Medieval History

The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift, and a book in the best tradition of popular history -- the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe. Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great...

After being ripped from everything he knew, Steve drifts amongst the shattered remains of dead worlds and civilizations. The vast grave of the ages threatens to consume him as he faces an impossible choice—evolve beyond his limits, or be lost amongst the ruins, like all the other failures. The node is under attack. Meanwhile, the enemy is bearing down on all sides, ready to tear their hard-won prize free. If Steve is going to eke out a chance at survival, he'll have to fight his way home. Not only that, when he gets there, he's going to have to deal with the Ændari's greatest secret.

Arguably one of the most provocative, puzzling, and misunderstood organizations of medieval times, the legendary Knights Templar have always been shrouded in a veil of mystery, while inspiring popular culture from Indiana Jones to Dan Brown. In The Templars, author Michael Haag offers a definitive history of these loyal Christian soldiers of the Crusades - sworn to defend the Holy Land and Jerusalem, but ultimately damned and destroyed by the Pope and his church.

The Plantagenet queens of England played a role in some of the most dramatic events in our history. Crusading queens, queens in rebellion against their king, queen seductresses, learned queens, queens in battle, queens who enlivened England with the romantic culture of southern Europe - these determined women often broke through medieval constraints to exercise power and influence, for good and sometimes for ill.

The Brothers York is the story of three remarkable brothers, two of whom were crowned kings of England and the other an heir presumptive, whose antagonism was fueled by the mistrust and vendettas of the age that brought their family to power. The house of York should have been the dynasty that the Tudors became. Its tragedy was that it devoured itself.

Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) is generally regarded as the greatest intellectual ever to have appeared in the Arab world - a genius who ranks as one of the world's great minds. Yet the author of the Muqaddima, the most important study of history ever produced in the Islamic world, is not as well known as he should be, and his ideas are widely misunderstood. In this groundbreaking intellectual biography, Robert Irwin provides an engaging and authoritative account of Ibn Khaldun's extraordinary life, times, writings, and ideas.

Ils ont commencé comme pèlerins, ont combattu comme moines guerriers, se sont enrichis comme banquiers et ont fini sur le bûcher comme hérétiques : Dan Jones a relu les sources sur les Templiers et offre avec ce livre un chef-d'œuvre de narration historique : à la pointe de la recherche, avec un flair certain pour les épisodes extraordinaires et passionnant de la première à la dernière page.

THE SUNDAY TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER CHOSEN BY WATERSTONES AS ONE OF THEIR BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF 2024 'Compulsive . . . A wonderful display of how modern archaeology can bring hidden histories to life' Daily Telegraph 'Gripping . . . I found it hard to put down' Evening Standard 'Another really...

"Au temps des Vikings"​ nous plonge au sein d'une civilisation fascinante, loin des clichés virils et barbares dont on l'a longtemps affublée. Le temps des Vikings, de 800 à 1100, c'est ce moment de l'histoire du Moyen Âge où de farouches guerriers venus du Nord sèment la terreur dans de nombreuses villes européennes accessibles par mer ou voie fluviale. Ils pillent, s'emparent des trésors des églises et des monastères, enlèvent des habitants qu'ils échangent contre une rançon ou vendent comme esclaves.

The Civilization of the Middle Ages incorporates current research, recent trends in interpretation, and novel perspectives, especially on the foundations of the Middle Ages and the Later Middle Ages of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. A sharper focus on social history, Jewish history, women’s roles in society, and popular religion and heresy distinguish the book.

The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes investigates the trade routes between Rome and the powerful empires of inner Asia, including the Parthian regime which ruled ancient Persia (Iran). It explores Roman dealings with the Kushan Empire which seized power in Bactria (Afghanistan) and laid claim to the Indus Kingdoms. Further chapters examine the development of Palmyra as a leading caravan city on the edge of Roman Syria and consider trade ventures through the Tarim territories that led Roman merchants to Han China.

Winters in the World is a beautifully observed journey through the cycle of the year in Anglo-Saxon England, exploring the festivals, customs, and traditions linked to the different seasons. Drawing on a wide variety of source material, including poetry, histories, and religious literature, Eleanor Parker investigates how Anglo-Saxons felt about the annual passing of the seasons and the profound relationship they saw between human life and the rhythms of nature.

From tales of chivalrous knights to the barbarity of trial by ordeal, no era has been a greater source of awe, horror, and wonder than the Middle Ages. In handsomely crafted prose and with the grace and authority of his extraordinary gift for narrative history, William Manchester leads us from a civilization tottering on the brink of collapse to the grandeur of its rebirth, the Renaissance.

This paradigm-shifting book paints a spirited portrait of a restless people that challenges our established ways of looking at Europe's past. The story is more complex than at first believed, with new evidence suggesting that the European gene pool was stirred vigorously multiple times. Genetic clues are also enhancing our understanding of European mobility in epochs with written records, including the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons, the spread of the Slavs, and the adventures of the Vikings.

This famous work by Lucretius is a masterpiece of didactic poetry, and it still stands today as the finest exposition of Epicurean philosophy ever written. The poem was produced in the middle of first century B.C., a period that was to witness a flowering of Latin literature unequaled for beauty and intellectual power in subsequent ages. The Latin title, De Rerum Natura, translates literally to On the Nature of Things and is meant to impress the reader with the breadth and depth of Epicurean philosophy.

""This is a serious, meticulous history that will also appeal to Game of Thrones fans, who will discover intriguing parallels between history and fiction.” — Booklist ""An enlightening portrait of the medieval mindset.” — Publishers Weekly The authors of The Bright Ages return with a...

These are essays on medieval history, and the crusades especially, written from what can broadly be considered a Marxist approach.

In a saga reminiscent of Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom, Battle for the Island Kingdom reveals the life-and-death struggle for power which changed the course of history. The six decades leading up to 1066 were defined by bloody wars and intrigues, in which three peoples vied for supremacy over the island kingdom. In this epic retelling, Don Hollway (The Last Viking) recounts the clashes of Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and Normans, their warlords and their conniving queens.

Neue Funde entschlüsseln die Vergangenheit: Das wahre Leben der Wikinger – so, wie es noch nie erzählt wurde. Hier werden die Geschichten der Anderen erzählt – Kinder, Versklavte, Seher, Handwerker, Reisende und Schriftsteller –, die das nordische Mittelalter prägten. Eleanor Barraclough lässt ihre Welt durch Alltagsfunde lebendig werden: einen geliebten Kamm, eine zornige Botschaft auf Holz, Kinderkritzeleien auf Birkenrinde. So entsteht ein faszinierendes Bild einer Kultur, die sich von Skandinavien bis nach Byzanz und ins Kalifat erstreckte.

The first definitive biography of Moses Maimonides, one of the most influential intellects in all of human history, illuminates his life as a philosopher, physician, and lawgiver. Recalling such bestsellers as David McCullough's John Adams and Walter Isaacson's Einstein, Maimonides is a biography on a grand scale, brilliantly explicating one man's life against the background of his time.