European History

In the twelfth year of Emperor Tiberius's reign, a new Roman procurator was sent to the eastern Mediterranean to govern the subject land
of Judaea. Some ten years later, he was removed from office for a misdeed and exiled to Gaul, where he may have committed suicide. The
man, Pontius Pilate, could never have imagined that his name would be forever fixed in history through a minor event of those years in
Palestine - his sentencing to death of an accused rebel, a Jew named Jesus.
Palestine was the scene of great political, social, and religious upheaval in the two centuries surrounding the life of Jesus. The Romans
under Pompey arrived as conquerors in 63 BCE. Not until CE 135, two centuries later, was Roman mastery of the troublesome Jewish
homeland made complete. The Jews, inheritors and guardians of an ancient belief in a single, all-powerful God, were dispersed to many
lands.
The followers of Jesus, originally a minor sect within Judaism, eventually forged a powerful religion out of the belief that he was the
Messiah. As different as they remain, Judaism and Christianity share a common reverence for the Old Testament and for the Holy Land,
where Jesus once walked, and where, since 1948, the Jewish state of Israel has flourished.
Here is the story of a land in ferment and the growth of these two faiths. It forms an absorbing and important historical chronicle.

At the height of their power in the ninth and tenth centuries, the Vikings seemed invincible – conquering, well-armed warriors whose ships were the ultimate in seafaring technology. From island bases near the deltas of major rivers, they used the waterways to scour the countryside, looting and burning towns, plundering merchant shipments, and stripping churches and monasteries of their gold, silver, and jeweled treasures.

The Norsemen eventually penetrated all of England and Scotland, founded cities in Ireland, gained a powerful province in France,
controlled Frisia and the modern Netherlands, and raided lands around Spain, passing into the Mediterranean to attack Italy and North Africa. They established the first Russian kingdom, challenged Constantinople, and provided a personal guard for the Byzantine emperor.

They settled Iceland, where they developed Europe's first republic, founded two colonies on Greenland, and explored parts of North
America five centuries before Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas. Then, like the abrupt end of a summer thunderstorm, their adventures ceased.

Here is their dramatic story.

The Tower of London was not simply a fortress: It was at various times a royal palace, a state prison, the home of the Mint, the treasury
for the Crown Jewels, a repository for state papers, and an observatory. Since lions were considered a suitable gift for royalty, one tower -
the Lion Tower - was a menagerie.
Many historic events, stately and ceremonial, pathetic or dreadful – from the murder of King Edward IV’s young sons to the beheadings of
Henry VIII’s queens to the imprisonment of Elizabeth I – took place in the Tower. It was customary for kings and queens to spend the
night, or a few days, in these apartments before their coronation; from there they proceeded to Westminster. Charles II’s was the last;
after that, the royal lodgings fell into disuse and were ultimately abandoned.
Here is the vivid story of the Tower of London, the monarchs who slept there, and the men and women who lost their lives there.

In the summer of 1588, a great body of ships sailed from Spain on a Crusade: to restore England to Catholicism. The ensuing events
brought a Spanish word, armada, into the English language and created a host of legends. Intrepid English sea dogs in tiny ships, it was
said, had bravely faced down towering Spanish galleons. Finally, a storm sent by a vengeful God wrecked most of that proud fleet on its
way home.
Award-winning author Jay Williams sheds new light on the traditional picture. Although the English were superior sailors, the two fleets
were evenly matched. Moreover, the battle emerges as the high point of a four-year cold war between England and Spain. Only when set
in the context of a Europe bitterly divided between Catholics and Protestants can the contest be fully understood. The personalities of
Queen Elizabeth I of England and King Philip II of Spain and their commanders - especially Francis Drake - are also key to this dramatic
story.

Out of the division and strife of the Middle Ages, Spain emerged from behind the massive Pyrenees to straddle the stage of European
politics like some new colossus. Discoverer of a New World, it became the greatest power on earth and created a Golden Age of culture
quite breathtaking in the quality of its achievement. Within 150 years, Spain was in a state of decay and fast being left behind by more
progressive European nations.
Here, from award-winning historian Malveena McKendrick, is the dramatic story of the rise and fall of the Spanish empire.

Out of the division and strife of the Middle Ages, Spain emerged from behind the massive Pyrenees to straddle the stage of European
politics like some new colossus. Discoverer of a New World, it became the greatest power on earth and created a Golden Age of culture
quite breathtaking in the quality of its achievement. Within 150 years, Spain was in a state of decay and fast being left behind by more
progressive European nations.
Here, from award-winning historian Malveena McKendrick, is the dramatic story of the rise and fall of the Spanish empire.

The turbulent events that overtook Russia in 1917 are often called one of history's great turning points. In March of that year, a corrupt,
outdated, careworn autocracy - the 300-year-old Romanov dynasty - was overthrown by a spontaneous uprising of Russia's long-
oppressed masses.
During the next few months, Alexander Kerensky and other liberals in the provisional government attempted to adopt reforms. But the
continuing hardships of World War I and the pressure of Vladimir Lenin's Bolsheviks proved too much for them. In the relatively bloodless
coup d'état of November 7, Lenin and his associates seized control of the state.
Here, from the eminent historian E. M. Halliday, is the dramatic story of the Russian Revolution.

The history of Russia is an epic of unending struggle.
Here, from award-winning historian Ian Grey, is its dramatic story - from the establishment of the first ruling dynasty by a Viking prince to
the invasions of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan to the rise of the tsars, whose domination of their country stretched nearly four
centuries until the violent overthrow of Nicholas II in 1918.

By 1400, the foundation of the Italian Renaissance had been laid. There was burgeoning trade and industry, newly wealthy individuals and
cities, and a new political freedom and energy throughout the land.
The prevailing mood was one of change and improvement; old moral restraints and medieval dogmas were crumbling, and in their place
was a zeal for building on the classics of ancient Greece and Rome to create a better civilization. And finally, there was rivalry: between
cities, merchant princes, artists, all vying to do better than anyone else, whether they were planning an ideal state, building a church, or
striking a medal. It was the wealthiest and most menacing age Europe had ever known; Italy possessed the greatest concentration of
gifted individuals that Western civilization had seen for 1,000 years, and the conjunction of genius and the times produced an explosion of
energy as powerful as an erupting volcano.
Here, from the eminent British Historian Sir J. H. Plumb, is the story of the Renaissance.

Renaissance Venice lived by its ships. They brought riches, power, and security to a city more cosmopolitan than any other in Europe.
Here, in this short-form book by noted historian Sir J. H. Plumb, is the story of Venice's early years.

In the fifteenth century, Rome was reborn - not spiritually, for Renaissance popes were not men of the spirit, but physically, artistically,
and politically. St. Peter's, the Vatican, the churches, the tombs, the squares, the palaces and gardens of Rome, which enchant the eye and
delight the heart, encouraged the pursuit of beauty that the stern moralities of the Counter Reformation could not stop. For more than
200 years, the splendor of Rome became the pride of the papacy. The pilgrims, supplicants, and merchants returned to the city, as did the
financial lifeblood of Rome - the papal tax that was harvested from Europe's peasantry. And so the Roman soil was fertilized again, for
without wealth, no rebirth was possible.
Here, in a short-form book from eminent British historian Sir J. H. Plumb, is the story of Renaissance Rome.

Here, in a short-form book, is the story of Renaissance Milan, written by the eminent British historian Sir J. H. Plumb, as reflected in the
lives of its three greatest dukes: Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Francesco Sforza, and Ludovico Il Moro.

Of all the Italian cities, Florence was the cradle of the Renaissance. But Florentine life was brutal, not gentle. However wealthy and
beautiful it appeared, economically and strategically, its position was always desperate. Despite its perils, the families and artists of
Florence flourished.
Here, in a short form book from eminent British historian Sir J. H. Plumb, is the story of Renaissance Florence - from the Medici and the
Pazzi to Michelangelo and Leonardo.

In Napoleon, National Book Award winner J. Christopher Herold tells the fascinating story of a legendary leader who changed the world in
every aspect - political, cultural, military, and commercial.
Napoleon Bonaparte's rise from common origins to the pinnacle of power, as well as his defeat at Waterloo, still influences our daily lives,
from the map of Europe to the metric system. Here's the fascinating story of the great soldier-statesman.

In this indispensable volume, one of America's ranking scholars combines a life's work of research and teaching with the art of lively
narration. Both authoritative and beautifully told, The Middle Ages is the full story of the thousand years between the fall of Rome and the
Renaissance - a time that saw the rise of kings and emperors, the flowering of knighthood, the development of Europe, the increasing
power of the Catholic Church, and the advent of the middle class.
With exceptional grace and wit, Morris Bishop vividly reconstructs this distinctive era of European history in a work that will inform and
delight scholars and general readers alike.
"Mr. Bishop, the sage of Cornell, says here almost everything of transending importance about the Middle Ages and says it better than it
has ever been said before. One feels great sympathy for those who must follow him...." --Louisville Courier-Journal

Between the Fall of Rome and the Renaissance were the Middle Ages. Once seen as a thousand years of warfare, religious infighting, and
cultural stagnation, they are now understood to be the vital connection between the past and the present. Along with the battles that
helped shape the modern world are a rich heritage of architecture, arts, and literature, of empire and its dissolution. It was the era of the
Crusades and the Norman Conquest, the Black Death and the fall of Constantinople. It is a landscape both familiar and foreign, dark and
foreboding at times, but also filled with the promise and potential of the future.
This anthology, compiled by the Editor of American Heritgae, includes essays by leading historians including Richard Winston on the
Barbarian invasions, Regine Pernoud on Charlemagne, Morris Bishop on life in the year 1,000, Islam in Iberia, the Norman Conquest,
Troubadors, the achievements of the Byzantine Empire, King Alfonso the Learned of Castille and his scholarship and art, the Knights
Templar, and the Black Death.

Today, the great cathedrals of Europe stand as beautiful, imposing monuments - the pride of parishioners and the wonder of tourists. It is
difficult for us now, even with all our engineering and architectural skills, to imagine the extraordinary ways these medieval houses of
worship were constructed.

Here, from British historian and New Yorker senior writer Anthony Bailey is the dramatic story of the Low Countries - Belgium, the
Netherlands, and Luxembourg - from early nomads and barbarian invaders to the birth of towns and cities to the rise and decline of world
prominence and finally to the dark and tragic days of World War II.

Here, from British historian and New Yorker senior writer Anthony Bailey is the dramatic story of the Low Countries - Belgium, the
Netherlands, and Luxembourg - from early nomads and barbarian invaders to the birth of towns and cities to the rise and decline of world
prominence and finally to the dark and tragic days of World War II.

Lorenzo de' Medici was never an old man. He died in 1492 at the age of forty-three. He came to power in fifteenth-century Florence at the
age of twenty. In the twenty-odd years of his rule, this banker, politician, international diplomat, free-wheeling poet and songwriter, and
energetic revolutionary helped to give shape, tone, and tempo to that truly dazzling time of Western history, the Renaissance.
This book, by award-winning author Charles L. Mee, Jr., recounts the remarkable life of Lorenzo de’ Medici and of the times in which he
lived.

In his youth, Leonardo da Vinci wrote confidently, "I wish to work miracles." By the time of his death in 1519, when he was sixty-seven and
famed throughout Europe, it seemed that he had accomplished wonders aplenty as an artist, engineer, inventor, and scientist. Here, from
author Jay Williams, is the moving story of the man behind the Renaissance myth.

In his youth, Leonardo da Vinci wrote confidently, "I wish to work miracles." By the time of his death in 1519, when he was sixty-seven and
famed throughout Europe, it seemed that he had accomplished wonders aplenty as an artist, engineer, inventor, and scientist. Here, from
author Jay Williams, is the moving story of the man behind the Renaissance myth.

The tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are among the best-known stories in the world, but they are often relegated
to the realm of legend. However, Arthur was a man, not a myth.
In this book, acclaimed historian Christopher Hibbert vividly brings to life the sixth-century British monarch and his extraordinary court.

Some of the world's foremost historians - including Morris Bishop, J. Christopher Herold, H. R. Trevor-Roper, and Barbara Tuchman - tell
the stories of the greatest showdowns of all time. Here are the stories of: Richard the Lionheart facing off against the sultan Saladin; Pope
Leo I against Attila the Hun; Spanish Explorer Hernán Cortés vs. Aztec King Moctezuma II; and Emperor Napoleon facing off against Russia's
Alexander I.
Our collection of great historical confrontations ends with the 1904 standoff between President Teddy Roosevelt and Moroccan
desperado Mulay Ahmad al-Raysuni over the kidnapping of an American citizen.

Here, from the award-winning writer and historian Alexander Eliot, is the dramatic story of the rise of ancient Greece to the fall of the
Greek Empire - from the city-states of Athens and Sparta to the empire of Alexander the Great and the power of Constantine, from myths
of gods and goddesses to the foundations of Orthodox Christianity and from Herodotus and Homer to Aristotle and Euclid.
The history of Greece - the birthplace of Western civilization, democracy, mathematics, philosophy, and theater - unfolds in vivid detail in
these pages.

Here, from New York Times bestselling historian Richard Russell, is the dramatic story of Germany - from the rise of Charlemagne to the
age of Martin Luther, from the Thirty Years' War to the iron rule of Otto von Bismarck, and from the formation of the Weimar Republic to
the fighting of two world wars.

"Every man has two countries," Henri de Bornier once said, "his own and France."
Indeed, France has captivated us for centuries. Here, in this compelling history from acclaimed historian Marshall B. Davison, is its story:
from prehistory to its conquest by Julius Caesar; from its invasion by the Franks, who gave us the name we use today, to the reign of
Charlemagne; from the rule of the Bourbon monarchs, who reached their apex under the Sun King, Louis XIV, to the bloody days of the
French Revolution; from the ruthless rise and reign of Napoleon Bonaparte to the brutal Nazi occupation during World War II. This book is
a must-read for any Francophile.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain are most often remembered for the epochal voyage of Christopher Columbus. But the historic
landfall of October 1492 was only a secondary event of the year.
The preceding January, they had accepted the surrender of Muslim Granada, ending centuries of Islamic rule in their peninsula. And later
that year, they had ordered the expulsion or forced baptism of Spain's Jewish minority, a cruel crusade undertaken in an excess of zeal for
their Catholic faith.
Europe, in the century of Ferdinand and Isabella, was also awakening to the glories of a new age, the Renaissance, and the Spain of the
"Catholic Kings" - as Ferdinand and Isabella came to be known - was not untouched by this brilliant revival of learning.
Here, from the noted historian Malveena McKendrick, is their remarkable story.

English history is the story of a people who first settled an island off the coast of continental Europe thousands of years ago and went on
to rule most of the known world.
This fascinating book spans centuries and shows how people like Richard the Lionheart and Elizabeth I and events such as the Norman
Conquest and the defeat of the Spanish Armada shaped not just Britain but the world as we know it.

English history is the story of a people who first settled an island off the coast of continental Europe thousands of years ago and went on
to rule most of the known world. This fascinating book spans centuries and shows how people like Richard the Lionheart and Elizabeth I
and events such as the Norman Conquest and the defeat of the Spanish Armada shaped not just Britain but the world as we know it.
Y the famous Cambridge historian.