Author

Publication

2011 - Viking, New York, New York (State)

Language

English

Word Count

207,500 words, Guess

Page Count

830 pages

Identifiers

and 2 more
  • Better World Books9780670022731
  • Open LibraryOL25025689M

Classifications

  • DDC940
  • LCCD104 .D28 2011
  • LCCD104 .D28 2012
and 2 more
  • LCCD102 .D385 2012
  • LCCD104.D28 2011

Description

An evocative account of fourteen European kingdoms-their rise, maturity, and eventual disappearance. There is something profoundly romantic about lost civilizations. Europe's past is littered with states and kingdoms, large and small, that are scarcely remembered today, and while their names may be unfamiliar -- Aragon, Etruria, the Kingdom of the Two Burgundies -- their stories should change our mental map of the past. We come across forgotten characters and famous ones -- King Arthur and Macbeth, Napoleon and Queen Victoria, right up to Stalin and Gorbachev -- and discover how faulty memory can be, and how much we can glean from these lost empires. Davies peers through the cracks in the mainstream accounts of modern-day states to dazzle us with extraordinary stories of barely remembered pasts, and of the traces they left behind. This is Norman Davies at his best: sweeping narrative history packed with unexpected insights. Vanished Kingdoms will appeal to all fans of unconventional and thought-provoking history, from readers of Niall Ferguson to Jared Diamond. - Publisher.

Description

Chronicles the history of fourteen lost European kingdoms and what their stories can teach the modern world, providing narrative accounts of the rise and fall of nations ranging from Tolosa to the Soviet Union.

Subjects

Other Editions

  • Vanished kingdoms: the rise and fall of states and nationsViking2011-01-01

Reader Reviews

No reviews yet for this book.

Be the first to share your thoughts!