c 1000 CE to c 1500

Readers can discover all the foul facts about England, including which monk tried to pinch the devil's nose with a pair of tongs, why some people in the Middle Ages ate dove droppings and which English king was accused of being a werewolf.

Which genius ideas and inventions began in the Benin Kingdom? What did the people of the Benin Kingdom develop that we use to this day? Find out how a collection of separate villages and communities grew into a strong, united kingdom and developed a network of successful trading relationships. Di...

Here Martyn Rady tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world it built - and then lost - over nearly a millennium. From modest origins, the Habsburgs grew in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the 15th century. Then, in just a few decades, their possessions rapidly expanded to t...

Henry V reigned over England for only nine years and four months, and died at the age of just 35, but he looms over the landscape of the late Middle Ages and beyond. The victor of Agincourt was remembered as the acme of kingship, a model to be closely imitated by his successors. William Shakespea...

'House of Lilies' is a highly enjoyable, state-of-the-art account of this extraordinary sequence of events, set against one of the great eras in the history of western Europe, a time of remarkable cultural efflorescence. Justine Firnhaber-Baker brilliantly conveys not only the sheer glamour of th...

The Incan Empire ruled 12 million people but was conquered by 260 Spanish invaders - and a few germs. Find out about chilling child sacrifices, Incan golden temples, and why llamas wore earrings and drank beer.

The Incan Empire ruled 12 million people but was conquered by 260 Spanish invaders - and a few germs. Find out about chilling child sacrifices, Incan golden temples, and why llamas wore earrings and drank beer.

Isabella of France (c. 1295-1358), who married Edward II in January 1308, is one of the most notorious women in English history. In 1325/26, sent to her homeland to negotiate a peace settlement between her husband and her brother Charles IV, Isabella refused to return to England. She began a rela...

Joan of Arc's life and death mark a turning point in the destiny both of France and England and the history of their monarchies. By returning to the original sources and employing her expertise in languages, the author brings La Pucelle alive and does not duck the most difficult question: was she...

The iconic figure of Robert the Bruce has gone down through the centuries as one of the most remarkable leaders of all time. With equal parts tenacity and ruthlessness, he had himself crowned King of Scotland after murdering one of his most powerful rivals, and so began the rule of an indomitable...