This ground-breaking book traces the story of castles at war in England and Wales from their introduction by the Normans in the eleventh century until the end of the reign of Henry VIII in the sixteen

"The authors allow medieval man and woman to speak for themselves through selections from past journals, songs, even account books."-- Time

This new volume in the Crowell Medieval Life Series gives a full and authentic picture of daily life in and around that most fascinating of buildings, the medieval castle. While centering their account on Chepstow, a great English fortress whose well-preserved ruins still command the approaches to Wales, Joseph and Frances Gies have ranged widely in space and time, drawing upon...(展开全部)

'A Medieval Castle' examines the development of forts and strongholds from the beginning of the Middle Ages, looking at the motives behind the building of castles and the variety of people needed to make castle life run smoothly.

Isabella arrived in London in 1308, the spirited twelve-year-old daughter of King Philip IV of France. Her marriage to the heir to England’s throne was designed to heal old political wounds between the two countries, and in the years that followed, she would become an important figure, a determined and clever woman whose influence would come to last centuries. But Queen Isabell...(展开全部)

Katinka Jones, the agony aunt for Girls Together magazine, is at a loose end in Swansea and decides to pay a surprise visit to one of the magazine’s regular correspondents, who goes by “Amista”. Arriving at a strange house perched atop a mountain, everything matches the descriptions in the letters; same cat, same views, same dashing widower, Carlyon. But there is a problem – no...(展开全部)

The medieval era is often associated with dynastic struggles, gruesome wars, and the formidable influence of the Church. But what about the everyday experience of the royal subjects and common people? Here, alongside the coronations, diplomatic dealings, and key battles, can be found the fabric of medieval life as it was really lived, in its folk songs, recipes, and local gossi...(展开全部)

Why do some autocratic leaders pursue aggressive or expansionist foreign policies, while others are much more cautious in their use of military force? The first book to focus systematically on the foreign policy of different types of authoritarian regimes, Dictators at War and Peace breaks new ground in our understanding of the international behavior of dictators. Jessica L. P....(展开全部)

Jessica L. P. Weeks is Assistant Professor and Trice Faculty Scholar in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Why do some autocratic leaders pursue aggressive or expansionist foreign policies, while others are much more cautious in their use of military force? The first book to focus systematically on the foreign policy of different types of authoritarian regimes, Dictators at War and Peace breaks new ground in our understanding of the international behavior of dictators. Jessica L. P....(展开全部)