Other books that might interest you

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  The Lost World of Byzantium

  Jonathan Harris

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  The acclaimed author of Byzantium and the Crusades "offers a fresh take on this fabled but hidden civilization" across eleven centuries of history (Colin Wells). 
   
   
    
  For more than a millennium, the Byzantine Empire presided over the juncture between East and West, as well as the transition from the classical to the modern world. Rather than recounting the standard chronology of emperors and battles, leading Byzantium scholar Jonathan Harris focuses on a succession of archetypal figures, families, places, and events. 
   
   
    
  Harris's introduction presents a civilization rich in contrasts, combining orthodox Christianity with paganism, and classical Greek learning with Roman power. Though frequently assailed by numerous armies, Byzantium survived by dint of its unorthodox foreign policy. Over time, its sumptuous art and architecture flourished, helping to establish a deep sense of Byzantine identity in its people. 
   
   
    
  Synthesizing a wealth of sources to cover all major aspects of the empire's social, political, military, religious, cultural, and artistic history, Harris's study illuminates the heart of Byzantine civilization and explores its remarkable and lasting influence on the modern world.

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  European Empires - Understanding...

  Kelly Mass

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  This book consists of 4 books, which are the following: 
  1 - British Empire - The British Empire was an extensive network of dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor governments. This sprawling empire evolved from England's early ventures into overseas territories and trading ports, beginning in the late 16th century and continuing through the early 18th century. The empire grew to become the largest in recorded history, dominating global affairs for more than a century. 
  2 - Carolingian Empire - The Carolingian Empire, which existed from 800 to 888, was a dominant force in western and central Europe during the early Middle Ages. Founded by the Carolingian dynasty, this empire emerged from the Frankish kingdom, which had been ruled by this lineage since 751 and included control over the Lombards in Italy starting in 774.  
  3 - Portuguese Empire - The Portuguese Empire comprised a vast network of colonies, factories, and overseas territories established by Portugal. Beginning with the capture of Ceuta in North Africa in 1415 and continuing until the handover of sovereignty over Macau to China in 1999, it stands as one of the longest-lasting empires in European history.  
  4 -  Spanish Empire - The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in the late 15th century laid the foundation for what would become the Spanish Empire. Their union created a personal alliance between the two powerful kingdoms, forming the basis for modern Spain. This confederation of the Crowns of Castile and Aragon brought together Iberia's economic and military strength under the House of Trastámara, although the two crowns remained legally distinct.

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  Operation Overlord - The...

  Sage Winters

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  Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, stands as one of the most significant military operations in modern history. Known globally as D-Day, it marked the beginning of the end of Nazi occupation in Western Europe and paved the way for the eventual defeat of Adolf Hitler’s regime. The operation was not only a turning point in World War II but also in the broader scope of 20th-century history, reshaping the political, military, and cultural landscape of Europe. 
    
  The importance of D-Day lies in its magnitude and complexity. It was the largest amphibious invasion ever attempted, involving over 156,000 Allied troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, supported by thousands of aircraft, ships, and landing vehicles. The scale of the operation reflected the urgency and determination of the Allies to open a second front in Europe, relieving pressure on the Soviet Union in the east and setting the stage for the liberation of France and the rest of Western Europe. 
    
  D-Day's significance can also be seen in the way it exemplified the combined effort of different Allied nations, each contributing their expertise and resources to a unified cause. American forces, under the leadership of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, provided much of the manpower and logistical support. British forces contributed vital naval and air power, while Canadian troops played a crucial role in the assault on Juno Beach. This collaboration was a testament to the strength of the Allies’ commitment to defeating the Axis powers, despite the political and cultural differences that existed between them.

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  The Disunited States - Threats...

  Ryan D Griffiths

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  There is a growing interest in American secession. In February 2023, Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted that "We need to separate by red states and blue states." Recent movements like Yes California have called for a national divorce along political lines. A 2023 Axios poll shows that 20 percent of Americans favor a national divorce. These trends show a sincere interest in American secession, and they will likely increase in the aftermath of the 2024 Presidential election.Proponents of secession make three arguments: the two sides have irreconcilable differences; secession is a legal right; and smaller political units are better. Through interviews with secessionist advocates in America, Ryan Griffiths explores the case for why Red America and Blue America should split up.But as The Disunited States shows, secession is the wrong solution to the problem of polarization. Red and Blue America are not neatly sorted and geographically concentrated. Splitting the two parts would require a dangerous unmixing of the population, one that could spiral into violence and state collapse. Drawing on his expertise on secessionism worldwide, he shows how the process has played out internationally—and usually disastrously. Ultimately, this book will disabuse listeners of the belief that secession will fix America's problems.

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  Kingdom of Pontus The: The...

  Editors Charles River

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  Rome faced many formidable enemies over the course of nearly 1,000 years, but perhaps none were as enigmatic and forgotten as King Mithridates VI of Pontus. Despite numerous ancient sources detailing the life of the foreign monarch and his wars with Rome, and despite being an interesting character who endured years as a fugitive in his youth, enjoyed a fascination with poisons, and held mercy and pragmatic ruthlessness in a delicate balance, very few scholarly books and works have been produced about the king. It may be that his largely unsuccessful military campaigns have contributed to his disappearance from active historical examination, but despite his poor record in engagements against the Romans, the Kingdom of Pontus dominated much of Asia Minor in the 1st century BCE, and the Romans themselves considered the kingdom one of its most dangerous enemies. According to Plutarch, when Mithridates died, the Roman soldiers felt that “in the person of Mithridates ten thousand enemies had died.” By then, it had required three of Rome’s most famous generals - Sulla, Lucullus, and Pompey - to finally subdue his kingdom.  
  	The early Pontic kings found themselves in the midst of the Diadochi Wars, quickly learning that the survival of their kingdom depended upon which Macedonian general to support and which ones to oppose. For the most part, the kings chose wisely and were able to not only stay independent but also to expand their kingdom’s borders. Somewhat fittingly, as the Pontic kings battled their neighbors for control of the Black Sea basin, they promoted a culture that grafted Greek, Persian, and local Anatolian traditions into a unique identity.  
  The Kingdom of Pontus’ power and prestige grew until it caught the attention of the Romans, whose upward trajectory coincided with Pontus’ in many ways. 

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  Remaking the World -...

  Jessica M. Chapman

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  Remaking the World examines the connections between the Cold War and decolonization, which helped define the post–World War II global order. Drawing on new scholarship, this comprehensive study provides a chronological overview from World War I to the Soviet collapse and highlights key developments in the international system as decolonization unfolded in tandem with the Cold War. Through six carefully selected case studies—India, Egypt, the Congo, Vietnam, Angola, and Iran—historian Jessica M. Chapman addresses the shifting of Soviet, American, Chinese, and Cuban policies, the centrality of modernization, the role of the United Nations, the often-outsized influence of regional actors like Israel and South Africa, and seminal post–Vietnam War shifts in the international system. Each of the case studies analyzes at least one geopolitical turning point, demonstrating that the Cold War and decolonization were mutually constitutive processes in which local, national, and regional developments altered the superpower competition. 
   
   
   
  Chapman describes a picture of the complexities of international relations and the ways in which local communist and democratic movements differed from their Soviet and American counterparts, including their visions for independence and success.

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