Medieval History

Here Geoffrey Hindley serves us the history of military sieges from every angle, tracing the development of fortifications and equipment (offensive and defensive), penning vivid portraits of the weapons involved, exploring the psychology of laying siege, and even describing the role played by women and camp followers in battle. He shows siege tactics in action through real-life case studies of famous sieges that changed the course of history in medieval Europe and the Holy Land.

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.

El camino hacia la edad moderna de armonía y aceptación cultural es una de las hazañas más hermosas del progreso humano, pero habiendo dicho esto, hubo un tiempo en que la simple duda de la existencia de una figura religiosa era no solo un crimen punible legalmente, sino que muy bien podía costarle a una persona la vida. Este era el crimen de herejía.

Scotland is an old country with an ancient history. There is no doubt about that. Many traditions, words, symbols, and other cultural aspects we see as normal today originate from Scotland. Scotland's documented history started with the Roman Empire's entrance in the first century, when the province of Britannia broadened as far north as the Antonine Wall. With all of this history and more in the past few centuries, when things got really interesting, let’s take a look at some of the best-known, most important factors of Scotland’s history, and what we can learn from them.

Medieval philosophy is primarily associated today with university-based disputations and the authorities cited in those disputations. In their own time, however, scholastic debates were recognized as just one part of wide-ranging philosophical and theological discussions. A Hidden Wisdom breaks new ground by drawing attention to another crucial component of these conversations: the Christian contemplative tradition.

Intrigue. Disease. Adventure. War. Invention. Famine. This is the story of how humankind emerged from the Dark Ages prepared for the coming age of enlightenment. There is a good reason why many fantasy epics are based on events that took place in the Middle Ages. For nearly a thousand years, people battled nature, disease, and each other to survive. Visionaries laid the foundations that today’s world is built upon and their inventions and innovations gave rise to literacy, education, medicine, engineering and more. Explorers opened trade to foreign lands and flooded Europe with luxuries including silk, tea, and gold. Nearly half a million people died of the black plague. The feudal system failed, and aristocratic power dwindled. In Medieval History - Including: The Holy Roman Empire, Vikings, the Crusades, and "Columbus" Reaching the New World you’ll get a quick trip through the turbulent Middle Ages that is sure to inspire deeper study.

Ein Blick in die Chroniken der Kreuzzüge offenbart eine Vieldeutigkeit: Friedrich I. Barbarossa erpresst den christlichen Kaiser von Byzanz, und Sultan Saladin führt mehr Kriege gegen seine Glaubensgenossen als gegen die Christen. König Richard Löwenherz ist zwar ein heldenhafter Heerführer, aber auch ein Mann ohne Skrupel. Der Verteidiger von Jerusalem, Balian von Ibelin, erweist sich zugleich als ein Deserteur. Und ausgerechnet der vermeintliche Erzschurke Rainald von Chatillon rettet 1177 das Überleben des Königreiches Jerusalem um ein weiteres Jahrzehnt.

Von Kämpfen, Eroberungen und Neuanfängen: G/Geschichte taucht in dieser Ausgabe ein in die Zeit des Ersten Kreuzzugs, in der ein christliches Heer aus Kreuzrittern sich aufmachte, Palästina einzunehmen, was 1099 mit der brutalen Einnahme Jerusalems endete. Aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln wird gezeigt, wie aus religiösem Fanatismus, Machthunger, aber auch einer Prise Idealismus eine neue Welt entstand.

Egypt in the 13th century was a glorious kingdom to behold. However, there was another factor that made Cairo infamous. The city represented the last bastion of the Muslim world. In 1258, the Mongols sacked Baghdad, destroying the capital of the mighty Islamic Abbasid Caliphate, which was a major blow to the Islamic world. The Mongol armies continued west into the holy land of Syria and Palestine. There, the Mongols met the foe to rival them in war: The Mamluks. Hailing from the Eurasian steppes, the Mamluks were not Arab, but ethnically Turkish, enslaved at a young age.

En términos de geopolítica, quizás el acontecimiento más importante de la Edad Media fue el exitoso asedio otomano a Constantinopla en 1453. La ciudad había sido una capital imperial ya en el siglo IV, cuando Constantino el Grande cambió el centro de poder del Imperio Romano, estableciendo efectivamente dos mitades casi igualmente poderosas del imperio más grande de la antigüedad. Constantinopla seguiría siendo la capital del Imperio Bizantino incluso después de que la mitad occidental del Imperio Romano se derrumbara a finales del siglo V.

The stories from Norse mythology linger in our culture today. Four days of our week are named after members of the Norse pantheon (Tyr, Woden (Odin), Thor, and Frigg). Wagner’s Ring Cycle has kept one version of one of the great Norse stories alive in the minds of music lovers. Fans of modern fantasy will find many echoes of the Norse tales as well. Something in these old and puzzling stories still has the power to move and unsettle us and to inspire new acts of creation. This audiobook will give you a brief introduction to some of the best-known myths.

In the autumn of 1911, an eye-watering mass of French citizens gathered around a churchyard in the heart of Rouen to celebrate the millennial anniversary of Normandy. A suspenseful hush fell over the congregation as a city official strode to the front of the crowd, placing his hands upon the large cloth draped over the mysterious statue. With a flick of his wrists, he unveiled an exquisite marble effigy of a handsome warrior. The statue was of none other than Rollo the Viking, father of the Duchy of Normandy.

Charlemagne's name means "Charles the Great", a title he earned after an impressive life filled with military conquests. His life inspired countless tales, including the legends that he was 20 feet tall, that he slept under the guard of 100 armed knights, and that he rose from the dead to aid in the Crusades. While these fantastical tales are false, the truth is equally fantastic: By the end of his life, Charlemagne had been king of the Franks, king of the Lombards, and the first emperor of the newly formed Holy Roman Empire.

Die Faszinationskraft, die von dem Wort Wikinger ausgeht, ist und bleibt ungebrochen. Jeder hat sofort Bilder vor Augen, wenn er es hört - gehörnte Helme, starke, kriegerische Seefahrer und Eroberer, unerschrockene Entdecker, die sich die Meere und die Länder untertan machen, die sie erreichen. Doch wie viel wissen wir tatsächlich über die Wikinger? Wie differenziert ist unser Bild, und welche der vermeintlichen Fakten haben diese Bezeichnung wirklich auch verdient?

This publication takes an in-depth look at the grand conflict between East and West that ebbed and flowed for almost 200 years. Providing fascinating background and context, as well as profiles of some of the most interesting historical names associated with the period, this book offers a fresh, colorful perspective on the crusades.

Una reggia, un monumento celebrativo, un luogo di culto? L'appassionante enigma di Castel del Monte sembra fare tutt'uno con la personalità di colui che lo fece costruire, Federico II: imperatore cristiano, illuminista ante litteram, tiranno politico e legislatore egualitario, cultore delle scienze ed esoterista. Nella vicenda dell'Italia meridionale e del suo distacco dal resto della penisola, un filo rosso collega la politica ipercentralista di Federico II, con la sua splendida architettura castellana, e l'assenza di un'autonomia urbana nel Mezzogiorno.

On July 15, 1410, Tannenberg was the site of another decisive battle between the army of the Germanic Teutonic Order and that of Poland-Lithuania, a battle now commonly referred to as the Battle of Grunwald (after a nearby village). German nationalism saw the destruction of the Russians as vengeance upon the Slavs for the defeat of 1410, and the Nazis also exploited that sentiment during their invasions of Poland and Russia.

It may be human nature to strive for perfection, but flaws and imperfections can bring character and create unique, unrivaled beauty in a league of its own. Old scars, burns, pockmarks, and other so-called blemishes of the like serve as reminders of disasters and adversities one has survived, no matter how grave or trivial.

In the rich turbulence of English history, one day stands magnificently apart: June 15, 1215, the day of the signing of the Magna Charta. On this day, the first blow for English freedom was struck and forever affected the Western world. Here is the story of three true men, Stephen Langton, Williams Marshall, and Hubert de Burgh, whose heroic deeds are set against those of the ever deceitful and crafty King John.

Recent research has revealed that the richest person of all time lived in the 14th century in West Africa and went by many names, including Kankan Musa Keita, Emir of Melle, Lord of the Mines of Wangara, Conqueror of Ghanata, and the Lion of Mali II, but today he is usually referred to as Mansa Musa. Adjusting his wealth to modern values, he was worth about an estimated $400 billion as the Sultan of ancient Mali, which controlled the trade routes across the Sahara Desert.