Medieval History

The life of Emperor Charles V (1500-1558), ruler of Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and much of Italy and Central and South America, has long intrigued biographers. But the elusive nature of the man (despite an abundance of documentation), his relentless travel and the control of his own image, together with the complexity of governing the world's first transatlantic empire, complicate the task.

In a childless and unhappy marriage, Clare Royland is rich and beautiful—but lonely. And fueling her feelings of isolation is a strange, growing fascination with an ancestress from the distant past. Troubled by haunting inexplicable dreams that terrify—but also powerfully compel—her, Clare is forced to look back through the centuries for answers. In 1306, Scotland is at war. Isobel, countess of Buchan, faces fear and the prospect of untimely death as the fighting surrounds her.

Author Stewart Gordon has fashioned a fascinating and unique look at Asia from AD 700 to 1500, a time when Asia was the world, by describing the personal journeys of Asia's many travelers - the merchants who traded spices along the Silk Road, the apothecaries who exchanged medicine and knowledge from China to the Middle East, and the philosophers and holy men who crossed continents to explore and exchange ideas, books, science, and culture.

Fino all'inizio del XIV secolo il Medioevo europeo registra una crescita demografica e urbana, del commercio e della tecnica. Ma l'aumento della popolazione provoca una domanda alimentare superiore all'offerta e si avvertono i segni della crisi. Poi, a metà del secolo, un terribile flagello si abbatte sul Vecchio Continente: nel giro di pochi anni la peste riduce di un terzo circa la popolazione. È l’apice di una crisi profonda che trasforma radicalmente il paesaggio e l'economia e provoca aspri conflitti tra Stati.

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you were born into another time period? What about the Middle Ages? Would you have been lucky and lived as a knight, a lord or lady, or even a king or queen? Or would you have been like the majority of peasants and lived a tough life of hard labor? Did everyone live in castles? What did people do for work? And for fun? Did knights really fight dragons? You’ll find out the answers to these questions and so much more in this incredible audiobook on medieval Europe.

The last and longest war of classical antiquity was fought in the early seventh century. It was ideologically charged and fought along the full length of the Persian-Roman frontier, drawing in all the available resources and great powers of the steppe world. The conflict raged on an unprecedented scale, and its end brought the classical phase of history to a close. Despite all this, it has left a conspicuous gap in the history of warfare. This book aims to finally fill that gap.

‘Sharp as quivering hares are the Flecks. We’ve eyes and ears for things other folk miss. 'Much later, in the aftermath of the battle of Flodden, a young man finally understands his father’s words. The year is 1513. The place is North-East England. Tom Fleck, a downtrodden farm worker, but gifted archer, yearns to escape his masters. He unearths two objects that could be keys to freedom: a torque of ancient gold and a Tudor seal ring. He cannot know how these finds will determine his future. Rachel Coronel craves an end to her wanderings. When the torque comes to rest around the neck ...

The book provides a detailed chronological history of early Western Europe through the lives of the nobility, their marriages, wars, rebellions, and betrayals. The book has original source documentation embedded. This book was compiled from 20-plus years of research combined with an interest in the history of western civilization. By putting all the events in chronological order, I was able to show the impact of relationships between the various factions, and how these relations helped shape Western Europe.

How have the crusades contributed to Islamist rage and terrorism today? Were the crusades the Christian equivalent of modern jihad? In this sweeping yet crisp history, Thomas F. Madden offers a brilliant and compelling narrative of the crusades and their contemporary relevance.

This book tells the true story of how a seemingly minor family from a small town in Bavaria, the family of Berthold, Duke of Merania, played an outsized role in European affairs, affecting countries ranging from Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and even Russia and France, and playing a particularly key role in trying to stave off the Mongolian invasion of the 13th century. Berthold’s ancestors are reviewed, and there is discussion of each of the members of the family, at least down to the level of Berthold’s and his wife Agnes’ grandchildren, and beyond in some circumstances. Through this ...

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.

With LETTERS OF FIRE AND SWORD, Dorothy Wiley has merged Scotland’s gut-wrenching history with extraordinary fiction.In the year of our Lord, 1306, patriots of Scotland, support Robert the Bruce’s fight to free both their conquered country and his family, imprisoned by the English king. Powerful knights like Highlander Sir Alexander MacMillan join the struggle fighting battle after battle for eight long years. All the while, Alexander’s first love, Lady Erca MacNeill, is imprisoned alongside the woman who dared to crown Bruce king of Scotland, Countess Isabella MacDuff. The brutal ...

Jewish Life in Medieval Spain is a detailed exploration of the Jewish experience in medieval Spain from the dawn of Sephardic society in the ninth century to the expulsion of 1492. An important contribution of the book is the integration of the rise and fall of Jewish life in Muslim al-Andalus into the history of the Jews in medieval Christian Spain. It traces the collapse of Jewish life in Muslim Spain, the emigration of Andalusi Jewry to the lands of Christian Iberia, and the difficult confluence of these two distinct Jewish subcultures.

What if the courage of one man could change the world? In 1415, Jan Hus was burned at the stake for challenging the corruption of the Catholic Church and standing by his convictions. His sacrifice ignited a movement, inspired the Reformation, and laid the groundwork for ideas that still shape our world today. What would you sacrifice for the truth? In a world dominated by corruption and fear, Jan Hus stood alone. A century before Martin Luther, this courageous Bohemian preacher challenged the Catholic Church’s authority, exposing its moral failings and advocating for equality, justice, ...

The Anglo-Saxon period, stretching from the fifth to the late eleventh century, begins with the Roman retreat from the Western world and ends with the Norman takeover of England. Between these epochal events, many of the contours and patterns of English life that would endure for the next millennium were shaped. In this authoritative work, N. J. Higham and M. J. Ryan reexamine Anglo-Saxon England in the light of new research in disciplines as wide ranging as historical genetics, paleobotany, archaeology, literary studies, art history, and numismatics.

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 signaled a shift in history and the end of the Byzantium Empire. Roger Crowley's listenable and comprehensive account of the battle between Mehmed II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Constantine XI, the 57th emperor of Byzantium, illuminates the period in history that was a precursor to the current jihad between the West and the Middle East.

Embark on a captivating journey through the threads of time with "Weaving Through History," the enthralling eBook that entwines the rich tapestry of our past with the fibers of our cultural fabric. Delve deep into an odyssey that spans across global civilizations, unraveling the pivotal role textiles have played in shaping our world. As you turn the virtual pages of this comprehensive exploration, you will discover the profound influence that textiles have exerted on society—from defining cultural identity to dictating economic fate. Each chapter meticulously interlaces historical ...

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.

At the end of the fifteenth century, Burgundy was extinguished as an independent state. It had been a fabulously wealthy, turbulent region situated between France and Germany, with close links to the English kingdom. Torn apart by the dynastic struggles of early modern Europe, this extraordinary realm vanished from the map. But it became the cradle of what we now know as the Low Countries, modern Belgium and the Netherlands. This is the story of a thousand years, a must-listen narrative history of ambitious aristocrats, family dysfunction, treachery, savage battles, luxury, and madness.

The Angevin Empire has been claimed by a new king. Richard, the elder surviving legitimate son of King Henry II of England, is universally accepted as his father’s successor. However, Richard is not as interested in remaining in Europe to rule his inherited lands as in acquiring the money and means to travel to the middle east, where he intends to prosecute a war against those who threaten the Christians there. His younger brother John, still distressed at the death of the old king, wants desperately to find the opportunity to pay the new king back for the bitter conflict Richard had ...