Ludwig II of Bavaria (1864—1886) is more internationally known for his royal palaces than hardly any other regent of the 19th century. They are the symbol of a personal architectural vision which, to this day, fascinates people from all over the world. However, the fame of his palaces has eclipsed other construction activities in the Kingdom of Bavaria: urban developments, hospitals, and schools, theatres and museums, but also factories, railway stations, apartment blocks, churches, and synagogues were created under his regency. This book, for the first time, sheds light on the broad architectural activities in this epoch. Essays and overview illustrations of the building projects of the time provide insights into the diversity of the then building culture and, at the same time, open up a new perspective on the royal palaces.
The reign of Alfonso VII occupied more than a quarter century during which the political landscape of medieval Spain was altered significantly. It was marked by the enhancement of royal administration, an increased papal intervention in the affairs of the peninsular church, and the development of the church's territorial structure. With the publication of The Kingdom of Leon-Castilla Under King Alfonso VII, 1126-1157, Bernard Reilly completes a detailed, three-part history of the largest of the Christian states of the Iberian peninsula from the mid-eleventh through the mid-twelfth century. Like his earlier books on the reigns of Queen Urraca and King Alfonso VI, this will no doubt be an essential resource for all students of European and Spanish history and to anyone investigating the antecedents of Castile's eventual preeminence in Iberian affairs.
'A triumph – a Game of Thrones in the Dark Ages' TOM HOLLAND. The magisterial biography of Oswald Whiteblade, exiled prince of Northumbria, who returned in blood and glory to reclaim his birthright. A charismatic leader, a warrior whose prowess in battle earned him the epithet Whiteblade, an exiled prince who returned to claim his birthright, the inspiration for Tolkein's Aragorn. Oswald of Northumbria was the first great English monarch, yet today this legendary figure is all but forgotten. In this panoramic portrait of Dark Age Britain, archaeologist and biographer Max Adams returns the king in the North to his rightful place in history.
Soldier, statesman, and scholar, Alfred the Great was a fascinating and highly successful king, pushing back the Vikings to command what is now thought of as the heart of England as ruler of Wessex from 871-899. In this, the first major biography of King Alfred since 1902, his life, career and enduring legacy are given a radical new interpretation, putting into question most of our assumptions about this singular monarch. Alfred P. Smyth's portrait of King Alfred rejects the image of a neurotic and invalid king who supposedly remained a pious illiterate until he was almost 40. Instead, we are shown a man of remarkable energy and intelligence who took necessary steps to defend his people from the Norsemen. We see, too, a king who had been a scholar all his life and who used his great knowledge to bolster the powers of his own kingship. Smyth also provides a detailed examination of the much-disputed medieval biography of King Alfred, attributed to the King's tutor, Asser. Alfred Smyth argues that Asser's Life may, in fact, have been a late medieval forgery--a revelation with profound implications for our understanding of the whole of Anglo-Saxon history. Smyth's King Alfred also contains major studies on the writings of this gifted king, on the controversial charters of his reign, and on the origins of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. (Smyth shows this work to have been much more closely connected with the court of King Alfred than previously realized and suggests a new date for the completion of the earliest Alfredian section of the Chronicle.) A monumental and intriguing work of historical scholarship, King Alfred the Great will dramatically change the way we understand this early period of western civilization.
