Queens, Regents and Potentates


Book Description

This series focuses on the exercise of power, influence and authority by particular categories, ranks and types of women in medieval societies, and by individual women; on the limitations, restrictions and inhibitions placed or assumed on such activity; on the opportunities open to women, and on the strategems by which women were able to give effect to these possibilities. Queens, Regents and Potentatesconcentrates on the theme of women and royal power, examining the available information about specific royal women and reassessing their access to and use of power and authority, and drawing significant new conclusions about internal politics and international relations in medieval Europe.Contents and Contributors: PATRICIA HUMPHREY, DONALD KAGAY, WILLIAM CLAY STALLS, PENELOPE ADAIR, KAREN NICHOLAS, DOUGLAS C. JANSEN, JOHN CARMI PARSONS, THERESA M. VANN, JENNIFER R. GOODMAN




Beyond the Reconquista: New Directions in the History of Medieval Iberia (711-1085)


Book Description

Beyond the Reconquista: New Directions in the History of Medieval Iberia (711-1085) offers an exciting series of essays by leading scholars in Hispanic Studies from across North America and Europe. At its heart is the Reconquista, without doubt the most important and enduring theme of Iberian historiography of the Middle Ages. The innovative studies collected herein, which treat a diverse array of subjects via forensic analyses of charters, chronicles and coins, shed new light on crucial aspects of medieval Iberian socio-economic, political and cultural history. The result is a collection of essays which marks a decisive and bold turning of the page in Iberian medieval studies, as the reality and ideal of Reconquest come under hitherto unparalleled scrutiny. Contributors are Graham Barrett, Jeffrey Bowman, Alberto Canto, Nicola Clarke, Wendy Davies, Julio Escalona, Jonathan Jarrett, Eduardo Manzano Moreno, Iñaki Martín Viso and Lucy K. Pick. See inside the book.




Liber Mahameleth


Book Description

The Liber mahameleth is a work in Latin written in the mid-12th century based (mainly) on Arabic sources from Islamic Spain. It is now our principal source on mathematics in Islamic Spain at that time; There are few extant Arabic texts and no one is as complete as the LM. It is also the second largest mathematical work from the Latin Middle Ages (the other is by Fibonacci, some 50 years later). Since the three main manuscripts preserving it are incomplete and there are many scribal errors, a reliable Latin text has been established, which reports (in notes) the various readings of the manuscripts and the errors in them. This is how a so-called critical edition is made. This edition of the Latin text is preceded by General Introduction, describing the various manuscripts, the content of the work and what we know about its author. Part Two of the volume is a translation of the text and ends with a glossary of Latin terms. The glossary will be of great importance for the knowledge of Latin scientific terms from that time, since there is no other mathematical text of this size from the 12th century. Part Three begins with a short introduction and then analyzes all the problems from the text, with a summary of the mathematical methods involved in each chapter. The commentary is a companion to the translation and explains the author's solving methods.




How Business Started


Book Description

The three essays are the result of my research into the origins of economic thought and entrepreneurship. In undertaking this work, I found out more about the role economic action - in which I have taken an active part since fifty -years - plays in determining the prosperity of a society. I was moved by four questions, in particular: - Why is property a necessity? - Skills and emancipation of individuals - Behaviour and organisation of groups - How can socialism work? Action should be influenced by ethical foundations of economics und business. Important principles include responsibility, efficiency and subsidiarity. Coupled with the principle of freedom and the pursuit of technical progress, their implementation can lead a competing community to great prosperity, which then helps to solve the social problem of underprivileged minorities through self-help. The book begins by investigating the spiritual and economic conditions that paved the way for the industrial revolution in the High Middle Ages. The next section demonstrates that no wealth can be achieved without legal certainty. This is followed by an account of the agricultural region of Catalonia at the Mediterranean foot of the Pyrenees, which opened up to the world around the year 1000 and proceeded to gain a modest degree of prosperity. An economy that spanned Christianity and Islam shows signs of globalisation.




Daughter of the Last King


Book Description

1093. An invasion and a curse. The three sons of William the Conqueror fight with each other for control of the Anglo-Norman kingdom created by their father’s conquest. The Norman Marcher lords are let loose to consolidate the conquest of Wales, pushing across the English border to the east and invading from the sea to the south. Nest ferch Rhys is the daughter of the king of south-west Wales. Captured during the Norman assault on her father’s lands, she is raised by her captors, the powerful Montgomery family. Nest is groomed to be the wife of a Norman, despite her pre-existing betrothal to a Welsh prince. Arnulf Montgomery has taken over her father’s lands and is her intended husband, but Count Henry, the youngest son of the Conqueror, is also captivated by the Welsh noblewoman. Who will Nest marry, and can the Welsh rebels oust the Normans? Book I in the Conquest trilogy centring on the turbulent life of Nest ferch Rhys and the reign of King Henry I. 'I could not put this book down from the moment I started it. I practically inhaled the content.' Poppy Coburn




Constructing Catalan Identity


Book Description

This is a book about how Catalans use their past, real and imagined, in the construction of their present and future. Michael A. Vargas inventories the significant people, signal events, and familiar icons that constitute the Catalan collective memory, from Wilfred the Hairy and Sant Jordi to the mountain monastery of Montserrat, red peasant caps, and human towers in town squares. He then considers how that inventory is employed to posit a brilliant political heritage at the forefront of modern European democracy—and for some, to build a powerful independence movement. As the future of Catalonia remains fraught, this book offers a lively and engaging exploration of how we draw upon history to confront contemporary challenges.




Your Ancestry


Book Description

I intended to title the book Our Ancestry but we have cousins and second cousins and third cousins in Canada, America, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the world. The title became Your Ancestry ,make a connection and we become cousins. Are your ancestors Major, Spearpoint, Warman and more? Connect to a Kent fishing community and stories of smuggling? Are your ancestors Lamb, Caffrey, Morgan, Brady and more? Connect to the north east and stories of legendary Irish princes and the truth staff of a saint? Are your ancestors Sharp, Simmons, Dawson, Austen, Boys and More? Connect to a line leading to the kings and queens of the Plantagenets? Connect to characters in the tv Series “The Last Kingdom”, Alfred the Great, Hywel Dda, Sigtrygg (Sitric Cáech)? Make this : YOUR ANCESTRY




An Annotated Index of Medieval Women


Book Description

A bibliography of over 1500 women who lived between 800 and 1500 AD, listed alphabetically. There are details on their nationalities and brief summaries of available biographical references. The biographical category index allows the reader to find women by trade and profession.







The Desclergues of la Villa Ducal de Montblanc, Second Edition Omnibus


Book Description

The Desclergues of la Villa Ducal de Montblanc (2nd edition) is a comprehensive ancestral chronicle, meticulously tracing the Desclergues family lineage from the Greek era through the Villa Ducal de Montblanc in Tarragona to the present in Belgium. This omnibus edition compiles the entire acclaimed series, offering an exhaustive account of the Desclergues of Montblanc alongside the author's other ancestral lines, including de Patin, de Patin de Langemark, Lesage, Benoit, Den Dauw, 't Kint, Surmont, de Croock, Ardan, Lammens, Decaestecker, and de Silva of Uduwara in Sri Lanka. This scholarly work is enriched by a comprehensive DNA analysis, providing genetic depth to the historical narrative. Each family line is intricately contextualized within its historical setting, with facsimile images of archival records offering tangible evidence of the past. This beautifully illustrated book presents a visually engaging experience, enhancing historical insights and making it an invaluable resource for students, historians, and anyone passionate about genealogical studies. Nico Felicien Declercq, a full professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is a distinguished scholar. With a Ph.D. from Ghent University and an MSc from the Catholic University of Leuven, his prolific academic career encompasses numerous published works. His passion for history and genealogy led him to meticulously document his ancestral lineage, culminating in this comprehensive work. Professor Declercq's interdisciplinary approach and dedication to rigorous research have earned him a reputation for excellence in the scientific community and among genealogical enthusiasts. He is also the author of several philosophical novels published under a pseudonym.