French Empire

When Samuel de Champlain founded the colony of Quebec in 1608, he established elaborate gardens where he sowed French seeds he had brought with him and experimented with indigenous plants that he found in nearby fields and forests. In A Not-So-New World, Christopher Parsons observes how it was that French colonists began to learn about Native environments and claimed a mandate to cultivate vegetation that did not differ all that much from that which they had left behind.

In this vivid and compelling narrative, the Seven Years' War - long seen as a mere backdrop to the American Revolution - takes on a whole new significance. Relating the history of the war as it developed, Anderson shows how the complex array of forces brought into conflict helped both to create Britain's empire and to sow the seeds of its eventual dissolution. Beginning with a skirmish in the Pennsylvania backcountry involving an inexperienced George Washington, the Iroquois chief Tanaghrisson, and the ill-fated French emissary Jumonville, Anderson reveals a chain of events that would lead to world conflagration.

France's global empire was not one story, but two distinct histories. This book charts the rise and fall of both French colonial projects, from the 16th-century fur traders of New France and the sugar plantations of the Caribbean to the 19th-century conquests in Africa and Indochina. It provides a comprehensive narrative of the ambitions, ideologies, and complex events that built and ultimately changed a global power. Explore the first French empire, born from the quest for a Northwest Passage and built on the competing foundations of the Canadian fur trade and the immense sugar wealth of ...

An exciting, hugely revealing account of China’s burgeoning presence in Africa - a developing empire already shaping, and reshaping, the future of millions of people. A prizewinning foreign correspondent and former New York Times bureau chief in Shanghai and in West and Central Africa, Howard French is uniquely positioned to tell the story of China in Africa. Through meticulous on-the-ground reporting, French crafts a layered investigation of astonishing depth and breadth.

From Akkad to the Soviet Union: 9 Empires That Forged Our World Ever wondered how a single nation can change the course of history? Step into a journey spanning over four thousand years and discover the rise and fall of some of the most influential countries the world has ever seen. This book goes beyond the dates and battles, exploring the brilliant innovations, defining struggles, and lasting legacies that shaped civilizations. You'll uncover the secrets behind their power and their ultimate decline, finding out: Why the Akkadian Empire's military and postal systems were revolutionary. ...

Americans are accustomed to thinking that World War II ended on August 14, 1945, when the Japanese surrendered unconditionally. Yet on the mainland of Asia, in the vast arc stretching from Manchuria to Burma, peace was a brief, fretful interlude. In some parts of Asia, such as Java and Southern Indonesia, only a few weeks passed before new fighting broke out between nationalist forces and the former colonial powers.

Cambodia: A Journey Through Triumph and Turmoil Cambodia's history is rooted in both immense accomplishment and deep sorrow, from the peak of the ancient Khmer Empire to the hardships of the 20th century. This book provides a direct and insightful examination of Cambodia's past and present. It starts with the ascent of the Khmer Empire, a power from the 9th to the 15th century, responsible for enduring contributions to art, architecture, and religion, most notably the renowned Angkor Wat temple complex. Cambodia's narrative extends beyond ancient splendor. In the 1970s, as the Vietnam War ...

From the ancient, landlocked throne of Burma to the swampy, strategic tip of the Malay Peninsula, Great Britain forged a new empire in Southeast Asia. This is the story of two vastly different colonial ventures: the brutal, bloody conquest of an ancient kingdom, and the shrewd creation of the world's richest trade route. It reveals how the destinies of these unrelated lands, one ruled by a king and the other by the sea, became irrevocably bound by imperial ambition. Driven by the fabulous wealth of the China trade and the rivalry with French Indochina, the British plunged into a Great Game ...

*Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award* *A New York Times Notable Book* *Winner of the Texas Book Award and the Oklahoma Book Award* This New York Times bestseller and stunning historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white...

An engrossing, “completely fascinating” (Cosmopolitan) memoir revealing the author’s struggle to come to terms with her own sociopathy and shed light on the often maligned and misunderstood mental disorder. Patric Gagne realized she made others uncomfortable before she started kindergarten...

Before the trenches of 1914 or the battles of the 1940s, there was a war that set the entire globe ablaze. This conflict, fought from 1754 to 1763, was the true first world war, a brutal contest for imperial domination that stretched from the wilderness of Pennsylvania to the palaces of India. It was here that the modern world was forged in a crucible of ambition, finance, and gunpowder. This single, sprawling conflict saw French and British regulars clash on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, while Robert Clive's corporate mercenaries engineered a coup in Bengal. It was a war for the sugar-...

An aura of mystery, romance, and danger surrounds the French Foreign Legion, the all-volunteer corps of the French Army, founded in 1831. Famous for its physically grueling training in harsh climates, the legion fought in French wars from Mexico to Madagascar, Southeast Asia to North Africa. In At the Edge of the World, historian Jean-Vincent Blanchard follows the legion's rise to fame during the 19th century - focusing on its campaigns in Indochina and especially in Africa.

Discover the definitive account of the military campaign that shattered the old world order and established the French Empire as the supreme power in Europe. This narrative follows the rapid maneuvers of the Grande Armee as it pivots from the English Channel to the heart of the Holy Roman Empire. You will witness the strategic genius of Napoleon Bonaparte as he faces the combined might of Britain, Russia, and Sweden. Experience the roar of the cannons at the Battle of Trafalgar where the British Royal Navy secured mastery of the seas for a century. The book provides a detailed look at the ...

Collection 3 comprend les livres: NOMADS 8 - Les Mondes intérieurs NOMADS 9 - Traîtres et rebelles NOMADS 10 - La révolte NOMADS 11 - Pas de retour possible NOMADS 8 - Les Mondes intérieurs Dix ans après l'expulsion des Keymon de la Terre, la guerre contre les créatures insectoïdes touche à sa fin. Cependant, au fur et à mesure que les victoires se succèdent, les signes de dissensions autour du trône, toujours occupé par Ulan Mestray, le chef des Akkato, se multiplient. Dominic Porter se retrouve soudainement confronté à la question de savoir ce qu'il adviendra des millions de...

In 1792, the crowned heads of Europe looked at the chaos consuming France and saw an easy conquest, a simple military promenade to restore the old order. They expected the disorganized revolutionary rabble to scatter at the first sight of professional Prussian bayonets. Instead, they unleashed a conflict that would tear the continent apart and birth a new age of total war. While the guillotine worked relentlessly in Paris, a desperate nation forged a new kind of weapon from the sheer will of its people. The levée en masse transformed the French population into a massive military machine, ...

Uncover the Epic Conflict That Forged Modern Europe The Hundred Years' War was a turning point that melted down old orders and built new nations. This was a period that forever reshaped warfare, power dynamics, and even our understanding of nationhood. Tired of dry, academic history? This book is your accessible guide to understanding this pivotal era. No jargon, just clarity and captivating insights. Here’s just a fraction of what you can expect inside: The spark that ignited a century of conflict: How a royal dispute escalated into Europe's longest war. The revolutionary longbow: ...

The War of the Fourth Coalition saw Napoleon Bonaparte at the peak of his military genius as he dismantled the traditional powers of Europe in a single year. This account follows the Grande Armée from the initial invasion of Saxony to the final, high-stakes negotiations on the Russian border. You will see how Napoleon transitioned from a master of maneuver in the German forests to a commander of endurance in the frozen wastes of Poland. The narrative thrusts you into the chaos of Jena and Auerstedt, where Napoleon Bonaparte and Marshal Davout shattered the reputation of the Prussian army ...

The War of the Second Coalition stands as the definitive turning point where the chaos of the French Revolution transformed into the ordered might of the Napoleonic era. This gripping narrative follows the struggle of a fractured Europe as it gathered its greatest monarchies to crush the rising Republic. From the burning sands of Egypt to the frozen heights of the Alps, the fate of the modern world hung in the balance of a single decade. Experience the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte as he gambles his future on a desperate journey from isolated commander to the master of France. While legendary ...

Discover the “convincingly researched and thoroughly entertaining” (The Wall Street Journal) history of the world’s oldest and most influential fraternity Founded in London in 1717 as a way of binding men in fellowship, Freemasonry proved so addictive that within two decades it had spread...

The legend of Napoleonic invincibility shattered amidst the frozen wastes of the Russian interior. After the catastrophic loss of the Grande Armee, the master of Europe found himself vulnerable for the first time in a decade. This narrative follows the desperate struggle that transformed a retreat into a total collapse of imperial power. Witness the birth of the Sixth Coalition as ancient rivals unite to dismantle the French hegemony. From the secret military reforms of Prussia to the high-stakes diplomacy of the Austrian court, the gears of liberation begin to turn against the Emperor. The...