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The History of the Renaissance World
- From the Rediscovery of Aristotle to the Conquest of Constantinople
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 21 hrs and 11 mins
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Publisher's summary
A lively and fascinating narrative history about the birth of the modern world.
Beginning in the heady days just after the First Crusade, this volume - the third in the series that began with The History of the Ancient World and The History of the Medieval World - chronicles the contradictions of a world in transition. Popes continue to preach crusade, but the hope of a Christian empire comes to a bloody end at the walls of Constantinople. Aristotelian logic and Greek rationality blossom while the Inquisition gathers strength. As kings and emperors continue to insist on their divine rights, ordinary people all over the world seize power: the lingayats of India, the Jacquerie of France, the Red Turbans of China, and the peasants of England.
New threats appear, as the Ottomans emerge from a tiny Turkish village and the Mongols ride out of the East to set the world on fire. New currencies are forged, new weapons invented, and world-changing catastrophes alter the landscape: the Little Ice Age and the Great Famine kill millions; the Black Death, millions more. In the chaos of these epoch-making events, our own world begins to take shape.
Impressively researched and brilliantly told, The History of the Renaissance World offers not just the names, dates, and facts but the memorable characters who illuminate the years between 1100 and 1453 - years that marked a sea change in mankind's perception of the world.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
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In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression.
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A lively and useful introduction
- By Tad Davis on 01-06-10
By: Rodney Stark
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The Byzantine Empire
- A Captivating Guide to Byzantium and How the Eastern Roman Empire Was Ruled by Emperors Such as Constantine the Great and Justinian
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The Byzantine Empire was founded during the chaotic third century. It was the time when revolts and civil wars were common, and Roman emperors merely lasted for a year. Despite being one of the most captivating historical periods of all time, the Byzantine Empire is a lesser known one.
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Written like a highschool student phoning it in.
- By Kindle Customer on 02-24-20
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The Norman Conquest
- The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
- By: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
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An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.
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A Balanced, Entertaining, and Informative History
- By Jefferson on 06-01-14
By: Marc Morris
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Ottoman Empire: A Captivating Guide to the Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Fall of Constantinople, and the Life of Suleiman the Magnificent
- By: Captivating History
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- Unabridged
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Incredible facts about this Ottoman Empire still surprise anyone who starts discovering those stories. You’ll find out that, for quite a while, this Islamic state was effectively ruled by women, and that’s just the beginning.
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Narrators do not know how to pronounce words
- By Cynthia Clough on 11-08-23
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By the Spear
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- By: Ian Worthington
- Narrated by: Phil Holland
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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For the first time, By the Spear offers an exhilarating military narrative of the reigns of these two larger-than-life figures in one volume. Ian Worthington gives full breadth to the careers of father and son, showing how Philip was the architect of the Macedonian empire, which reached its zenith under Alexander, only to disintegrate upon his death.
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Bueller..... Bueller...... Bueller...... Monotone
- By Jonathan Allen Beard on 02-15-15
By: Ian Worthington
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Isabella
- The Warrior Queen
- By: Kirstin Downey
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
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An engrossing and revolutionary biography of Isabella of Castile, the controversial Queen of Spain who sponsored Christopher Columbus's journey to the New World, established the Spanish Inquisition, and became one of the most influential female rulers in history.
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Poorly narrated
- By Amazon Customer on 02-23-15
By: Kirstin Downey
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Defenders of the Faith
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- By: James Reston Jr.
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
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In the best-selling Warriors of God and Dogs of God, James Reston Jr. limned two epochal conflicts between Islam and Christendom. Here he examines the ultimate battle in that centuries-long war, which found Europe at its most vulnerable and Islam on the attack. This drama was propelled by two astonishing young sovereigns: Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Turkish sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. Though they represented two colliding worlds, they were remarkably similar.
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Good account of interesting period of history
- By ItalCali on 03-11-22
By: James Reston Jr.
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Foundation
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- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Clive Chafer
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In Foundation the chronicler of London and of its river, the Thames, takes us from the primeval forests of England's prehistory to the death of the first Tudor king, Henry VII, in 1509. He guides us from the building of Stonehenge to the founding of the two great glories of medieval England: common law and the cathedrals. He shows us glimpses of the country's most distant past - a Neolithic stirrup found in a grave, a Roman fort, a Saxon tomb, a medieval manor house.
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The Most Annoying Narrator EVER
- By JudieBee on 12-25-15
By: Peter Ackroyd
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What listeners say about The History of the Renaissance World
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Troy
- 05-20-15
The 2nd Half of the Medieval World
The History of the Medieval World gave us that history up to the end of the First Crusade, with this book picking up in the wake of that around 1100 and carrying us to 1453--the approximate beginning of the Renaissance. So why is this book labeled like this when practically every other historian agrees on the labeling? As near as I can tell, it's because this is when the texts of the Ancient Greeks were first rediscovered, just as the title claims. I realize the devil's in the details, but that's pedantic. This book, like the two volumes before it, is for general audiences that want to see how the pieces fit together. Confusing people with something that arbitrary seems pointless.
What is not pointless is this book. As with the Ancient and Medieval World volumes before it, this book covers all of the hotspots of the globe, East and West. To see how the world of the Samurai line up with that of the Crusaders or the Mongols is just astounding. If you've not read the previous two volumes, get them. Everything in these books serves to show the cause and effect of historical events and the people who rode through them. Names and dates are there as references, but the personalities are touched upon so as to give the overview some meaning and provide that perfect springboard for future learning.
I really want a book on the Renaissance and Reformation now so as to continue the flow of these works. When viewed through the long lens, it's easy to see how the world we live in today is built upon all of that which has gone before. To the people who lived back then, it's always the modern world, just as ours is for us. Why there aren't more history books written like this, I'll never know. Kudos all around for this book and for its predecessors for making history both broad enough to see the big picture and detailed enough to understand it in context as the sum of its parts.
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70 people found this helpful
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- Jay Quintana
- 05-30-15
This happened, then that happened
I listened to this dutifully with no enjoyment. It's like eating vegetables, you do it because it's good for you. Sometimes historians are guilty of creating a narrative that is just not there. Well, not here. This is basically a chronicle of the events that happened and the people who made it happen. In order words, you're just handed fact after fact, as though you're reading an almanac. I'm glad I listened to it, though. Just wish it were more compelling.
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45 people found this helpful
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- Captain Morgan
- 02-14-14
Almost Great
Any additional comments?
This was a very enjoyable listen. It took a little while but once I settled into this book I really enjoyed John Lee's reading. I am not a student of this time period in history and this book gave me a great broad understanding of and exposure to many events I had heard of (and many I had't) but would have been hard pressed to explain or put in context. This sparked my interest in specific subjects that I can delve into deeper. I doubt a knowledgable history buff would learn much new or hear any critical insights.
In the end that is where the book fell a bit short for me. I suppose there was so much material to cover that there was little room for historical retrospective. I was also hoping for more background on the influence of ancient writers and thought and how it shaped events.It would have been more engaging if there was more focus on the development of thought and knowledge and the struggles it caused.
Ultimately the history of this time period (and alas much of human history) can be summed up thus .... dates, Kings, Popes, conquests, mass murders, ruthless power struggles and untimely deaths ... rinse and repeat. There were very few heros beyond the inventors, artists and thinkers.
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39 people found this helpful
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- 4GO
- 02-16-16
The Title is a bit misleading....
I wanted a book about the Renaissance; not the period leading up to the Renaissance .
Those looking for tales of art and enlightenment should look elsewhere. This book ends just before the Renaissance begins.
A good work to be sure, but hopelessly (however literally) misnamed.
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29 people found this helpful
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- Michael LeDuc
- 05-21-20
Extremely Misleading Title
DO NOT BUY if you want to hear about the actual Renaissance. This is a summary of notable historical events and figures of the middle ages. The narration is quite good and the book itself isn't terrible, but I wanted to hear about the late 1400's through late 1500's. Not having that expectation met makes me hate this book.
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20 people found this helpful
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- I am No Expert
- 05-25-16
Mostly about wars leading up to the Renaissance
While this was an entertaining book, it was not really about the Renaissance period. It spends most of its time talking about the wars and Intrigue leading through the medieval period of time to the Renaissance. it bounces Asian, mongul, American, European history.
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17 people found this helpful
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- Carlos
- 05-07-19
Absolutely insufferable
Worst audible purchase I've made so far. Like her other books the author focuses too much on politics and military affairs. She makes zero attempt to flesh out the historical characters so they're all forgettable. Every chapter is the same garbage story - forgettable generals fight for crown. Of the authors trilogy this is the worst I was getting drowsy while listening. I didn't learn a single thing and asked myself why any of the content in the book mattered. I couldn't finish it.
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15 people found this helpful
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- G.W.
- 03-15-16
Lots of details but not much insight
I understand that historians today believe it is their job to report facts without critiquing them, however, this book could have been a lot more interesting had the author made some attempt to weave these disparate histories into some kind of narrative on the drivers influencing the Renaissance. The time spent covering societies in south and mesoamerica made it clear that the author didn't have any interest in explaining the relevance of the various stories with the supposed subject of the book. The abrupt ending was also disconcerting without any type of closure or explanation for why this particular event in SE Europe should signal the end of whatever era she was claiming to cover.
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- Brenna M.
- 10-28-14
The worst history of the Renaissance...
What disappointed you about The History of the Renaissance World?
This book is a typical liberal approach to history or the title is awful. Move Renaissance in the title and just say "History of the World, While Europe had the Renaissance"...
Would you ever listen to anything by Susan Wise Bauer again?
No
Would you listen to another book narrated by John Lee?
Yes
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Frustration. It is not a real history of the Renaissance. It does not cover what was really happening and why we left the dark and middle ages. It is just what the political types or kings were doing in the world at that time. It is a very weak book.
Any additional comments?
Don't buy this book. Don't waste your time.
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- Stephen S.
- 07-15-16
Not. about the. Renaissance
A. good history but not really about. the. Renaissance. Covers the time around the start but only touches the Renaissance at the start and end of the book. Disappointing.
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