-
The Battle of Ravenna
- The History of the Most Famous Battle of the Italian Wars
- Narrated by: KC Wayman
- Length: 1 hr and 42 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
In 1494, there were five sovereign regional powers in Italy: Milan, Venice, Florence, the Papal States and Naples. In 1536, only one remained: Venice. These decades of conflict precipitated great anxiety among Western thinkers, and Italians responded to the fragmentation of Latin Christendom, the end of self-governance for Italians, and the beginning of the early modern era in various ways. They were always heavily influenced by the lived experience of warfare between large Christian armies on the peninsula.
The diplomatic and military history of this 30-year period is a complex one that one eminent Renaissance historian, Lauro Martines, has described as "best told by a computer, so many and tangled are the treatises, negotiations and battles." At the same time, the fighting went in tandem with the Renaissance and was influenced by it. Most historians credit the city-state of Florence as the place that started and developed the Italian Renaissance, a process carried out through the patronage and commission of artists during the late 12th century. If Florence is receiving its due credit, much of it belongs to the Medicis, the family dynasty of Florence that ruled at the height of the Renaissance. The dynasty held such influence that some of its family members even became Pope.
Thanks to convoluted European politics, the foremost belligerent in the Italian Wars was France. French foreign policy had been entangled in Italy’s peninsular politics ever since Charlemagne's 774 intervention in the conflict between Pope Adrian I and the Lombards. The French king maintained a web of alliances with the Italian powers.[1] Whereas Louis XI had largely ignored any obligations stemming from his agreements with the individual Italian powers, Charles VIII, who acceded to the throne a young and inexperienced man, eagerly took up the opportunity to make good his claim to the Neapolitan throne. The House of Anjou had been invited to govern the kingdom of Naples in 1265 by Pope Clement IV, who sought the expulsion of the Hohenstaufen dynasty from Italy. Charles of Anjou, Louis IX's younger brother, was crowned in St. Peter's in 1266 by five cardinals and his descendants reigned in the kingdom of Naples until the childless Queen Joanna II of Naples in 1442 adopted Alfonso V, called “the Magnanimous,” of Aragon. When Ludovico Sforza, the de facto ruler of Milan, invited him to challenge Aragonese rule in southern Italy, Charles VIII saw an opportunity to demonstrate his military prowess to subsequent generations. His court greedily sought the spoils, both in glory and material wealth, likely to accrue from such a campaign.
The French campaign in Italy was almost immediately recognized as a watershed in Italian history, and the invasion ended a centuries-long practice of self-governance by the Italian city-states. The fury and cruelty of the French forces was shocking and unthinkable to Italian onlookers, who had grown accustomed to a more diplomacy-based warfare enacted by small mercenary forces with few pitched battles. Before 1494, death tolls were counted in hundreds rather than thousands, but that would change over the next generation, and among the many battles fought, few stood out like the Battle of Ravenna in 1512. Ravenna is an ancient city in northern Italy on the Adriatic Coast that replaced Rome as capital of the Western Roman Empire for much of the 5th century and continued to serve as a regional center for its successor states, including the Ostrogoths, Byzantines, and Papal States. On April 11 of that year, two great armies met near Ravenna, which had been the site of conflict at least six times before on account of its strategic importance. Over 44,000 troops gathered, a vast number for the time, to fight over Italy’s destiny, which had become important to France, Austria, and Spain, the great powers of the time.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
- The Life and Legacy of Nazi Germany's Most Popular Commander
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Albert Kesselring holds a strange place in the history of World War II. A commander in the Luftwaffe, he is remembered as much for the skill with which he oversaw the German armies as for his mastery of the air fleets. Called "Uncle Albert" by many of his men and "Smiling Albert" by the Allies, he was widely respected by men on both sides of the war and loved by many of his troops, yet he was responsible for massacres in occupied Italy for which he was condemned to death during the post-war trials.
-
-
brief overview
- By Brian on 04-20-23
-
The First Sino-Japanese War
- The History and Legacy of the Conflict That Doomed the Chinese Empire and Led to the Rise of Imperial Japan
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Completing the Meiji Restoration that heralded the dawn of a new era for both Japan and Asia, the island nation found itself thrust into the modern world, a world of industry and conquest. Flexing its new muscles, the burgeoning power soon came to blows with the regional power that for centuries dominated the area politically and culturally: China. Also seeking to modernize in the wake of Western exploitation, China struggled to adapt to the changing times, doing everything it could to maintain a balance between modernity and tradition. Japan found that balance.
-
-
Japan's rise before WW1 and WW2
- By Rosalyn Mendez on 03-26-24
-
The Banana Wars
- A Captivating Guide to the Interventions of the United States in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean (US Military History)
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This audiobook is about the Banana Wars that lasted from the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 until Franklin Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy of 1934. When you listen to this story, you’ll learn how and why the US marines invaded Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. You’ll also learn how the US Marines occupied and ruled Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic for years.
-
-
New look on American history
- By MrWndrfl on 10-19-24
-
The Knights Templar
- A Captivating Guide to a Powerful Catholic Military Order and Their Impact on the Crusades
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jay Herbert
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
People get a thrill from hearing about knights in shining armor racing across the battlefield and doing all kinds of works of chivalry. This is an audiobook about some of the best-known knights of the Middle Ages. Best of all, this is not fiction. The Knights Templar were very real, and their story is amazing.
-
-
Concise History of the Templars
- By Ed Gauert on 08-05-23
-
The Paraguayan War
- A Captivating Guide to a South American War Called the War of the Triple Alliance between Paraguay and the Allied Countries of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jay Herbert
- Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Paraguayan War of 1864–1870 was the bloodiest war between nations in South American history. Discover how tiny Paraguay had a tyrant with a giant ego and the largest army on the continent, and how and why he invaded Brazil and Argentina. Learn about the biggest naval battle in South America’s history, and about the Paraguayan fortress called South America’s Gibraltar.
-
-
Comprehensive story of the Paraguayan War
- By Lisa Balestrini on 07-08-24
-
Crimea
- By: Orlando Figes
- Narrated by: Malk Williams
- Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The terrible conflict that dominated the mid-19th century, the Crimean War, killed at least 800,000 men and pitted Russia against a formidable coalition of Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire. It was a war for territory, provoked by fear that if the Ottoman Empire were to collapse then Russia could control a huge swathe of land from the Balkans to the Persian Gulf. But it was also a war of religion, driven by a fervent, populist and ever more ferocious belief by the Tsar and his ministers that it was Russia's task to rule all Orthodox Christians and control the Holy Land.
-
-
Outstanding History of the Crimean War
- By Rick Sailor on 11-08-18
By: Orlando Figes
-
Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
- The Life and Legacy of Nazi Germany's Most Popular Commander
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Albert Kesselring holds a strange place in the history of World War II. A commander in the Luftwaffe, he is remembered as much for the skill with which he oversaw the German armies as for his mastery of the air fleets. Called "Uncle Albert" by many of his men and "Smiling Albert" by the Allies, he was widely respected by men on both sides of the war and loved by many of his troops, yet he was responsible for massacres in occupied Italy for which he was condemned to death during the post-war trials.
-
-
brief overview
- By Brian on 04-20-23
-
The First Sino-Japanese War
- The History and Legacy of the Conflict That Doomed the Chinese Empire and Led to the Rise of Imperial Japan
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Completing the Meiji Restoration that heralded the dawn of a new era for both Japan and Asia, the island nation found itself thrust into the modern world, a world of industry and conquest. Flexing its new muscles, the burgeoning power soon came to blows with the regional power that for centuries dominated the area politically and culturally: China. Also seeking to modernize in the wake of Western exploitation, China struggled to adapt to the changing times, doing everything it could to maintain a balance between modernity and tradition. Japan found that balance.
-
-
Japan's rise before WW1 and WW2
- By Rosalyn Mendez on 03-26-24
-
The Banana Wars
- A Captivating Guide to the Interventions of the United States in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean (US Military History)
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Saffir
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This audiobook is about the Banana Wars that lasted from the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 until Franklin Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy of 1934. When you listen to this story, you’ll learn how and why the US marines invaded Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. You’ll also learn how the US Marines occupied and ruled Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic for years.
-
-
New look on American history
- By MrWndrfl on 10-19-24
-
The Knights Templar
- A Captivating Guide to a Powerful Catholic Military Order and Their Impact on the Crusades
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jay Herbert
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
People get a thrill from hearing about knights in shining armor racing across the battlefield and doing all kinds of works of chivalry. This is an audiobook about some of the best-known knights of the Middle Ages. Best of all, this is not fiction. The Knights Templar were very real, and their story is amazing.
-
-
Concise History of the Templars
- By Ed Gauert on 08-05-23
-
The Paraguayan War
- A Captivating Guide to a South American War Called the War of the Triple Alliance between Paraguay and the Allied Countries of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jay Herbert
- Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Paraguayan War of 1864–1870 was the bloodiest war between nations in South American history. Discover how tiny Paraguay had a tyrant with a giant ego and the largest army on the continent, and how and why he invaded Brazil and Argentina. Learn about the biggest naval battle in South America’s history, and about the Paraguayan fortress called South America’s Gibraltar.
-
-
Comprehensive story of the Paraguayan War
- By Lisa Balestrini on 07-08-24
-
Crimea
- By: Orlando Figes
- Narrated by: Malk Williams
- Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The terrible conflict that dominated the mid-19th century, the Crimean War, killed at least 800,000 men and pitted Russia against a formidable coalition of Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire. It was a war for territory, provoked by fear that if the Ottoman Empire were to collapse then Russia could control a huge swathe of land from the Balkans to the Persian Gulf. But it was also a war of religion, driven by a fervent, populist and ever more ferocious belief by the Tsar and his ministers that it was Russia's task to rule all Orthodox Christians and control the Holy Land.
-
-
Outstanding History of the Crimean War
- By Rick Sailor on 11-08-18
By: Orlando Figes
-
The Crusades
- The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
- By: Thomas Asbridge
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history.
-
-
Comprehensive
- By Tad Davis on 10-04-16
By: Thomas Asbridge
-
Shanghai 1937
- Stalingrad on the Yangtze
- By: Peter Harmsen
- Narrated by: George Backman
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This deeply researched book describes one of the great forgotten battles of the 20th century. At its height it involved nearly a million Chinese and Japanese soldiers, while sucking in three million civilians as unwilling spectators and, often, victims. It turned what had been a Japanese adventure in China into a general war between the two oldest and proudest civilizations of the Far East. Ultimately, it led to Pearl Harbor and to seven decades of tumultuous history in Asia. The Battle of Shanghai was a pivotal event that helped define and shape the modern world.
-
-
The Curtain to World War Two
- By Michael on 03-01-16
By: Peter Harmsen
-
Sasanian Empire
- A Captivating Guide to the Neo-Persian Empire That Ruled Before the Arab Conquest of Persia and the Rise of Islam
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Desmond Manny
- Length: 1 hr and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this Captivating History audiobook, you will discover how important the Sasanian Empire was to history and how their legacy became an integral part of what we today think of as Islamic culture.
-
-
A Useful Survey of an Important Empire.
- By Michael C. Walker on 12-22-18
-
Medieval England
- A Captivating Guide to English History in the Middle Ages, Including Events Such as the Norman Conquest, Black Death, and Hundred Years' War
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Medieval England’s history starts with the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. In the 11th century, the Anglo-Saxon elite was completely replaced by the invading Normans. William the Conqueror and his successors brought novelties to England such as castles and cavalry. The last phase of Medieval England started with the great Famine and Black Death in the 14th century, when millions of lives were lost, resulting in England losing half of its population. In this book, you'll get insights into all of the above events and many more.
-
-
With these two work in the bundle...
- By Fannie Marshall on 06-07-20
-
The Napoleonic Wars
- By: Alexander Mikaberidze
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 35 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Napoleonic Wars saw fighting on an unprecedented scale in Europe and the Americas. It took the wealth of the British Empire, combined with the might of the continental armies, almost two decades to bring down one of the world's greatest military leaders and the empire that he had created. Napoleon's ultimate defeat was to determine the history of Europe for almost 100 years. From the frozen wastelands of Russia, through the brutal fighting in the Peninsula to the blood-soaked battlefield of Waterloo, this book tells the story of the dramatic rise and fall of the Napoleonic Empire.
-
-
No description of battles
- By John Gaston on 01-15-21
-
Philip and Alexander
- Kings and Conquerors
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Neil Dickson
- Length: 20 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This definitive biography of one of history's most influential father-son duos tells the story of two rulers who gripped the world - and their rise and fall from power.
-
-
Horrible narrator
- By Anonymous User on 01-05-21
-
Carthage
- A Captivating Guide to the Carthaginian Empire and Its Conflicts with the Ancient Greek City-States and the Roman Republic in the Sicilian Wars and Punic Wars
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Richard L. Walton
- Length: 3 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Very few of the ancient empires and nations were able to challenge the Romans, who were famous for their military might. Even fewer were able to make them shiver just by mentioning their name. In fact, only one enemy of Rome managed to engrave such fear into their bones. That was Carthage, sometimes called the Carthaginian Empire. It was a formidable state that stretched across northern Africa, from Algeria and Tunisia to the shores of Morocco and southern Spain.
-
-
the beautiful sister, Juliet
- By Fannie Marshall on 06-20-20
-
The Mongol Invasions
- A Captivating Guide to the Mongol Invasions and Conquests along with the Life of Genghis Khan
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mongols were known to be both merciful as well as tolerant. Moreover, their conquests weren’t aimed against civilized life; in fact, they helped connect numerous cultures and facilitated the spread of ideas and knowledge across the continent. Diving deep inside their culture and society, we’ll cast off their barbaric image. By the end of this guide of the Mongol conquests, you will get a better understanding of not only the history of the Mongols but of all of humankind as well.
-
-
Great Overview of Mongol History
- By D. Buxman on 07-06-20
-
The Thirty Years War
- Europe's Tragedy
- By: Peter H. Wilson
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 33 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Thirty Years War devastated seventeenth-century Europe, killing nearly a quarter of all Germans and laying waste to towns and countryside alike. Peter Wilson offers the first new history in a generation of a horrifying conflict that transformed the map of the modern world.
-
-
Best Single-Volume History of the 30 Years' War
- By Amazon Customer on 10-09-23
By: Peter H. Wilson
-
The Crusades
- A Captivating Guide to the Military Expeditions during the Middle Ages That Departed from Europe with the Goal to Free Jerusalem and Aid Christianity in the Holy Land
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It could be said that European kings and nobles in the Middle Ages were Crusade mad. The enormous amount of fighting men who periodically sailed off to the Near East to do battle with Muslims are evidence of the widespread popularity of overseas adventurism at the time. The notion of a Crusade, in which large armies assembled from various regions of Europe for the purpose of doing battle with Turkish and Arab Muslims, became so fixed that it was expanded to include Crusades against heretical European Christian sects.
-
-
Difficult to follow
- By A Reyes on 05-23-23
-
Wars of Scottish Independence: A Captivating Guide to the Battles Between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, Including the Impact Made by King Robert the Bruce
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: David Patton
- Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Explore the captivating events and people of the Wars of Scottish Independence. The borderland between Scotland and England has historically been a site of struggle, violence, and conflict. This was acutely so during the First Scottish War of Independence. The tumult during this medieval period was grand, presenting a historical stage filled with memorable larger-than-life figures such as Edward I, William Wallace, also known as "Braveheart”, and Robert de Bruce. In this audiobook, you'll discover the revolutionary events that formed both Scottish and English history.
-
-
Good historical look at the borders of Scotland
- By Willy Staples on 10-04-18
-
Russian History
- 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
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
greater depth
- By Paul on 11-19-18
Related to this topic
-
Medieval England
- A Captivating Guide to English History in the Middle Ages, Including Events Such as the Norman Conquest, Black Death, and Hundred Years' War
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Medieval England’s history starts with the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. In the 11th century, the Anglo-Saxon elite was completely replaced by the invading Normans. William the Conqueror and his successors brought novelties to England such as castles and cavalry. The last phase of Medieval England started with the great Famine and Black Death in the 14th century, when millions of lives were lost, resulting in England losing half of its population. In this book, you'll get insights into all of the above events and many more.
-
-
With these two work in the bundle...
- By Fannie Marshall on 06-07-20
-
The Crusades
- A Captivating Guide to the Military Expeditions during the Middle Ages That Departed from Europe with the Goal to Free Jerusalem and Aid Christianity in the Holy Land
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It could be said that European kings and nobles in the Middle Ages were Crusade mad. The enormous amount of fighting men who periodically sailed off to the Near East to do battle with Muslims are evidence of the widespread popularity of overseas adventurism at the time. The notion of a Crusade, in which large armies assembled from various regions of Europe for the purpose of doing battle with Turkish and Arab Muslims, became so fixed that it was expanded to include Crusades against heretical European Christian sects.
-
-
Difficult to follow
- By A Reyes on 05-23-23
-
The Horde
- How the Mongols Changed the World
- By: Marie Favereau
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Favereau takes us inside one of the most powerful sources of cross-border integration in world history. The Horde was the central node in the Eurasian commercial boom of the 13th and 14th centuries and was a conduit for exchanges across thousands of miles. Its unique political regime - a complex power-sharing arrangement among the khan and the nobility - rewarded skillful administrators and diplomats and fostered an economic order that was mobile, organized, and innovative.
-
-
Golden Horde complete history, well done
- By Amazon Customer on 03-10-22
By: Marie Favereau
-
History's Greatest Generals
- 10 Commanders Who Conquered Empires, Revolutionized Warfare, and Changed History Forever
- By: Michael Rank
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether it is Hannibal of Carthage marching elephants across the Alps and attacking the heart of Rome, Khalid ibn al-Walid boasting an undefeated military career and destroying the Persian Empire while subduing the Byzantines, or Russian General Alexander Suvurov and his elevation of the bayonet to a work of art that could cut down any European army, great military leaders have exerted tremendous influence on society. This book will look at the lives of the 10 greatest military commanders in history.
-
-
Great Book
- By MICHAEL H on 01-27-14
By: Michael Rank
-
God's Shadow
- Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Alan Mikhail
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Long neglected in world history, the Ottoman Empire was a hub of intellectual fervor, geopolitical power, and enlightened pluralistic rule. Yet, despite its towering influence and centrality to the rise of our modern world, the Ottoman Empire's history has for centuries been distorted, misrepresented, and even suppressed in the West. Now Alan Mikhail presents a vitally needed recasting of Ottoman history, retelling the story of the Ottoman conquest of the world through the dramatic biography of Sultan Selim I (1470-1520).
-
-
Entertaining narrative, but poor scholarship
- By Yosemite on 09-15-20
By: Alan Mikhail
-
The Byzantine Empire
- By: Charles Oman
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Byzantine Empire survived as a self-contained political entity longer than any other in the history of Christianity. This history by Charles Oman is a catalog of good, bad, and indifferent emperors who either pushed Byzantine Civilization to new heights or savagely drove it to defeat and dissolution. It is a strange tale populated by some of the most interesting men and women who have ever lived.
-
-
adequate good book. great reader
- By Felisa Kay on 01-30-21
By: Charles Oman
-
Medieval England
- A Captivating Guide to English History in the Middle Ages, Including Events Such as the Norman Conquest, Black Death, and Hundred Years' War
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Medieval England’s history starts with the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. In the 11th century, the Anglo-Saxon elite was completely replaced by the invading Normans. William the Conqueror and his successors brought novelties to England such as castles and cavalry. The last phase of Medieval England started with the great Famine and Black Death in the 14th century, when millions of lives were lost, resulting in England losing half of its population. In this book, you'll get insights into all of the above events and many more.
-
-
With these two work in the bundle...
- By Fannie Marshall on 06-07-20
-
The Crusades
- A Captivating Guide to the Military Expeditions during the Middle Ages That Departed from Europe with the Goal to Free Jerusalem and Aid Christianity in the Holy Land
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It could be said that European kings and nobles in the Middle Ages were Crusade mad. The enormous amount of fighting men who periodically sailed off to the Near East to do battle with Muslims are evidence of the widespread popularity of overseas adventurism at the time. The notion of a Crusade, in which large armies assembled from various regions of Europe for the purpose of doing battle with Turkish and Arab Muslims, became so fixed that it was expanded to include Crusades against heretical European Christian sects.
-
-
Difficult to follow
- By A Reyes on 05-23-23
-
The Horde
- How the Mongols Changed the World
- By: Marie Favereau
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Favereau takes us inside one of the most powerful sources of cross-border integration in world history. The Horde was the central node in the Eurasian commercial boom of the 13th and 14th centuries and was a conduit for exchanges across thousands of miles. Its unique political regime - a complex power-sharing arrangement among the khan and the nobility - rewarded skillful administrators and diplomats and fostered an economic order that was mobile, organized, and innovative.
-
-
Golden Horde complete history, well done
- By Amazon Customer on 03-10-22
By: Marie Favereau
-
History's Greatest Generals
- 10 Commanders Who Conquered Empires, Revolutionized Warfare, and Changed History Forever
- By: Michael Rank
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether it is Hannibal of Carthage marching elephants across the Alps and attacking the heart of Rome, Khalid ibn al-Walid boasting an undefeated military career and destroying the Persian Empire while subduing the Byzantines, or Russian General Alexander Suvurov and his elevation of the bayonet to a work of art that could cut down any European army, great military leaders have exerted tremendous influence on society. This book will look at the lives of the 10 greatest military commanders in history.
-
-
Great Book
- By MICHAEL H on 01-27-14
By: Michael Rank
-
God's Shadow
- Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Alan Mikhail
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Long neglected in world history, the Ottoman Empire was a hub of intellectual fervor, geopolitical power, and enlightened pluralistic rule. Yet, despite its towering influence and centrality to the rise of our modern world, the Ottoman Empire's history has for centuries been distorted, misrepresented, and even suppressed in the West. Now Alan Mikhail presents a vitally needed recasting of Ottoman history, retelling the story of the Ottoman conquest of the world through the dramatic biography of Sultan Selim I (1470-1520).
-
-
Entertaining narrative, but poor scholarship
- By Yosemite on 09-15-20
By: Alan Mikhail
-
The Byzantine Empire
- By: Charles Oman
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Byzantine Empire survived as a self-contained political entity longer than any other in the history of Christianity. This history by Charles Oman is a catalog of good, bad, and indifferent emperors who either pushed Byzantine Civilization to new heights or savagely drove it to defeat and dissolution. It is a strange tale populated by some of the most interesting men and women who have ever lived.
-
-
adequate good book. great reader
- By Felisa Kay on 01-30-21
By: Charles Oman
-
The Napoleonic Wars
- By: Alexander Mikaberidze
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 35 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Napoleonic Wars saw fighting on an unprecedented scale in Europe and the Americas. It took the wealth of the British Empire, combined with the might of the continental armies, almost two decades to bring down one of the world's greatest military leaders and the empire that he had created. Napoleon's ultimate defeat was to determine the history of Europe for almost 100 years. From the frozen wastelands of Russia, through the brutal fighting in the Peninsula to the blood-soaked battlefield of Waterloo, this book tells the story of the dramatic rise and fall of the Napoleonic Empire.
-
-
No description of battles
- By John Gaston on 01-15-21
-
Scandinavia
- A History
- By: Ewan Butler
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Excellent History of Scandinavia after the Vikings
- By Arthur on 05-05-17
By: Ewan Butler
-
Philip and Alexander
- Kings and Conquerors
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Neil Dickson
- Length: 20 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This definitive biography of one of history's most influential father-son duos tells the story of two rulers who gripped the world - and their rise and fall from power.
-
-
Horrible narrator
- By Anonymous User on 01-05-21
-
The Crusades
- The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
- By: Thomas Asbridge
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history.
-
-
Comprehensive
- By Tad Davis on 10-04-16
By: Thomas Asbridge
-
The War of the Three Gods
- Romans, Persians, and the Rise of Islam
- By: Peter Crawford
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The War of the Three Gods is a military history of the Near and Middle East in the seventh century - with its chief focus on the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius (AD 610-641) - a pivotal and dramatic time in world history. The Eastern Roman Empire was brought to the very brink of extinction by the Sassanid Persians before Heraclius managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the Sassanids with a desperate, final gambit.
-
-
Filled in some blanks
- By Cory on 10-19-15
By: Peter Crawford
-
In God's Path
- The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire
- By: Robert G. Hoyland
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In just over a hundred years - from the death of Muhammad in 632 to the beginning of the Abbasid Caliphate in 750 - the followers of the Prophet swept across the whole of the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain. Their armies threatened states as far flung as the Franks in Western Europe and the Tang Empire in China. The conquered territory was larger than the Roman Empire at its greatest expansion, and it was claimed for the Arabs in roughly half the time.
-
-
Islamic conquest history from the outside
- By SAMA on 01-22-15
-
Crusaders
- The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than 1,000 years, Christians and Muslims lived side by side, sometimes at peace and sometimes at war. When Christian armies seized Jerusalem in 1099, they began the most notorious period of conflict between the two religions. Depending on who you ask, the fall of the holy city was either an inspiring legend or the greatest of horrors. In Crusaders, Dan Jones interrogates the many sides of the larger story, charting a deeply human and avowedly pluralist path through the crusading era.
-
-
Gripping but not tidy
- By Tad Davis on 01-06-20
By: Dan Jones
-
The Race for Paradise
- An Islamic History of the Crusades
- By: Paul M. Cobb
- Narrated by: Paul M. Cobb
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Race for Paradise, Paul M. Cobb offers a new history of the confrontations between Muslims and Franks we now call the "Crusades", one that emphasizes the diversity of Muslim experiences of the European holy war. There is more to the story than Jerusalem, the Templars, Saladin, and the Assassins. Cobb considers the Arab perspective on all shores of the Muslim Mediterranean, from Spain to Syria.
-
-
A heady piece of history and a romp.
- By Meeno on 05-28-15
By: Paul M. Cobb
-
The Birth of Britain
- A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume I
- By: Sir Winston Churchill
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The English-speaking peoples comprise perhaps the greatest number of human beings sharing a common language in the world today. These people also share a common heritage. For his four-volume work, Sir Winston Churchill took as his subject these great elements in world history. Volume 1 commences in 55BC, when Julius Caesar famously "turned his gaze upon Britain" and concludes with the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
-
-
Birth of Britain
- By Terryl Pettengill on 02-11-07
-
Napoleon
- A Concise Biography
- By: David A. Bell
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Bell emphasizes the astonishing sense of human possibility that Napoleon represented. Bell emphasizes the importance of the French Revolution in understanding Napoleon's career. The revolution made possible the unprecedented concentration of political authority that Napoleon accrued. Without the political changes brought about by the revolution, Napoleon could not have fought his wars. Without the wars, he could not have seized and held onto power. Though his virtual dictatorship betrayed the ideals of liberty and equality, his life and career were revolutionary.
-
-
Perfect introduction to Napoleon
- By DJP on 10-17-20
By: David A. Bell
-
The Fall of the Roman Empire
- A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
- By: Peter Heather
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 21 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The death of the Roman Empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution: Centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors Rome called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling an Empire that had dominated their lives for so long. A leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians, Heather relates the extraordinary story of how Europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome on every possible level, eventually pulled the empire apart.
-
-
A New HIstory but not a better history
- By Mario on 03-28-14
By: Peter Heather
-
The Savior Generals
- How Five Great Commanders Saved Wars That Were Lost - From Ancient Greece to Iraq
- By: Victor Davis Hanson
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prominent military historian Victor Davis Hanson explores the nature of leadership with his usual depth and vivid prose in The Savior Generals, a set of brilliantly executed pocket biographies of five generals (Themistocles, Belisarius, William Tecumseh Sherman, Matthew Ridgway, and David Petraeus) who single-handedly saved their nations from defeat in war. War is rarely a predictable enterprise - it is a mess of luck, chance, and incalculable variables. Today's sure winner can easily become tomorrow's doomed loser.
-
-
A good history book tells about human nature.
- By Doruk Denkel on 03-03-20