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Empires of the Normans
- Makers of Europe, Conquerors of Asia
- Narrated by: Luke Thompson
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
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Publisher's summary
A brilliant global history of the Normans, who—beyond the conquest of England—spread their empire to eventually dominate Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East
14 October 1066.
As Harold II, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England, lay dying in Sussex, the Duke of Normandy was celebrating an unlikely victory. William “The Bastard” had emerged from interloper to successor of the Norman throne. He had survived the carnage of the Battle of Hastings and, two months later on Christmas day, he would be crowned king of England. No longer would Anglo-Saxons or Vikings rule England; this was now the age of the Normans.
A momentous event in European history, the defeat of the Anglo-Saxons had the most dramatic effect of any defeat in the high Middle Ages. In a few short months, the leader of northern France became the dominant ruler of Britain. Over the coming decades, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom would be rebuilt around a new landowning class. During the next century, as the Norman kings laid the foundations of modern Britain, their power would spread irresistibly across Europe. From Scandinavia down to Sicily, Malta, and Seville, the Normans built magnificent castles and churches. They created a new Europe in the image of their own nobility, recording their power with unprecedented vision, including the Domesday Book.
Empire of the Normans tells the extraordinary story of how the descendants of Viking marauders in northern France came to dominate European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern politics. It is a tale of ambitious adventures and fierce pirates, of fortunes made and fortunes lost. Across the generations, the Normans made their influence felt across Western Europe and the Mediterranean, from the British Isles to North Africa, and even to the Holy Land, with a combination of military might, political savvy, deeply held religious beliefs, and a profound sense of their own destiny.
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The startling truth behind one of the most notorious dynasties in history is revealed in a remarkable new account by the acclaimed author of The Tudors and A World Undone. Sweeping aside the gossip, slander, and distortion that have shrouded the Borgias for centuries, G. J. Meyer offers an unprecedented portrait of the infamous Renaissance family and their storied milieu.
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Marvelous !
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Edward III
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- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
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Holding power for over 50 years starting in 1327, Edward III was one of England's most influential kings and one who shaped the course of English history. Revered as one of the country's most illustrious leaders for centuries, he was also a usurper and a warmonger who ordered his uncle beheaded. A brutal man, to be sure, but also a brilliant one.
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Great book about Edward III
- By Kiesha on 07-05-16
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Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England’s various kingdoms, 41 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.
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Great book for those new to the monarchy
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On August 22, 1485, at Bosworth Field, Richard III fell, the Wars of the Roses ended, and the Tudor dynasty began. The clash is so significant because it marks the break between medieval and modern; yet how much do we really know about this historical landmark? Michael K. Jones uses archival discoveries to show Richard III's defeat was by no means inevitable and was achieved only through extraordinary chance. He relocates the battle away from the site recognized for more than 500 years.
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At last I am able to grasp this important history!
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Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, award-winning historian Ewan Butler writes, struggled through unions and separations with both outsiders and each other, developing their own personalities and languages yet retaining their ancient connections.
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Excellent History of Scandinavia after the Vikings
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Islamic conquest history from the outside
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History of Scotland: A Captivating Guide to Scottish History, the Wars of Scottish Independence and William Wallace
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A broken record
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Antony & Cleopatra
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Very good
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NOT a Chronology of Alexander’s Life
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Norsemen in Palermo
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What listeners say about Empires of the Normans
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- International Traveler
- 07-15-23
Great story and great reading
This book was enjoyable because it broke done the complex world the Normans made into edible bits. The Normans were everywhere and nowhere in Europe and the Mediterranean but the author deftly showed how they made their mark on their world and even ours. The reading was very good as well. It strongly supported the story of the author.
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- Amanda Gamez(Davis)
- 12-13-22
pretty good
has your typical modern biases, anti-crusade, anti-christian, etc...despite that, it was still mostly good info and enjoyable listen.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-05-23
disappointing
I was very excited for this. Considering the outsized role Normandy played in medieval history, I was expecting to learn a lot. I know nothing about the history of medieval Normandy and am only vaguely aware that there were Normans in Sicily.
Unfortunately, most of the book focuses on the parts most familiar (William and the Norman invasion of England) and rather less on the rest. Not nearly enough on Normandy itself and it's contemporary history, minimal on the Mediterranean campaigns.
The timeline also made it challenging to follow, bouncing between jumping back and forth through time.
It argued that the Normans were unique because they were everywhere, but never explained what tied them together. It argued that the Normans spoke French and were therefore just like the rest of "Continental Europe". It never investigated why Normans and not the Angevins or anyone else in that region of France was conquering half of Europe - especially after arguing that Normandy was just like the rest of Northern France!
If you don't have a general history of the Norman invasion, then it's probably worth it. But if you came to this book for a deeper dive, then I'd leave it alone.
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3 people found this helpful