Showing titles in Medieval

Discover the complex mythology of the legendary Nordic people who inspired Hollywood films, epic novels, and more. Beautiful goddesses, fierce warriors, formidable beasts, and Ragnarök itself--these magical tales have enthralled audiences for centuries. This classic collection of tales offers...

In The Fall of Rome, eminent historian Bryan Ward-Perkins argues that the "peaceful" theory of Rome's "transformation" is badly in error. Indeed, he sees the fall of Rome as a time of horror and dislocation that destroyed a great civilization, throwing the inhabitants of the West back to a standard of living typical of prehistoric times. Attacking contemporary theories with relish and making use of modern archaeological evidence, he looks at both the wider explanations for the disintegration of the Roman world and also the consequences for the lives of everyday Romans.  

The Vikings evoke striking images of horned helmets, battle axes, and merciless coastal raids. Remembered for their shocking brutality and impressive naval prowess, these marauding pirates from the North have inspired poetry, fantasy novels, plays, symphonies, and even comic book heroes over the last 12 centuries. But do any of these enduring tropes reflect reality? Who were the Vikings really? What do we know about the period that bears their name? Explore these questions and more in The Viking Age, a 12-lecture course that corrects the record on a transformative period in world history.

Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between the years 800 and 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade and economic development, the size and sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts, and, above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. Central Asians achieved signal breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, geology, medicine, chemistry, music, social science, philosophy, and theology, among other subjects.

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. 

The Book of Margery Kempe is the extraordinary account of a medieval wife, mother, and mystic from Norfolk. Having married in c. 1393, given birth to 14 children, and pursued unsuccessful ventures in brewing and milling, Kempe made a vow of chastity and embarked on a life of prayer, penance, and pilgrimage.

It is 935 A.D., and the North is in turmoil. King Harald Fairhair has died, leaving the High Seat of the realm to his murderous son, Erik Bloodaxe. To solidify his claim, Erik ruthlessly disposes of all claimants to his throne, save one: his youngest brother Hakon. Erik's surviving enemies send a ship to Wessex, where the Christian King Athelstan is raising Hakon. Unable to avoid his fate, he returns to the Viking North to face his brother and claim his birthright, only to discover that victory will demand sacrifices beyond his wildest nightmares.

From a leading expert in Japanese history, this is one of the first full histories of the art and culture of the Samurai warrior. The Samurai emerged as a warrior caste in Medieval Japan and would have a powerful influence on the history and culture of the country from the next 500 years. Clements also looks at the Samurai wars that tore Japan apart in the 17th and 18th centuries and how the caste was finally demolished in the advent of the mechanized world.

We often think of them as tiny, glittering creatures fluttering about in pastel tulle, but fairies haven't always been so benign. Here, historian Sarah Clegg explores the true history of fairies, and the menace and ambiguity that always lurks within the shimmering fantasy. This history takes us from elf fires in Iceland to a burial mound in Ireland; and from a stream in Cottingley where two sisters created a fairy hoax to a modern-day fairy ball in Los Angeles.

A thrilling history of Florence's most famous family, the Medicis, from thrilling heights to the end of an astonishing era. At its height Renaissance Florence was a centre of enormous wealth, power and influence. This enthralling book charts the family's huge influence on the political, economic and cultural history of Florence.

Gales tiene una larga e ilustre historia, repleta de hazañas heroicas, personajes legendarios y momentos cruciales. En este conciso libro de historia, descubrirá la fascinante historia de Gales, desde sus antiguos orígenes celtas hasta la nación moderna. Desde el reinado del Rey Arturo y las...

Imagine a Viking, and a certain image springs to mind: a nameless, faceless warrior, leaping ashore from a longboat, and ready to terrorise the hapless local population of a northern European country. Yet while such characters define the Viking Age today, they were in the minority. This is the history of all the other people - children, enslaved people, seers, artisans, travellers, writers - who inhabited the medieval Nordic world. For the first time, you can immerse yourself in the day-to-day lives of extraordinary culture which spanned centuries.

当昔日帝国的废墟在战火与饥荒中分崩离析，一段长达千年的权力重组与文明觉醒由此拉开序幕，彻底打破了我们对“黑暗时代”的刻板印象。在这场漫长而壮阔的历史巨变中，信仰、土地与王权交织碰撞，不仅重塑了欧洲的...

Z ruin Rzymu rodzi się średniowieczna Europa w fascynującej opowieści o walce o władzę i narodzinach cywilizacji. Ta epicka, pełna historycznego napięcia podróż w czasie to idealny wybór na długi spacer, pozwalający w pełni zanurzyć się w procesach, które ukształtowały nasz...

长达两千年的分裂与融合，如何在战争与信仰的撕裂中铸就了主导欧洲地缘政治的现代强国？在这段专为高效充电打造的两小时通勤伴读中，你将跳出枯燥的碎片化记忆，以极其宏大而明快的节奏，俯瞰从日耳曼部落到冷战铁...

تتبع صعود وسقوط الرهبان المحاربين الذين أسسوا إمبراطورية مالية في قلب أوروبا خلال حقبة الحروب الصليبية المعقدة. يقدم هذا السرد التاريخي المشوق رحلة معرفية غنية،...

Reis terug naar de kruistochten en zie hoe vrome krijgsmonniken de machtigste financiers van Europa werden. Dit sfeervolle, meeslepende historische verhaal is de perfecte luisterervaring voor tijdens je dagelijkse woon-werkverkeer. Dompel jezelf volledig onder in een intrigerende wereld vol...

当横跨欧亚的古代帝国遭遇财政紧绷与边疆危机，这并非一场突如其来的末日崩塌，而是权力交替与社会转型交织的史诗级世界史巨变。在当今这个同样充满不确定性与秩序重构的时代，这部沉浸式的声音巨制将带你直击那个...

Ontdek de sluipende val van een antieke supermacht en de opkomst van middeleeuws Europa in dit historisch epos. Dompel jezelf tijdens je dagelijkse woon-werkverkeer volledig onder in een meeslepend tijdperk vol politieke intriges, economische druk en botsende culturen. Ervaar een sfeervol en...

Ontdek de meeslepende Europese geschiedenis van gevallen Romeinse heerschappij, opkomende steden en brute machtsstrijd. Terwijl de oude wereld instort, vormt zich een complexe lappendeken van nieuwe samenlevingen waar landbouwers, lokale heersers en geestelijken strijden om overleving en invloed...