Heart of Europe
A History of the Holy Roman Empire
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Narrated by:
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Napoleon Ryan
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By:
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Peter H. Wilson
About this listen
The Holy Roman Empire lasted 1,000 years, far longer than ancient Rome. Yet this formidable dominion never inspired the awe of its predecessor. Voltaire quipped that it was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire. Yet as Peter H. Wilson shows, the Holy Roman Empire tells a millennial story of Europe better than the histories of individual nation-states.
Heart of Europe traces the empire from its origins within Charlemagne's kingdom in 800 to its demise in 1806. By the mid-tenth century, its core rested in the German kingdom, and ultimately its territory stretched from France and Denmark to Italy and Poland. Yet the empire remained abstract, with no fixed capital and no common language or culture. The source of its continuity and legitimacy was the ideal of a unified Christian civilization, but this did not prevent emperors from clashing with the pope over supremacy. Though the title of Holy Roman Emperor retained prestige, rising states such as Austria and Prussia wielded power in a way the empire could not. While it gradually lost the flexibility to cope with political, economic, and social changes, the empire was far from being in crisis until the onslaught of the French revolutionary wars.
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- A Captivating Guide to the History of Russia, Including Events Such as the Mongol Invasion, the Napoleonic Invasion, Reforms of Peter the Great, the Fall of the Soviet Union, and More
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Desmond Manny
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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This new Captivating History audiobook serves as an overview of Russian history over the span of more than a millennium, from the foundation of the Russian state by the Viking Prince Rurik in AD 862 until the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991.
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greater depth
- By Paul on 11-19-18
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The Civilization of the Middle Ages
- By: Norman F. Cantor
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 28 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The Civilization of the Middle Ages incorporates current research, recent trends in interpretation, and novel perspectives, especially on the foundations of the Middle Ages and the Later Middle Ages of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. A sharper focus on social history, Jewish history, women’s roles in society, and popular religion and heresy distinguish the book.
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Recommended for students
- By Delano on 12-18-11
By: Norman F. Cantor
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A Concise History of Italy
- By: Christopher Duggan
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Since its formation in 1861, Italy has struggled to develop an effective political system and a secure sense of national identity. Christopher Duggan's acclaimed introduction charts the country's history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West to the present day, and surveys the difficulties Italy has faced during the last two centuries in creating a unified country. Duggan successfully weaves together political, economic, social and cultural history, and stresses the alternation between materialist and idealist programs for forging a nation-state.
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Concise indeed
- By nikex on 03-22-21
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A Short History of Ireland, 1500-2000
- By: John Gibney
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Five centuries of Irish history are explored in this informative and accessible volume. John Gibney proceeds from the beginning of Ireland’s modern period and continues through to virtually the present day, offering an integrated overview of the island nation’s cultural, political, and socioeconomic history. This succinct, scholarly study covers important historical events, including the Cromwellian conquest and settlement, the Great Famine, and the struggle for Irish independence.
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Accurate, concise, but lacks spark
- By lightbringer34 on 01-22-24
By: John Gibney
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The Gates of Europe
- A History of Ukraine
- By: Serhii Plokhy
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Ukraine is currently embroiled in a tense fight with Russia to preserve its territorial integrity and political independence. But today's conflict is only the latest in a long history of battles over Ukraine's territory and its existence as a sovereign nation. As the award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues in The Gates of Europe, we must examine Ukraine's past in order to understand its present and future.
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An extraordinarily good book
- By Specs2789 on 03-01-23
By: Serhii Plokhy
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The English and Their History
- By: Robert Tombs
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 43 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Robert Tombs' momentous The English and Their History is both a startlingly fresh and a uniquely inclusive account of the people who have a claim to be the oldest nation in the world. The English first came into existence as an idea, before they had a common ruler and before the country they lived in even had a name. They have lasted as a recognizable entity ever since, and their defining national institutions can be traced back to the earliest years of their history.
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Should be called, The English and their politics
- By Mary Elizabeth Reynolds on 08-24-16
By: Robert Tombs
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The Kurds: The History of the Middle Eastern Ethnic Group and Their Quest for Kurdistan
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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The Kurds: The History of the Middle Eastern Ethnic Group and Their Quest for Kurdistan examines the group and the contentious issues surrounding them. By delving deeper into their ethnic, religious, and political history, it is possible to understand the larger issues of statelessness and the striving for independence. At the same time, the relationships between the Kurds and the ruling regimes of the day have changed and altered the political landscape in the Middle East.
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Brief Historical Account but lacks depth.
- By Shadow Kurdi on 02-21-22
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The Story of Russia
- By: Orlando Figes
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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The Story of Russia is about how the Russians defined themselves―and repeatedly reinvented such definitions along the way. Moving from Russia’s agrarian beginnings in the first millennium to subsequent periods of monarchy, totalitarianism, and perestroika, all the way up to Vladimir Putin and his use of myths of Russian history to bolster his regime, celebrated historian Orlando Figes examines the ideas that have guided the country’s actions.
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Almost perfect…
- By Samantha Dispenzieri on 02-21-23
By: Orlando Figes
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A Brief History of Ukraine
- A Singular People Within the Crucible of Empires
- By: Dominic Haynes
- Narrated by: Jordan Vogt
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Ukraine is a geographically diverse country with the unfortunate fate of being sandwiched between empires. Though this is frequently explored no further than the global conflicts of the 20th century, in reality, Ukraine’s struggle for self-determination has far deeper roots than most people realize. See the splendor of the Kyivan Rus, gallop with the Golden Horde across the Ukrainian steppe, encounter the legendary Cossacks, and witness the terror of the tsars. From the Romans to the Mongols to the Russians, Ukraine has seen it all and remained uniquely Ukrainian through it all.
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Excellent quick listen
- By Thomas J Anderson on 12-14-23
By: Dominic Haynes
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From the end of the Middle Ages to the First World War, Europe was dominated by one family: the Habsburgs. Their unprecedented rule is the focus of Simon Winder's vivid third book, Danubia. This is a narrative that, while erudite and well researched, prefers to be discursive and anecdotal. In his survey of the centuries of often incompetent Habsburg rule which have continued to shape the fate of Central Europe, Winder does not shy away from the horrors, railing against the effects of nationalism, recounting the violence that was often part of life.
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Since its beginnings, Poland has been a moving target, geographically as well as demographically, and the very definition of who is a Pole has been in flux. In the late medieval and early modern periods, the country grew to be the largest in continental Europe, only to be later wiped off the map for more than a century. Yet even under these constraints, Poles persisted in their desire to wrest from their oppressors a modicum of national dignity and, ultimately, managed to achieve much more than that.
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When the legendary Frankish king and emperor Charlemagne died in 814 he left behind a dominion and a legacy unlike anything seen in Western Europe since the fall of Rome. Johannes Fried paints a compelling portrait of a devout ruler, a violent time, and a unified kingdom that deepens our understanding of the man often called the father of Europe.
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I really wanted to enjoy this -
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An Excellent and Interesting History
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Blood and Iron
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Before 1871, Germany was not yet a nation but simply an idea. Its founder, Otto von Bismarck, had a formidable task at hand. How would he bring 39 individual states under the yoke of a single Kaiser? How would he convince proud Prussians, Bavarians, and Rhinelanders to become Germans? Once united, could the young European nation wield enough power to rival the empires of Britain and France - all without destroying itself in the process?
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Misleading title/subtitle
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Empire of the Black Sea
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What is commonly called the kingdom of Pontos flourished for over 200 years in the coastal regions of the Black Sea. At its peak in the early first century BC, it included much of the southern, eastern, and northern littoral, becoming one of the most important Hellenistic dynasties not founded by a successor of Alexander the Great. Previous histories of Pontos have focused almost exclusively on the career of its last ruler. Setting that famous reign in its wide historical context, Empire of the Black Sea is an engaging account of a powerful yet little-known ancient dynasty.
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More of an academic journal than a book.
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By: Duane W. Roller
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Heretics and Believers
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- Unabridged
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Centuries on, what the Reformation was and what it accomplished remain deeply contentious. Peter Marshall's sweeping new history argues that 16th-century England was a society neither desperate for nor allergic to change, but one open to ideas of "reform" in various competing guises. This engaging history reveals what was really at stake in the overthrow of Catholic culture and the reshaping of the English Church.
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A heavy read but well worth it.
- By chemtrooper on 12-02-18
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Empires of the Normans
- Makers of Europe, Conquerors of Asia
- By: Levi Roach
- Narrated by: Luke Thompson
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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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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disappointing
- By Amazon Customer on 08-05-23
By: Levi Roach
What listeners say about Heart of Europe
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Matthew Stein
- 06-14-18
Dense
This is an interesting history but quite dense. An admirable scholarly effort but difficult to completely follow without a map in front of you as the names of principalities, noble families, regions and titles are easy to confound.
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- Blane Richoux
- 02-11-18
Decent book, Narrator Easy to Tune Out
This book is not as bad as some of the other reviewers are saying. Because of the range of time and distance that this book challenges itself to cover, if it were laid out in a straightforward, chronological manner, it would be thousands of pages loner and likely a snooze fest. The author actually does a good job with the performance, and I never though he sounded monotone or uninspired. However, something in the timbre of his voice lends itself to tuning it out. I would frequently find myself having missed a few lines of text when listening in the car simply because his voice just blends in with the background noise of the world. I don’t think it is his fault or that there is anything wrong with the performance. Worth a listen for those interested in the HRE, but do not expect to walk away having memorized each line of Kings and all major historical events. The format of this book simply does not make any one person or event particularly memorable. You simply walk away with a sense of understanding about why the HRE existed, the space and time period it occupied, and the factors that led to its demise.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Tarquin
- 01-12-19
Excellent book, brilliantly read.
I'm delighted with the marvellous presentation of a very complex subject whose range and scope one seldom finds in a history book. It especially heartening to see the use of foreign terms to describe central European institutions without giving the reader som tame English equivalent, which is often misleading.
Mr. Napoleon Ryan is a splendid reader, and he displays just the right degree of gravitas one would expect when listening to a work of this high calibre. His pronunciation of German terms is very good, and this makes it easy to understand what the author has in his mind. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as I found to my disgust in listening to a Bismarck biography. I am happy to recommend this book to any reader interested in his European heritage.
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- Brent Suits
- 04-01-18
Not a linear history
While well written, it can be difficult to follow as a topic such as judicial structure of the empire is covered from beginning of empire to end before a new topic is started. Handy for dealing with individual concepts but hard for the casual reader to keep monarchs/time periods in line.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-15-18
It's good
The narrator does jump around in the time line but it all comes together. And I liked to listen to it.
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Overall
- Amazon Customer
- 07-21-20
Dense but enjoyable book
Well researched and written on the subject matter. narration is easy to follow and enjoyable. The book can be difficult to follow at times since it is organized by topics such as culture or economy rather than chronologically, but the author makes that clear going into the book. it just means you may have to go back and re-listen a little closer at some points. The book is worth the listen though.
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- Jacob
- 09-03-24
Fascinating exhaustive overview of the Empire; narrator overacts and mispronounces enough to actually be engaging
Definitely not the first book you should read about Central Europe, the book expects pretty significant foreknowledge of European history and geography but if you don't need to look on a map to know where Regensburg or Lorraine or Pomerania are, you should be pretty good. Not a narrative history but a combined study of various aspects of the Empire's cultural, political, economic, and geographic context, in discrete sections.
Narrator overacts, it was a bit grating to me at first with how dry the text is but combined with his difficulty with pronunciation (in a book spanning a thousand years and a dozen languages) I ended up finding pretty effective at keeping me engaged, even if I'm just giggling at the German.
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- Duncan Keegan
- 01-05-20
A weighty history dragged down by its narrator
I’ve read my share of serious history books, and I’m familiar with how challenging it can be for historians to capture the complexity and nuance of any period and society in a way that keeps a readers interest. This kind of writing also presents its own challenge to readers. That’s why I love reading and listening to them. But I’ve never had the experience of a narrator placing sound ahead of sense. Ryan’s narration throughout is all grave tones, entirely burying the meaning and substance of the events, trends, and persons being discussed by the author. He certainly goes to great lengths to pronounce his place names accurately. But not once did I get the impression that he had even a cursory understanding of or care for what the author had intended to communicate about the history of this extraordinary polity; instead he seemed solely interested in enunciating each and every sentence in the most long-winded and ponderous way imaginable. Bizarre, self-absorbed and, most unforgivably, dull. I’d rather not have given any stars for performance.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Austin Hill
- 12-30-17
A Great Work
A very detailed and informative volume on many facets of an immense subject. It is not a linear narrative but more of a series of analyses ranging from daily life, law and order, governance, etc. that jump from century to century. The author was very thourough and tried to convey a objective light on what has and continues to be a nationalistic topic.
I would highly recommend this book to any lover of European history.
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- Lucy Anderson
- 07-21-19
Vital Info for the Student of history
I learned so much listening to this book that I listened to it again. As a public school student, I was taught a lot of bullet points in European History. The topics covered in this book filled in a lot of gaps for me on the HRE, Central Europe and moments in history that shaped the present day. This was a vital read for me in my quest to wrap my head around European History and the way it shapes my world.
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