Showing titles in Medieval

Dive into the heart of England’s storied past with this gripping saga that charts the evolution of a nation. Explore the vibrant tapestry of English history, chapter by chapter, with vivid detail and compelling narratives.

The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome tells the stories of the people who built their political and literary careers around promises of Roman renewal as well as those of the victims they blamed for causing Rome's decline. The story begins during the Roman Republic just after 200 BC. It proceeds through the empire of Augustus and his successors, traces the Roman loss of much of western Europe in the fifth century AD, and follows Roman history until its fall in 1453. 

Ostensibly written by an English knight, The Book of Marvels and Travels claim to recount his experiences in Egypt, the Levant, India, and China. It describes a journey from Europe to Jerusalem and further into Asia, and the many weird and wonderful peoples and practices of the East. The author claims to have traveled in land populated by Amazons, dog-headed people, cannibals, one-footed tribes, and Pygmies.

Thugs, a term used interchangeably with “gangsters” at times, are hardcore outlaws of the street, and like most criminals, tend to find strength in numbers. As it turns out, the Thuggee, the group that influenced this now controversial word, is far more fascinating than one might have imagined. The Thuggee explores both the etiological myth and origin story of this prolific cult of murderous bandits, and takes an in-depth look into its practices and their ultimate demise.

La Guía para viajar en el tiempo a la Inglaterra medieval no es la típica mirada a un periodo histórico. Mortimer da un giro radical a nuestra concepción de la historia: no es solo algo que se estudia, también es algo que se vive, ya sea la vida de un campesino o de un señor. A través de las crónicas diarias, las cartas, los relatos domésticos y los poemas de la época, Mortimer nos transporta al pasado y nos ofrece respuestas a preguntas que los historiadores tradicionales suelen ignorar.

More than eight centuries after his death, Saladin's life and reign represent the pinnacle of the Arab world's glory. Saladin is widely considered one of the greatest generals in history and one of the most famous leaders of the Middle Ages, but he remains a paradox, both in personal and in historical terms. A military genius, he first served other generals and was overshadowed later in life by his greatest rival, Richard I of England. He was far more admired by his Christian enemies, who extolled his chivalry, than some of his Muslim rivals.

The Calle Cardenal Herrero in Córdoba is an iconic cobbled street impossible to overlook, for it is home to the Andalusian city's spectacular Mosque-Cathedral. Also known as “La Mezquita,” this one-of-a-kind Moorish and Christian place of worship reels in about 1.5 million visitors each year, most of whom find themselves spellbound by its hypnotic architectural features and the riveting history that has transpired and continues to within the beautifully weathered walls of the dual-church. That said, the Mezquita is far more than a mere tourist attraction.

Sie begannen als Pilger, kämpften als Kriegermönche, bereicherten sich als Bankiers und endeten als Häretiker auf dem Scheiterhaufen: Dan Jones hat die Quellen zu den Templern neu gelesen und bietet mit diesem Buch ein Meisterstück an historischer Erzählkunst: auf dem neuesten Forschungsstand, mit sicherem Gespür für außergewöhnliche Episoden und spannend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite. Jerusalem 1119.

Of the many campaigns during the Middle Ages, few are as remarkable or seemingly impossible to win at the start as the First Crusade (1095-99), and the true crowning achievement of that crusade, which resulted in two centuries of Western European Christian states in the Middle East and the permanent firing of the European imagination, was the conquest of Jerusalem on July 15, 1099 after three weeks of siege.

Nowadays, the pope is synonymous with unparalleled piety, compassion, and benevolence. To many, the pope is the embodiment of godly love in its purest form. This is a far cry from how things were just a few centuries ago. Back in the day, the most notorious of popes were nothing more than power-hungry dictators and cutthroat political experts. Indeed, by the late 14th century, tensions within the Church reached a breaking point, resulting in the infamous split of the Catholic Church, one that saw multiple popes fighting to knock the others off their thrones.

Mr. Henty weaves a story of the life and times of King Richard the Lion-hearted that is yet to be equaled. Cuthbert de Lance, the hero of the story, is of Norman blood on his father's side and Saxon by his mother. By providing timely aid to the Earl of Evesham, Cuthbert is rewarded by being allowed to go to the Crusade as his page. He gains a reputation for valor and prowess due to gallant deeds, and his resourcefulness not only helps King Richard but aids Cuthbert in many a 'hairbreadth escape'.

Was Joan of Arc accused because she was a woman? Then why did so many fierce and battle-hardened male warriors line up their troops behind her? Yet, not even one of her soldiers, be they longbowmen, cavalry riders, knights, artillerymen, and nobles, ran from the command of a woman. Instead, they marveled at her as she mounted the ladders to a heavily defended castle, right along with the men, shot arrows, thrust spears, and galloped on her great white steed along with the best of them. She was wounded twice and yet did not shirk from battle.

In ihrem ersten Sachbuch erzählt uns die Bestsellerautorin Rebecca Gable die Geschichte des englischen Mittelalters neu: kompetent und informativ, herrlich farbenprächtig und mitreiß wie ein Roman, und immer mit einem Schmunzeln. Lesen Sie, wie die Wikinger in Ermangelung anderer Hobbys Englanderoberten, unabsichtlich unterstützt vom englischen König Thelred, dessen Ruf seitdem ruiniert ist.

If you want to understand what the Crusades were, why they happened, and why they still shape the modern world, this book gives you a clear and grounded explanation. It covers Christian crusading, Islamic expansion, Jerusalem, holy war, and medieval power struggles without turning history into propaganda.

Much of what we know about the greatest medical disaster ever, the Black Plague of the fourteenth century, is wrong. The details of the Plague etched in the minds of terrified schoolchildren the hideous black welts, the high fever, and the final, awful end by respiratory failure are more or less accurate. But what the Plague really was, and how it made history, remain shrouded in a haze of myths.

For centuries, beautifully illustrated fairy-tale volumes have rested innocently on kids' night tables around the world, long ago relegated to the dubious honor of being branded as "children's literature". But every story is a file packed with information, and Cinderella, Snow White, Puss in Boots, and Bluebeard have always intimated that perhaps they have more to tell besides "beautiful" stories, the same ones that animated the minds of several generations of children.

Bloomsbury presents Dragon Lords: The History and Legends of Viking England by Eleanor Parker read by Kristin Atherton Why did the Vikings sail to England? Were they indiscriminate raiders, motivated solely by bloodlust and plunder? One narrative, the stereotypical one, might have it so. But...

Als das einst mächtige Römische Reich zerfiel und neue, "barbarische" Herrscher an die Macht kamen, begann im Westen Eurasiens eine tausendjährige Phase der Transformation. Dan Jones schlägt souverän Schneisen durch die ferne Welt der Könige und Königinnen, Päpste, Bauern, Mönche und Kreuzfahrer, Kaufleute, Künstler und Gelehrten. Sein fesselndes Hörbuch verdichtet die Geschichte des Mittelalters in all ihrer Komplexität und auf dem neuesten Forschungsstand zu einer großen epischen Erzählung: ein Meisterwerk.

In this charming journey into the past, a historian reveals medieval wisdom that can still guide us today "One of the most compelling medieval history books I have ever read." –Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England Peter Jones was teaching medieval history at...

At one point or another, just about everyone has heard of the dodo bird, which is almost universally described as a cuddly, whimsical creature renowned for its alleged stupidity. This prehistoric avian had been known for hundreds of years, before it was made popular around the world in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.