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The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster
Medieval history from a rising star in the field, this is a biography of one of the most important figures of the age, John of Gaunt. John Gaunt was the son of Edward III, brother to the Black Prince, father to Henry IV, and the sire of all those Tudors. He has had pretty bad press: supposed usurper of Richard II's crown and the focus of hatred in the Peasants' Revolt, as they torched his home, the Savoy Palace. Helen Carr paints a complex portrait of a man who held the levers of power on the English and European stage, passionately upheld chivalric values, pressed for the Bible to be translated into English, patronized the arts-and, if you follow Shakespeare, gave the most beautiful oration on England: "this sceptred isle...this blessed plot." The Red Prince is an engrossing drama of political machinations, violence, romance, plague, revolt, and tragedy played out at the cusp of a new era.
Helen Carr (Author), Helen Carr (Narrator)
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The Bishops’ Wars: The History of the Religious Conflicts that Engulfed Britain and Led to the First
England has more often been faced with the claims of competing kings and queens than with a period of no monarch at all. The major exception to that rule came in the 11 years between 1649 and 1660, when England was a republic. Following the disastrous reign of Charles I and the civil wars that led to his execution, Parliament and the army ruled England. That situation was one that would not have been possible without the Bishops’ Wars that preceded it. In the 1630s, Charles’s high-handed approach to politics caused further trouble north of the border, and not just because of the lands he had taken back from the nobility. The Scots were Presbyterian Protestants, and Charles wanted to enforce the same religious practices on them as he supported in England. His attempt to enforce use of the English Book of Common Prayer led to a rebellion by the Scots in 1639, a rebellion which ultimately became known as the Bishops’ Wars. The king could make the English Parliament go away, but he could not do the same for the Scottish rebellion. Many Scottish soldiers were veterans of the bitter religious fighting in Europe, which was then in the middle of the Thirty Years War. After they beat the English at the Battle of Newburn on August 28, 1640 and occupied northern England, Charles was forced to make a humiliating peace. Adding insult to injury, he had to summon Parliament to raise money he had promised to the Scots in return for an end to the war. In return for the funds he so desperately needed, Parliament forced Charles to accept measures that prevented him from dissolving Parliament, as well as the execution of one of his key advisors and other measures loathsome to the monarch. Less than two years later, the First English Civil War would commence. The Bishops’ Wars: The History of the Religious Conflicts that Engulfed Britain and Led to the First English Civil War examines one of the most tumultuous periods in England’s history.
Charles River Editors (Author), Daniel Houle (Narrator)
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A Summer with Montaigne: On the Art of Living Well
Michel de Montaigne embodies the humanist ideal-curious, measured, contemplative yet not unworldly, witty, free of prejudice, and urbane. But what does this French Renaissance philosopher have to tell us about how to think and live today? In forty short, erudite, and lively chapters written over a single summer, Antoine Compagnon seeks answers to that question. In A Summer with Montaigne, Compagnon invites his readers to join him as he strolls through Montaigne's key contributions to our understanding of what is good and worthwhile in life. This engaging book, then, serves as both an introduction to Montaigne for readers unfamiliar with his work and a refresher for those who are already acquainted with his unique brilliance, vitality, and timeliness. Montaigne's Essays deal with themes that remain relevant today, from the problems posed by religion, war, power, and friendship to the absurdity of our fixations and peccadillos. Accompanying readers through the Essays, Compagnon never pontificates and is never austere. Rather, he approaches Montaigne with a sense of humor, admiration, and joy.
Antoine Compagnon (Author), Fred Stella (Narrator)
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Magia Nórdica y Asatru: Una Guía Esencial para la Adivinación Nórdica, las Runas del Futhark Antiguo
Dos manuscritos en un libro: - Magia nórdica para principiantes: La guía definitiva para la adivinación nórdica, la lectura de las runas del futhark antiguo y los hechizos - Ásatrú: La guía definitiva del paganismo nórdico, Heathenry y Ásatrú para principiantes Algunos de los temas y preguntas cubiertos en la primera parte de este libro incluyen: - Descubrir el panteón de los dioses y diosas nórdicos. - Aprender a hacer su propio juego de runas. - Averiguar qué hay que buscar cuando se compran runas. - Identificar los nombres de todas las runas del futhark antiguo y lo que representan. - Entender cómo preparar las runas para su primer uso. - Descubrir cómo invocar los poderes de las runas. - Obtener consejos sobre cómo y cuándo limpiar y recargar sus runas. - Aumentar su percepción e intuición para que sus lecturas sean más precisas. - Ver ejemplos de cómo crear sus propias alineaciones. - Dominar el arte de leer las runas y averiguar las respuestas. - ¡Y mucho más! Algunos de los temas y preguntas cubiertos en la segunda parte de este libro incluyen: - Aprenderá todo lo que necesita saber sobre el paganismo nórdico o Ásatrú. - Descubrirá quiénes eran los vikingos, los anglosajones, y conocerá sus sistemas de creencias. - Averiguará si el Heathenry es diferente del Ásatrú. - Descubrirá qué son las nueve nobles virtudes y qué otros códigos sigue el Ásatrú. - Aprenderá quiénes son las deidades Aesir y Vanir, y cómo estaban conectadas. - Explorará cómo el Ásatrú está conectado con la naturaleza y qué son los espíritus de la tierra o vaettir. - Leerá sobre quiénes son los jötnar. - Y mucho más... ¡Adquiera este libro ahora para aprender más sobre el Magia Nórdica y el Ásatrú!
Mari Silva (Author), Fabio Persa (Narrator)
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[Russian] - Краткая история Испании
Краткая история Испании от ранних поселений, владычества Рима и арабского завоевания Пиренейского полуострова до возрождения Испании в XVII веке, войны на полуострове и революции в Испанской Америке, катастрофической Гражданской войны и тоталитарного режима Франко, Второй мировой войны и далее, до наших дней. Освещая главные вехи, включая христианскую Реконкисту, плавания Колумба, колонизацию Кубы, Филиппин и Пуэрто-Рико, правление Габсбургов и проведенную Бурбонами централизацию, затрагивая темы влияния Великой французской революции и Наполеоновских войн, падения монархии в 1930-х годах и многие другие, Джереми Блэк уделяет пристальное внимание самобытности регионов Испании, дает прогнозы на будущее, а также характеризует векторы культурного развития и общемирового влияния Испании в литературе, изобразительном искусстве, музыке и других сферах. 'Существует тенденция рассматривать Испанию как часть упрощенной, единообразной картины европейской и мировой истории — особенно это касается периода Гражданской войны. Часто возникают параллели и отсылки, например, Реконкисту сравнивают с Крестовыми походами, а Войну за независимость Америки — с латиноамериканскими войнами. Важно в каждом случае не только изучать конкретные обстоятельства и ход событий, но и рассматривать их в рамках более протяженного отрезка испанской истории'. (Джереми Блэк)
джереми блэк (Author), юлия тархова (Narrator)
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[Russian] - Краткая история Италии
Родина Возрождения и стиля барокко, Италия всегда была центром культуры. В современной Италии сильна гордость за культурную самобытность, которой отличаются Тоскана, Рим, Сицилия, Венеция и другие регионы. Обобщая самые важные события истории Италии от основания Рима и объединения страны до реалий фашистского режима в первой половине XX века и далее, до наших дней, авторитетный британский историк Джереми Блэк исследует истоки культурного влияния итальянцев на весь мир, а также причины и следствия политических событий и разделения, которое все еще существует сегодня. 'Эта книга незаменима для тех, кто собирается посетить Италию и при этом хочет узнать о ней больше того, что обычно можно прочитать в лаконичных путеводителях. На протяжении долгих столетий Италия была раздроблена и многие ее части принадлежали крупным, соперничающим друг с другом державам — Австрийской и Испанской империям. Поэтому у нее нет единой многовековой истории, как у других стран (например, Франции), и написание краткой истории Италии дело непростое. В мой рассказ включены как основополагающие события в хронологическом порядке, так и сведения об отдельных регионах'. (Джереми Блэк)
джереми блэк (Author), юлия тархова (Narrator)
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The Invention of Sicily: A Mediterranean History
Sicily has always acted as a gateway between Europe and the rest of the world. Fought over by the Phoenicians and Greeks, the Romans, Goths and Byzantines, Arabs and Normans, Germans, and the Spanish and the French for thousands of years, Sicily became a unique melting pot where diverse traditions merged, producing a unique heritage and singular culture. In this fascinating account of the island from the earliest times to the present day, author and journalist Jamie Mackay leads us through this most elusive of places. From its pivotal position in the development of Greek and Roman mythology, and the beautiful remnants of both the Arab and Norman invasions, through to the rise of the bandits and the Cosa Nostra, The Invention of Sicily is the perfect companion to the culture and history of Sicily. Mackay weaves the political and social development of the island in with its fascinating cultural heritage-in doing so discussing how great works including Lampedusa's masterpiece The Leopard and its film adaptation by Visconti, and the novels of Leonardo Sciascia, among many others, have both been shaped by Sicily's past, and continue to shape it into the present.
Jamie Mackay (Author), John Lee (Narrator)
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The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World
The creator of the hit podcast series Tides of History and Fall of Rome explores the four explosive decades between 1490 and 1530, bringing to life the dramatic and deeply human story of how the West was reborn. In the bestselling tradition of The Swerve and A Distant Mirror, The Verge tells the story of a period that marked a decisive turning point for both European and world history. Here, author Patrick Wyman examines two complementary and contradictory sides of the same historical coin: the world-altering implications of the developments of printed mass media, extreme taxation, exploitative globalization, humanistic learning, gunpowder warfare, and mass religious conflict in the long term, and their intensely disruptive consequences in the short-term. As told through the lives of ten real people—from famous figures like Christopher Columbus and wealthy banker Jakob Fugger to a ruthless small-time merchant and a one-armed mercenary captain—The Verge illustrates how their lives, and the times in which they lived, set the stage for an unprecedented globalized future. Over an intense forty-year period, the seeds for the so-called "Great Divergence" between Western Europe and the rest of the globe would be planted. From Columbus's voyage across the Atlantic to Martin Luther's sparking the Protestant Reformation, the foundations of our own, recognizably modern world came into being. For the past 500 years, historians, economists, and the policy-oriented have argued which of these individual developments best explains the West's rise from backwater periphery to global dominance. As The Verge presents it, however, the answer is far more nuanced.
Patrick Wyman (Author), Patrick Wyman (Narrator)
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The Tudors: A Very Short Introduction
The monarchs of the Tudor period are among some of the most well-known figures in British history. John Guy presents a compelling and fascinating exploration of the Tudors in the new edition of this Very Short Introduction. Looking at all aspects of the period, from beginning to end, he considers Tudor politics, religion, and economics, as well as issues relating to gender and minority rule, and the art, architecture, and social and material culture of the time. Introducing all of the key Tudor monarchs, Guy considers the impact the Tudor period had not only at the time, but also the historical legacy it left behind.
John Guy (Author), Mary Sarah (Narrator)
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Hitler's Jet Plane: The ME 262 Story
The first operational military jet in the world, towards the end of the Second World War the Me 262 was to be the German 'miracle weapon.' Mano Ziegler was involved from its inception and contributed to the design, testing, training, and even served in it operationally. Could the Me 262 have broken the Allied supremacy in the air? Why did it take so long to come into service and why were hundreds of German pilots sacrificed in developing it? Why did the Me 262 prove not to be the unparalleled success claimed by Goering and why were German cities left dangerously exposed against Allied bombing campaigns? These are only some of the important questions this book answers. Hitler's Jet Plane fills an important gap in the history of the Luftwaffe and of aviation in general with new research which discloses how the first military jet plane failed to make its mark on World War II.
Mano Ziegler (Author), Paul Woodson (Narrator)
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The Howe Dynasty: The Untold Story of a Military Family and the Women Behind Britain's Wars for Amer
Finally revealing the family’s indefatigable women among its legendary military figures, The Howe Dynasty recasts the British side of the American Revolution. In December 1774, Benjamin Franklin met Caroline Howe, the sister of British General Sir William Howe and Richard Admiral Lord Howe, in a London drawing room for “half a dozen Games of Chess.” But as historian Julie Flavell reveals, these meetings were about much more than board games: they were cover for a last-ditch attempt to forestall the outbreak of the American War of Independence. Aware that the distinguished Howe family, both the men and the women, have been known solely for the military exploits of the brothers, Flavell investigated the letters of Caroline Howe, which have been blatantly overlooked since the nineteenth century. Using revelatory documents and this correspondence, The Howe Dynasty provides a groundbreaking reinterpretation of one of England’s most famous military families across four wars. Contemporaries considered the Howes impenetrable and intensely private—or, as Horace Walpole called them, “brave and silent.” Flavell traces their roots to modest beginnings at Langar Hall in rural Nottinghamshire and highlights the Georgian phenomenon of the politically involved aristocratic woman. In fact, the early careers of the brothers—George, Richard, and William—can be credited not to the maneuverings of their father, Scrope Lord Howe, but to those of their aunt, the savvy Mary Herbert Countess Pembroke. When eldest sister Caroline came of age during the reign of King George III, she too used her intimacy with the royal inner circle to promote her brothers, moving smoothly between a straitlaced court and an increasingly scandalous London high life. With genuine suspense, Flavell skillfully recounts the most notable episodes of the brothers’ military campaigns: how Richard, commanding the HMS Dunkirk in 1755, fired the first shot signaling the beginning of the Seven Years’ War at sea; how George won the devotion of the American fighters he commanded at Fort Ticonderoga just three years later; and how youngest brother General William Howe, his sympathies torn, nonetheless commanded his troops to a bitter Pyrrhic victory in the Battle of Bunker Hill, only to be vilified for his failure as British commander-in-chief to subdue Washington’s Continental Army. Britain’s desperate battles to guard its most vaunted colonial possession are here told in tandem with London parlor-room intrigues, where Caroline bravely fought to protect the Howe reputation in a gossipy aristocratic milieu. A riveting narrative and long overdue reassessment of the entire family, The Howe Dynasty forces us to reimagine the Revolutionary War in ways that would have been previously inconceivable.
Julie Flavell (Author), Polly Lee (Narrator)
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Meet the Georgians: Epic Tales from Britain’s Wildest Century
Anne Bonny and Mary Read, pirate queens of the Caribbean Tipu Sultan, the Indian ruler who kept the British at bay Olaudah Equiano, the former slave whose story shocked the world Mary Wollstonecraft, the feminist who fought for women’s rights Ladies of Llangollen, the lovers who built paradise in a Welsh valley Anne Bonny and Mary Read, pirate queens of the Caribbean Tipu Sultan, the Indian ruler who kept the British at bay Olaudah Equiano, the former slave whose story shocked the world Mary Wollstonecraft, the feminist who fought for women’s rights Ladies of Llangollen, the lovers who built paradise in a Welsh valley ‘Mad, bad and dangerous to know’ is how Lord Byron, the poet who drank wine from a monk’s skull and slept with his half-sister, was described by one of his many lovers. But ‘mad, bad and dangerous’ serves as a good description for the entire Georgian period: often neglected, the hundred or so years between the coronation of George I in 1714 and the death of George IV in 1830 were years when the modern world was formed, and changes came thick and fast. Across this century, new foods – pineapples, coffee and pepper – suddenly became available in the shops. Fashion exploded into a riot of colour, frilly shirts and wigs. Gin was drunk like it was water. Demands for women’s rights were heard, and it became possible to question the existence of God without fear of prompt execution. These exciting new developments came, of course, from the expanding British Empire. Britain’s wealth and its sudden access to chocolate, chillies and spices, was entirely bound up with the conquest of overseas territories and the miserable suffering of enslaved workers. This is the backdrop to Robert Peal’s new book, which introduces the Georgian era through the diverse lives of twelve ‘magnificent – if not moral’ people who defined it.
Robert Peal (Author), Adjoa Andoh, Ash Hunter, Nicola Coughlan (Narrator)
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