over which she reigned – and their determination to exert authority on their own terms in a male-dominated world.Trade ReviewThis engaging read illuminates the lives of a group of fascinating medieval royal women. Many of these figures … are often only given brief mentions in histories of the period, yet here they come out of the shadow of the famous Eleanor of Aquitaine and get their own chance to shine. -- Elena Woodacre * Founder of the Royal Studies Network *Andrews offers a mesmerising tour of the intricate webs of female power in the medieval world. Through the lens of ten women closely connected to one of history’s most famous matriarchs, we get a unique perspective of the lives of women who were politically and dynastically of great importance … a lively, sparkling and intensely readable account of women who made history. -- Matt Lewis * author of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine *

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Book SynopsisThe first trade book in decades to explore the scandalous story of the Cleveland Street Scandal and how it almost destroyed the Establishment

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Book SynopsisThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political upheavals which spanned the British Isles in the mid-seventeenth century. It was fought on a wide range of religious, political and racial issues, and succeeded in dividing the traditional loyalties of class, friendship and family ties within all four kingdoms. This unprecedented period of disruption resulted in far-reaching political revolution, the re-evaluation of political representation and social structure, and ultimately laid the foundations of the British constitution we know today.In The English Civil War, Martyn Bennett introduces the reader to the main debates surrounding the Civil War, from the St Giles riots in Edinburgh in 1637 to the restoration of Charles II in May 1660. Complete with biographies of the key personalities and descriptions of events, battles and military institutions, Bennett covers the run-up to the conflict, the wars themselves and the aftermath.This comprehensive AZ companion to the history of the civil wars provides all the facts and figures that an armchair general would ever need.

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a complete guide to the organisation of British and Commonwealth armies during the years 1939?1943. The six chapters cover all main theatres of war - North-West Europe (including the Home front) 1939?1943; North Africa; the Middle East, Central and East Africa; the Mediterranean; the Far East, Australasia and India; and Special Forces (all theatres). ToEs (Tables of Organisation and Equipment) are given for all main, and many minor, types of formations in each theatre - from armoured brigades and divisions in North Africa, to British Habforce in Iraq and Syria, the Indian 50th Airborne Brigade in Burma, and Pacific Islands native defence forces.All organisations are analysed down to section level where possible; the listings specify types of equipment and weaponry used, along with explanatory notes. The information is clearly laid out in an easy-to-use formula, and represents a host of hard-to-find data. Notes for wargamers are also included.

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Book SynopsisTwo supplement volumes round off the British and Commonwealth Armies series. Supplement Volume 2 contains five chapters providing data covering formations in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Africa, the Home front, overseas garrisons and Special Forces. The units covered range from the South African 6th Armoured Division to the 1940?41 garrison of Iceland.Careful presentation combined with a host of hard-to-find information ensure this will be the standard source for order-of-battle data about the British and Commonwealth armies. All organisations are analysed down to platoon level, and listings include specific types of equipment and weaponry used, along with explanatory notes.

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Book SynopsisAs Russia rattles its sabres in the Baltic, Neil Taylor reconsiders the history of Estonia and its struggle to achieve statehood.

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Book SynopsisFrom northern Europe's earliest inhabitants to the search for security in the twenty-first century, Kalnins sweeps through the full story of a remarkable Baltic state.

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Book SynopsisA recipe-filled memoir of food, love, family and running a small neighbourhood restaurant that has survived recession and lockdowns to become an internationally-renowned haven of Italian home cooking.

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Book SynopsisDiscover more about Robert the Bruce and other unforgettable figures that made Scotland the great nation it is today. Through fascinating images and expert text, A History of Scotland takes you through each decade of Scotland's varied and dramatic past up to the present day. A History of Scotland provides a pictorial exploration from the times of the Neolithic stone circles of Orkney to the turbulent referendums of the contemporary era. The book is arranged chronologically, from the roman invasion of Scotland in the 1st century to Mary Queen of Scots and her downfall, David Hume and Adam Smith, Dolly the Sheep in 1997 and the construction of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in the 21st Century.

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Book SynopsisVery few battles of the medieval period can be regarded as decisive but Hastings was certainly one of them. Fought on 14th October 1066 between Duke William of Normandy and Harold Godwinson, king of England, the outcome irrevocably changed the course of English history. William's victory was largely due to the tactical superiority of his forces: not only did he possess infantry and cavalry, but also a significant number of archers or crossbowmen, to whose withering fire the English could make little reply. The eventual death of King Harold prompted an English collapse the successful outcome ensuring William's accession to the English throne.Table of ContentsThe Background to the Crisis of 1066/The Commanders/Opposing Armies/Plans and Preparations/The Battle/Aftermath/The Battlefield Today/Chronology/A Guide to Further Reading/Wargaming the Battle of Hastings

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Book SynopsisThe first volume in what will become the definitive history of Suffolk looks at how the county survived the three most tumultuous events of the period, the Great Famine, the Black Death and the Peasants' Revolt, to emerge as one of the richest English regions. The late middle ages were without doubt the most interesting period in Suffolk's history. By the end of the eleventh century Suffolk was wealthy, densely populated, highly commercialised and urbanised; in the fourteenth century its people faced three of the most tumultuous events of the last millennium, the Great Famine (1315-22), the Black Death (1349) and the Peasants' Revolt (1381). Their response was flexible and innovative, because by 1500 Suffolk was one of the richest and most industrialised regions of England, with a strong economy based on cloth manufacture, fishing, dairying and tanning.Trade ReviewIn allying a mass of parochial detail to national and regional developments, as well as the broader historical debates, Bailey brings to the fore a scholarly ability to draw out the significant while also identifying the unusual.... this study has managed admirably to achieve its aim of being clear and informative, while also providing fascinating insights into the complexities of a local society and economy. * ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW *

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Book SynopsisAn exceptional reference work to pilgrim and secular badges of the middle ages. This is the first major catalogue in English devoted to medieval badges. These fascinating objects provide us with a guide to the popularity of different cults and pilgrim centres, supplying evidence of the sometimes arduous journeys not only to famous and far-off sanctuaries like Compostela, but to native shrines such as that of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury, or the tombs of local, unofficial saints. Often mass-produced and sold in tens of thousands, pilgrim souvenirs offer pointers to fashion in contemporary precious jewellery. The secular badges include a wealth of non-religious imagery, playful and amatory, satirical, celebratory and heraldic. Illustrating nearly 800 items ofpopular medieval jewellery, the catalogue contained within the book describes previously unpublished finds retrieved from datable archaeological London waterfront deposits, and provides the basis of a chronological framework for future excavations. BRIAN SPENCER was the Senior Keeper at the Museum of London, with special responsibility for the Museum's collection of medieval everyday objects.Trade Review[A] valuable volume. * MEDIAEVISTIK *The need for more copies of this invaluable reference work in the wake of the success of the Portable Antiquities Scheme is evident. * MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY *It is good to see that these riches - long concealed in the layers of mud beneath our capital city - have been excavated, restored and put on view. * THE ART NEWSPAPER *[reviewed together with 'The Medieval Household'] Republication of two volumes from the essential Medieval Finds from Excavations in London series, both from 1998, is very welcome. Print quality is excellent, and Boydell has hardbacked them, wise for reference books guaranteed a long life. * BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGY *

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Book SynopsisA study of one hundred United Kingdom war memorials, which commemorate 20th century conflicts from the Boer War to the Falklands and Gulf wars. The memorials chosen are listed as near as possible in chronological order and represent different wars, different artists, different areas of the country, and a variety of types of memorial.

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