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This is historian Zoe Oldenbourg's long-awaited masterpiece: an immensely exciting romance, in the highest sense, which has at the same time an unsparingly realistic approach to the Middle Ages. With subtlety and exceptional sensitivity, Oldenbourg analyzes the complicated tangle of currents and ideas that motivated the Crusades. More than simply a religious phenomenon or a manifestation of pure aggression, the Crusades were the result of a religious climate that led people of all walks of life to leave their homes and follow the unattainable ideal of heaven on earth. Oldenbourg evokes the whole structure of the feudal society and reveals the ingenuity of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. This story is peopled with such great personalities as Bohemond, Tancred, Peter the Hermit, Godfrey of Bouillon, Saladin, and Richard the Lionheart. "Nadia May has the enviable knack of being able to read long, complex, non-fictional narratives with great verve and an inner enthusiasm which transfers itself to her audience." -Kliatt
Zoé Oldenbourg, Zoé Oldenbourg (Author), Nadia May, Wanda Mccaddon (Narrator)
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Looking into the past, the Crusades seem incomprehensible. What combination of religious fervor, hatred of people of different faiths, and gall led Europeans of 1100 AD to make their way thousands of miles to conquer the Holy Land? Why did they continue for 200 years? How did the Crusades change the world? The intriguing story is peppered with colorful characters. Over the centuries, this well-researched and written book argues, crusaders saw-and participated in-the evolution of warfare and the transformation of society from feudal fiefdoms to nations and empires. The story of the Crusades is a reminder, too, of the horrors wrought in the name of religion. The Crusades are seen by many Christians today as an exercise in fanaticism, an episode in which the teachings of Christ were used to justify the horrors perpetrated on innocents. That judgment is accurate, but not the whole story. The whole story is in these pages.
Abigail Archer (Author), Sarah Nichols (Narrator)
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The Crusade of Varna: The History of the Unsuccessful Attempt to Prevent the Ottoman Empire’s Expans
In terms of geopolitics, perhaps the most seminal event of the Middle Ages was the successful Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453. The city had been an imperial capital as far back as the 4th century, when Constantine the Great shifted the power center of the Roman Empire there, effectively establishing two almost equally powerful halves of antiquity’s greatest empire. The fall of Constantinople is still well-known today, but the Ottoman Empire was already pushing into Europe beforehand, and it would take repeated efforts by various European coalitions to prevent a complete Ottoman takeover of the continent. At the time, the most powerful European countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans were Poland and Hungary. Russia was still throwing off the Mongol yoke, France and England were fighting an interminable war, Germany was broken into hundreds of entities, and the Holy Roman Empire was fighting the rise of Protestantism. The Italian merchant city-states of Venice and Genoa were intimately tied to the Balkans, the Byzantine Empire, the Black Sea, and the Ottomans. Genoa had been something of an Ottoman ally since the 1300s, even while the Ottomans were looming as a grave threat to Europe. The Ottoman Sultan Murad II became known as the Ghazi Sultan and was seen as not only defending Islam against the Christians but also as a defender of other, less powerful Muslim beys. Thus, he gained support from Muslims both far and near before he turned his armies towards Venice, the Karamids, Serbia, and finally Hungary, which would get the Europeans’ attention. In the historic tradition that already dated back over 300 years, a crusade was called to stop the Ottomans, and the main battle would be fought near Varna, a fortified city on the Black Sea coast of what is now Bulgaria. The result would set into motion the Ottomans’ far more famous forays into Europe.
Charles River Editors (Author), David Van Der Molen (Narrator)
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From best-selling and award winning author of A Brilliant Little Operation comes the long neglected D-Day story of the Resistance uprising and subsequent massacre on the Vercors massif - the largest action by the French Resistance during the Second World War.In early 1941, three separate groups of plotters - one military, one political, one intellectual - began to organise and plan on and around the forbidding mountainous plateau near Grenoble - the Vercors. The aims of the groups were the same: to hasten the departure of the German occupiers; to restore the pride of France after its fall and the humiliations of the puppet Vichy government which followed; and to build a new France. The overwhelming desire to get rid of the Germans would unite them. Their different views of the France they hoped for in the future would divide them.Over the next three years these sparks of resistance would grow to challenge the might of the hated German occupiers. As the Allied troops stormed the D-Day beaches, the Vercors rose up to fight the Nazis in a planned rearguard action. It was to prove not only the largest Resistance action of the entire war but also, in the severity of the German response, the most brutal crushing of resistance forces in Western Europe.For the men and women of Vercors, aided and abetted by the Free French forces of General de Gaulle and SOE operatives from London, the events on the Vercors took them on a journey from early idealism through hope, misjudgement, folly, despair, sacrifice and slaughter to a kind of cruel victory. The tragedy drew the attention of those at the highest level of the Allied war effort and placed the Vercors deep into the heart of the history of modern France in a way which resonates still in the country's daily life and politics.Long overlooked by English language histories, this magnificent book sets the story in the context of D-Day, the muddle of politics and many misjudgements of D-Day planners in both London and Algiers, and - most importantly - it gives voice to the many Maquisards fighters who fought to gain a voice in their country's future.
Paddy Ashdown (Author), Paddy Ashdown (Narrator)
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The Crown: The Official History Behind Season 3: Political Scandal, Personal Struggle and the Years
The fascinating royal and social history that inspired the second and third seasons of The Crown, from the show's historical consultant. In this incredible companion to the second and third seasons of Netflix's acclaimed series The Crown, renowned biographer and the show's historical consultant Robert Lacey takes us through the real history that inspired the drama. Covering two tumultuous decades in the reign of Elizabeth II, Lacey looks at the key social, political and personal moments and the effect they had not only on the royal family, but also on the world around them. From the Suez Canal Crisis and the US/Russia space race to the Duke of Windsor's collaboration with Hitler and the rumoured issues with the royal marriage, the book will provide a fascinating insight into the two decades that the show covers, revealing the truth behind the fiction on-screen. Extensively researched, this is a unique look behind the history that inspired the show and the years that would prove to be the making of The Queen. The Crown is now available to watch on Netflix. The Crown is produced by Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television for Netflix.
Robert Lacey (Author), Alex Jennings (Narrator)
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The Covent Garden Ladies: The inspiration behind ITV show HARLOTS
The book that inspired ITV's hit drama HARLOTS . . . 1757 - Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, a salacious publication detaling the names and 'specialities' of the capital's prostitutes, eventually became one of the eighteenth century's most successful literary works as well as an essential accessory for any serious gentleman of pleasure. Beyond its titillating passages lay a glimpse into the sex lives of those who lived and died by the List's profits during the Georgian era. The Covent Garden Ladies tells the story of three unusual characters whose colourful lives were brought together by this publication. Its story plunges the reader down the dark alleys of eighteenth-century London's underworld, a realm populated by tavern owners, pimps, punters, card sharks and of course, a colourful range of prostitutes and brothel-keepers. 'Rubenhold proves herself both a keen researcher and a writer who understands narrative tension...a compelling and ingenious book.' The Independent 'Scrupulously researched and cleverly structured...Among the scurrilous tales of 18th-century low life...this one is the most intriguing.' The Daily Telegraph
Hallie Rubenhold (Author), Emily Pennant-Rea, Hallie Rubenhold (Narrator)
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The Count Of Virtue: Giangaleazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan
Fourteenth century Italy was chaotic: mercenaries swarmed across the land as competing city states attempted to vie with each other for power, while pestilence and famine decimated populations. Into this cauldron was born Giangalezzo Visconti, a man who perfectly exemplified all the contradictions of his age. Viscous, covetous, and with loose morals, he has been portrayed as one of the most criminal men in history, yet he was also a man of remarkable gifts as a brilliant administrator, a shrewd ruler who was able to command the loyalty of his men, and a patron of beautiful art and architecture at the dawn of the Renaissance. Visconti as a young boy had been taught by Petrarch, yet he was just as influenced by his family of deft schemers and killers as he carved his pathway to power. Playing the parochial jealousies of the city-states against one another he was able to weaken his rivals and strike them in quick succession. E. R. Chamberlin's The Count of Virtue is a remarkable study of the life and times of Giangaleazzo Visconti that provides fascinating insight into the political, social and cultural world of fourteenth century Italy.
E.R. Chamberlin (Author), Nigel Patterson (Narrator)
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In the autumn of 1943, Andre Boulloche became de Gaulle's military delegate in Paris, coordinating all the Resistance movements in the nine northern regions of France only to be betrayed by one of his associates, arrested, wounded by the Gestapo, and taken prisoner. His sisters carried on the fight without him until the end of the war. Andre survived three concentration camps and later became a prominent French politician who devoted the rest of his life to reconciliation of France and Germany. His parents and oldest brother were arrested and shipped off on the last train from Paris to Germany before the liberation, and died in the camps. Since then, silence has been the Boulloches's answer to dealing with the unbearable. This is the first time the family has cooperated with an author to recount their extraordinary ordeal.
Charles Kaiser (Author), Charles Kaiser (Narrator)
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The Conquistadors: A Captivating Guide to the Spanish Explorers, Conquest of the Americas, Cultural
Have you ever heard about the Spaniard Cabeza de Vaca, who survived eight years wandering from Florida to Texas? Find his story and more in this audiobook! In the early 16th century, Spanish adventurers swarmed over the islands of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Portuguese explorers and merchants pushed into the Indian Ocean and beyond to the Spice Islands of the South Pacific. The names of the leaders of these overseas conquests are well known: Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Hernando de Soto, Afonso de Albuquerque, and Ferdinand Magellan. This audiobook explores the details of their incredible lives in service of their monarchs and personal wealth. Conquistadors set about to acquire gold, land, and monopolies in lucrative trade. In doing so, they systematically destroyed indigenous civilizations wherever they encountered them. This audiobook explores the negative aspects of early European exploration. When a local population had been pacified, some conquistadors attempted to dispense with competition among their own men. Listen to how one of Francisco Pizarro’s lieutenants rose up against him soon after conquering Peru. This audiobook presents the conquistadors in a new light. This introductory guide has been created in a neutral tone, presenting the facts as they are. In this audiobook, you will discover: - How the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean was used as a jumping-off point for Spanish expeditions; - The details of many failed and few successful Spanish expeditions to settle the lands around the Caribbean; - How the Portuguese came to dominate Brazil; - Why the Portuguese dominated trade in the East; - How Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztecs and defeated his Spanish rival for control of Mexico; Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn about the exciting history of the conquistadors!
Captivating History (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)
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The conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by a besieging army of around 80,000 men led by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II ended the Byzantine Empire. The city's defense was in the hands of Emperor Constantine XI, who had 7,000 to 10,000 soldiers at his disposal and, likely, fell during the last storm on the city. The fall of the Byzantine Empire also marked the final rise of the Ottoman Empire to become a major power. The conquest has a high symbolic value in both Turkish and Western European reception; Depending on one's perspective, it is viewed as evidence of imperial greatness or as a beacon of decay and demise. In historiography, the conquest of Constantinople is sometimes cited as one of the events that marked the transition from medieval Europe to modern times.
Stefan Zweig (Author), Dan Mellins-Cohen (Narrator)
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The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945
Michael Beschloss has been called by Newsweek "the nation's leading Presidential historian." Author of six previous books on the history of American Presidents and global affairs, including Mayday (1986), The Crisis Years (1991) and the first two volumes of a trilogy on the Lyndon Johnson tapes, he is a frequent lecturer and regular commentator on ABC News and PBS's The Newshour with Jim Lehrer. Born in Chicago, he is a trustee of the White House Historical Association, the National Archives Foundation, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs. He lives with his wife and their two sons in Washington, D.C..
Michael Beschloss, Michael R. Beschloss (Author), Michael Beschloss, Michael R. Beschloss (Narrator)
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Thomas B. Costain's four-volume history of the Plantagenets begins with The Conquering Family and the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066, closing with the reign of John in 1216. The troubled period after the Norman Conquest, when the foundations of government were hammered out between monarch and people, comes to life through Costain's storytelling skill and historical imagination.
Thomas B. Costain (Author), David Case (Narrator)
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