Showing titles in 16th Century

Napoleon Bonaparte lived one of the most extraordinary of all human lives. In the space of just 20 years, from October 1795, when as a young artillery captain he cleared the streets of Paris of insurrectionists, to his final defeat at the (horribly mismanaged) battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Napoleon transformed France and Europe. After seizing power in a coup d'état, he ended the corruption and incompetence into which the revolution had descended.

Situated in the early decades of the magnificent Mughal Empire, this first ever biography of Princess Gulbadan offers an enthralling portrait of a charismatic adventurer and unique pictures of the multicultural society in which she lived. Following a migratory childhood that spanned Kabul and north India, Gulbadan spent her middle years in a walled harem established by her nephew Akbar to showcase his authority as the Great Emperor.

During the long 18th century, Europe's travelers, scholars, and intellectuals looked to Asia in a spirit of puzzlement, irony, and openness. In this panoramic book, author Jürgen Osterhammel tells the story of the European Enlightenment's nuanced encounter with the great civilizations of the East, from the Ottoman Empire and India to China and Japan. A momentous work by one of Europe's most eminent historians, Unfabling the East takes listeners on a thrilling voyage to the farthest shores, bringing back vital insights for our own multicultural age.

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. 

Carlos Eire, popular professor and gifted writer, chronicles the 200-year era of the Renaissance and Reformation with particular attention to issues that persist as concerns in the present day. Eire connects the Protestant and Catholic Reformations in new and profound ways, and he demonstrates convincingly that this crucial turning point in history not only affected people long gone but continues to shape our world and define who we are today.

A sweeping 400-year history of the Florentines who gave birth to the Renaissance, by the author of The Medici and The Borgias. Between the birth of Dante in 1265 and the death of Galileo in 1642 something happened which transformed the entire culture of western civilisation. Painting, sculpture...

In the fifteenth century, even before the city states of the Apennine Peninsula began to coalesce into what would become, several centuries later, a nation, "Italy" exerted enormous influence over all of Europe and throughout the Mediterranean. Viewing the Italy (the many Italies?) of that time through the lens of today allows us to gather a fragmented, multi-faceted, and seemingly contradictory history into a single unifying narrative that speaks to our current reality as much as it does to a specific historical period. This is what the French historian Fernand Braudel achieves here.

What is the mind? How does it relate to the body and soul? These questions were as perplexing for the Elizabethans as they are for us today—although their answers were often startlingly different. Shakespeare and his contemporaries believed the mind was governed by the humors and passions, and was susceptible to the Devil’s interference. In this insightful and wide-ranging account, Helen Hackett explores the intricacies of Elizabethan ideas about the mind. 

Spices drove the early modern world economy, and for Europeans they represented riches on an unprecedented scale. Cloves and nutmeg could reach Europe only via a complex web of trade routes, and for decades Spanish and Portuguese explorers competed to find their elusive source. But when the Portuguese finally reached the spice islands of the Moluccas in 1511, they set in motion a fierce competition for control.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Metaxas is a scrupulous chronicler and has an eye for a good story. . . . full, instructive, and pacey.” —The Washington Post From #1 New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas comes a brilliant and inspiring biography of the most influential man in modern...

Step into the bloody dynastic struggles of British history as a fragile monarchy fights for absolute power and survival. Perfect for your daily commute, this captivating narrative transports you directly into the glittering royal courts and dark prison cells of the sixteenth century. Witness the...

Discover the epic European history of a transoceanic empire that conquered continents before crumbling from within. Perfect for an immersive commute or a focused learning session, this gripping narrative transports listeners back to medieval Iberia. Witness the violent clash of civilizations and...

A bizarre medical mystery in Renaissance Europe triggers a terrifying, unstoppable wave of mass hysteria. Perfect for a gripping commute or a focused weekend deep-dive, this atmospheric historical narrative plunges you into a 16th-century city paralyzed by an unexplained phenomenon. Watch a...

Explore a chilling medical mystery and bizarre mass hysteria where a 16th-century city danced to the brink of collapse. Perfect for a gripping commute or an evening of immersive historical unwinding, this tense narrative drops you into the anxious streets of 1518 Strasbourg. Experience a...

Dive into the dramatic military history of how indigenous alliances and devastating diseases toppled mighty empires. Perfect for a focused commute, this intense narrative shatters the myth of simple European superiority in the Americas. Embark on a thought-provoking historical deep-dive into an...

Unravel a gripping historical mystery and track the lost medieval manuscripts that haunted Russia for centuries. Perfect for an immersive commute, this suspenseful narrative separates documented facts from wild rumors surrounding one of Europe's most tantalizing vanished archives. Escape into...

Uncover the truth behind a mysterious 16th-century cartographic artifact that sparked endless maritime conspiracies. Perfect for an immersive commute or focused learning, this gripping historical investigation transports you directly to the treacherous High Seas and the intellectual crossroads...

Experience the dramatic religious revolution that shattered medieval Europe and changed Western Christianity forever. Perfect for an immersive commute, this gripping historical narrative plunges you into a turbulent era of corrupt popes, radical reformers, and shifting political empires...

Plunge into the tense military history of 1588, where religious rivalry sparked an epic naval warfare showdown. Perfect for a captivating historical deep dive during your daily commute, this immersive narrative brings the geopolitical intrigue of sixteenth-century Europe to life. Hear the...

Dive into a thrilling naval history showdown where a small, outgunned fleet dismantled Europe's most terrifying empire. Perfect for an educational commute, this dramatic audio experience transports you directly to the treacherous, blood-stained waters of 1588. Feel the intense political...