Quest for the Crown


Book Description

Charles Martel's son, Pepin the Short, (who will become Charlemagne's father) yearns to become King of All Franks, a title the Merovingians have claimed for hundreds of years. Even should he succeed, can Pepin fight his beloved older brother, Carloman, for the crown? No such scruples hold him from warring with his younger half siblings. In the absence of a Merovingian on the throne, Pepin and Carloman surprise everyone by jointly ruling the Franks as Mayors of the Palace. When Carloman insists they need a Merovingian figurehead king, Pepin acquiesces. Carloman, in penance for an unforgivable act, resigns his office to become a monk, leaving Pepin in sole power over the Franks, 'ruled' by a do-nothing king. Pepin gains the crown through the power of the pope in Rome, thus establishing the idea of the divine right of kings. Then to protect his mentor, Pepin must scale the formidable Alps to battle the Lombards who threaten the pope and Rome. In donating the cities he wins to the papal chair, Pepin begins what will become the Vatican-geographic territory belonging to the pope. "Deftly written by Diana M. Johnson, Quest for the Crown is a compelling historical novel... engaging and enthusiastically recommended." James Cox, Editor-in-Chief, The Midwest Book Review. "Ms. Johnson is an expert on this family. She will surprise and entertain you; all the time telling a story based on authentic fact." Alan Caruba, Editor, Bookviews.com. Website: http://mysite.verizon.net/~billndi.




The Shortest History of England: Empire and Division from the Anglo-Saxons to Brexit - A Retelling for Our Times (Shortest History)


Book Description

How the most powerful country in the UK was forged by invasion and conquest, and is fractured by its north-south divide. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. England—begetter of parliaments and globe-spanning empires, star of beloved period dramas, and home of the House of Windsor—is not quite the stalwart island fortress that many of us imagine. Riven by an ancient fault line that predates even the Romans, its fate has ever been bound up with that of its neighbors; and for the past millennia, it has harbored a class system like nowhere else on Earth. This bracing tour of the most powerful country in the United Kingdom reveals an England repeatedly invaded and constantly reinvented—yet always fractured by its very own Mason-Dixon Line. It carries us swiftly through centuries of conflict between Crown and Parliament (starring the Magna Carta), America’s War of Independence, the rise and fall of empire, two World Wars, and England’s break from the EU. We discover: why the American colonists of 1776 believed that they were the true Anglo-Saxons how the British Empire was undermined from within why Winston Churchill said the UK could only be saved by splitting up England itself and how populism spawned Brexit and its “new elite.” The Shortest History of England brings all this and more to prescient life—offering the most direct, compelling route to understanding the country behind today’s headlines.




The Shortest History of Greece: The Odyssey of a Nation from Myth to Modernity (Shortest History)


Book Description

Discover the cultural and political riches of Greece across 3,000 years, from classical might to modern rebirth. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. Philosophy, art, democracy, language, even computers—the glories of Greek civilization have shaped our world even more profoundly than we realize. Pericles and the Parthenon may be familiar, but what of Epaminondas, the Theban general who saved the Greek world from Spartan tyranny? Alexander the Great’s fame has rolled down the centuries, but the golden Hellenistic Age that followed is largely forgotten. “Byzantine” conjures decadence and deadly intrigue, yet the thousand-year empire that ruled from Constantinople and saved Europe twice from invasion was, in fact, Greek. Greece’s modern chapter, too, tells of triumph and calamity—from liberation and expansion to schism, homegrown dictatorship, Nazi occupation, and civil war. Today’s nation is battered by austerity, encroaching climate change, and a refugee crisis—yet unwavering in its ancient values. James Heneage captures the full Grecian drama in this riveting, short history, revealing Greece as the wellspring of Western civilization—and a model that may yet save modern democracy.




The Crown of History


Book Description

This small book is on the impending and unprecedented worldwide glorious Golden Age of Peace that is about to break upon the whole world (and on how you can help make it arrive quickly). Authored by Daniel O'Connor, professor of Philosophy and Religion and a Doctoral student.




The Crown: Truth & Fiction


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Crown Duel


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Crown & Sceptre


Book Description

An in-depth look at the British monarchy that’s “a superb synthesis of historical analysis, politics, and top-notch royal gossip” (Kirkus Reviews). Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England’s various kingdoms, forty-one kings and queens have sat on Britain’s throne. “Shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue’s gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs,” as Tracy Borman describes them in her sparkling chronicle, Crown & Sceptre. Ironically, during very few of these 955 years has the throne’s occupant been unambiguously English—whether Norman French, the Welsh-born Tudors, the Scottish Stuarts, and the Hanoverians and their German successors to the present day. Acknowledging the intrinsic fascination with British royalty, Borman lifts the veil to reveal the remarkable characters and personalities who have ruled and, since the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, more ceremonially reigned. It is a crucial distinction explaining the staying power of the monarchy as the royal family has evolved and adapted to the needs and opinions of its people, avoiding the storms of rebellion that brought many of Europe’s royals to an abrupt end. Richard II; Henry VIII; Elizabeth I; George III; Victoria; Elizabeth II: their names evoke eras and the dramatic events Borman recounts. She is equally attuned to the fabric of monarchy: royal palaces; the way monarchs have been portrayed in art, on coins, in the media; the ceremony and pageantry surrounding the crown. Elizabeth II is already one of the longest reigning monarchs in history. Crown & Sceptre is a fitting tribute to her remarkable longevity and that of the magnificent institution she represents. “Crown & Sceptre brings us in short, vivid chapters from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth herself, much of it constituting a dark record of bumping off adversaries, rivals and spouses, confiscating vast estates and military invasions…. [A] lucid, character-rich book.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Borman’s deep understanding of English royalty shines.” —Chris Schluep, Amazon Editors’ Picks, The Best History Books of February 2022




Hungary


Book Description

The victors of the First World War created Hungary from the ruins of the Austro-Hungarian empire, but, in the centuries before, many called for its creation. Norman Stone traces the country's roots from the traditional representative councils of land-owning nobles to the Magyar nationalists of the nineteenth century and the first wars of independence. Hungary's history since 1918 has not been a happy one. Economic collapse and hyperinflation in the post-war years led to fascist dictatorships and then Nazi occupation. Optimism at the end of the Second World War ended when the Iron Curtain descended, and Soviet tanks crushed the last hopes for independence in 1956 along with the peaceful protests in Budapest. Even after the fall of the Berlin Wall, consistent economic growth has remained elusive. This is an extraordinary history - unique yet also representative of both the post-Soviet bloc and of nations forged from the fall of empires.




In the Name of the Crown


Book Description

King Charles the first of England has lost control of the nation and the colonies across the ocean, and the arguments descend into two civil wars. The King loses both and the Puritan faction see no end to the issues. They decide to put the King on trial and have him executed. Baron John Belasyse, a hardened civil war commander and Lord of England, promises will never give up the pursuit of the men that signed the King's death warrant. The Republic will try to hunt him down as a royalist. He works to pull down the republic and restore the monarchy. He succeeds and moves to apprehend all those who signed the King's death warrant. Two of the most senior republicans, Major Generals Whalley and Goffe flee to Massachusetts and work to declare Independence from England. The new King, Charles the second, will order Belasyse across the ocean to kill them. He is teamed up with an unscrupulous turncoat and slave dealer, the hunt will lead them across the early settlements and a final confrontation, where Belasyse has a battle with his conscience. Set against the early history of the United States this gripping story of revenge is based on documented facts and everyone and place mentioned is real.




The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1


Book Description

The official companion to the Emmy-winning Netflix drama chronicling the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, and starring Claire Foy and John Lithgow, The Crown by Peter Morgan, featuring additional historical background and beautifully reproduced archival photos and show stills Elizabeth Mountbatten never expected her father to die so suddenly, so young, leaving her with a throne to fill and a global institution to govern. Crowned at twenty-five, she was already a wife and mother as she began her journey towards becoming a queen. As Britain lifted itself out of the shadow of war, the new monarch faced her own challenges. Her mother doubted her marriage; her uncle-in-exile derided her abilities; her husband resented the sacrifice of his career and family name; and her rebellious sister embarked on a love affair that threatened the centuries-old links between the Church and the Crown. This is the story of how Elizabeth II drew on every ounce of resolve to ensure that the Crown always came out on top. Written by the show’s historical consultant, royal biographer Robert Lacey, and filled with beautifully reproduced archival photos and show stills, The Crown: The Official Companion: Volume 1 adds expert and in-depth detail to the events of the series, painting an intimate portrait of life inside Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street. Here is Elizabeth II as we’ve never seen her before.