Courtly love is a medieval literary concept of love emphasizing nobility and chivalry. Stories of noble knights riding off on adventure for the love of a fair lady abound in the Middle Ages. "Love and Romance in the Middle Ages" captures the stories of courtly love, noble knights and fair maidens. Read the romantic love story of Tristan and Iseult, the romantic poems of Marie de France, The legend of King Arthur and Tannhauser.Love and Romance in the Middle Ages contains:Th...

Gilles de Rais, an esteemed knight and the Marshall of France, who fought alongside Joan of Arc. Then he turned to the occult and tried to deal with the devil. Gilles isn’t remembered as a hero of France, instead he is remembered as a gruesome child murderer.Gilles de Rais would stop at nothing to keep his wealth and gain more. He tried Alchemy to turn matter into gold, which lead to sorcery and summoning demons. Through it all he was a vile child killer, who killed so many childre...

You've seen the award winning television show now read the history behind Pope Alexander VI, Lucretia and Cesare Borgias. The Borgias became prominent in ecclesiastical and political affairs in the 15th century. Today they are remembered for their corrupt rule, and the name Borgias has become a synonym for nepotism and treachery.The Borgias Collection contains the following three books:The Borgias by Alexandre DumasThere are dreadful -- perhaps scurrilous -- rumors ...

Jacques de Molay the 23rd and final Grand Master of The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, better know as The Knights Templar.The Knights Templar formed in 1119 and quickly rose in power and wealth. With help from the church they were able to amass a fortune in money and property. They were fierce warriors of God that set out to protect the Holy Land and Christian pilgrims.Lead by Jacques de Molay in the late 13th Century the Knights Templar were the ...

The city of Haarlem, Netherlands, has set a huge prize to the person who can grow a black tulip, sparking competition between the country's best gardeners to win the money, honour and fame. Only the city's oldest citizens remember the Tulip Mania thirty years prior, and the citizens throw themselves into the competition. The young and bourgeois Cornelius van Baerle has almost succeeded but is suddenly thrown into the Loevestein prison. There he meets the prison guard's beautiful daughter R...

Jacob Abbott’s series of biographies of prominent historical figures, Makers of History, includes one of the world’s most inspiring figures: Alexander the Great. Abbott pens the story of Alexander III, who became the king of Macedonia – an ancient Greek kingdom – at the age of 19 and died a mere 13 years after. Known as Alexander the Great for his conquests across the world, the Macedonian king was also excessive in his lifestyle, which was probably why his resounding success didn’t stay l...

Take a tour with the author round a courtly palace and see what the kitchens, the bakery, the laundry, the bedrooms, the gardens and the privvies were like. Everything you could wish to know is here, as the book describes the different lifestyles of the court, and the people who served them.

Twenty Years After (1845), the sequel to The Three Musketeers, is a supreme creation of suspense and heroic adventure.Two decades have passed since the musketeers triumphed over Cardinal Richelieu and Milady. Time has weakened their resolve, and dispersed their loyalties. But treasons and stratagems still cry out for justice: civil war endangers the throne of France, while in England Cromwell threatens to send Charles I to the scaffold. Dumas brings his immortal quartet out of retir...

A sweeping tale of loyalty, intrigue, and hidden identity, The Man in the Iron Mask is one of Alexandre Dumas's most gripping historical adventures. Set amid the splendor and political tension of 17th-century France, this dramatic novel brings the legendary Musketeers together for one final, unforgettable mission. At the heart of the story lies a dark and tantalizing secret: a mysterious prisoner, held in isolation and forced to wear an iron mask that conceals his face and his identity. Ru...

The most handsome man of his era… yet also the most feared...Cesare Borgia was the most infamous member of history’s original crime family – the Borgias. Son of the scandalous Pope Alexander VI, and brother to the notorious Lucrezia Borgia, he rose above them all to become an icon of power. At the age of twenty-four, he was an accomplished murderer, at twenty-seven he had conquered most of Italy, and by thirty-one he lay dead on the battlefield. Described by some as ‘a rebel agains...

Francis Barrett (born probably in London circa 1770-1780) was an English occultist. Barrett claimed himself to be a student of chemistry, metaphysics, and natural occult philosophy. He was known to be an extreme eccentric who gave lessons in the magical arts in his apartment and fastidiously translated Kabbalistic and other ancient texts into English. He was very enthusiastic about reviving interest in the occult arts, and published a magical textbook called The Magus. Few people, even tod...

Bestselling historian and broadcaster Tom Holland gives a thrilling panoramic account of the birth of the new Western Europe in the year 1000'An exhilarating sweep across European history either side of the year 1000; riveting' ALLAN MASSIE, SPECTATOR'I relished the blood and thunder narrative - the work of a great storyteller at his best' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, EVENING STANDARD'A splendid, h...