The history of the Byzantine Empire's last great epoch, and the family that ruled it before the conquest of Constantinople.The 128-year dynasty of the Komneni, from 1057 to 1185, was the last great epoch of Byzantium, when the empire had to fend off Turkish and Norman foes simultaneously. Starting with the extremely able Alexios I, and unable now to count on help from the West, the Komneni played their strategic cards very well. Though the dynasty ended in cruelty a...

"The Stranger in France" by Sir John Carr is a captivating travel narrative that offers readers a glimpse into the author's experiences and observations during his time in France. Carr, a Scottish traveler and writer, provides a detailed account of the social customs, landscapes, and cultural nuances he encountered. His keen eye for detail and engaging prose bring to life the vibrant atmosphere of France, making it an intriguing read for those interested in travel literature and the histor...

A military history of the medieval Catholic order that arose during the Crusades in the Holy Land.The Knights of St John evolved during the Crusades from a monastic order providing hostels for Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. The need to provide armed escorts to the pilgrims began their transformation into a Military Order. Their fervor and discipline made them an elite component of most Crusader armies and Hospitaller Knights (as they were also known) too...

"An excellent book" that takes a new look at the historic clash between the ancient Greeks and Persians ( Army Rumour Service).The Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, in which an Athenian-led Greek force defeated a Persian invasion, is one of the most decisive battles in antiquity, studied for centuries. It is famed as a triumph of the Greek hoplite heavy infantry phalanx against massively superior Persian numbers. But this exciting reassessment of the evidence,...

This WWII history chronicles the courageous but ill-prepared Greek air force from the Battle of Greece to the Battle of El Alamein and beyond.On October 28th, 1940, when Greece was invaded by Mussolini's Italy, the Royal Hellenic Air Force was severely outgunned. Without warning, the RHAF's paltry fleet was pitted against the much larger and more advanced Regia Aeronautica, whose pilots had recently honed their skills in the Spanish Civil War. Though the British Roy...

Journalist John Carr tells the riveting history of Greece's RHNS Averof—an armored cruiser that served in three of the twentieth century's major wars.Built at Livorno in 1910, the 10,000-ton RHNS Averof was the flagship—and largest warship—of the Royal Hellenic Navy until 1951. More than a century after its construction, she is still afloat, one of just three armored cruisers still in existence in the world. Originally intended for the Italian nav...

A biography of the Viking king who sought to Christianize Norway in the Middle Ages—"A seminal and scholarly study that reads with all the inherent narrative storytelling flair of an historical novel" ( Midwest Book Review ).The Vikings and sainthood are not concepts normally found side by side. But Norway's King Olaf II Haraldsson (c. 995-1030) embodied both to an extraordinary degree. As a battle-eager teenager he almost...

In ancient Greece, Sparta was unique in having a dual kingship two kings from different clans, the Agiads and the Eurypontids, reigning simultaneously. The institution was already well-developed by the 8th century BC, when Theopompos of the Eurypontid clan emerges as the first recorded Spartan king. At least fifty-seven men held office as Spartan king between Theopompos and the Agiad Kleomenes III who died in 222 BC. For almost all this period the Spartan kingship was primarily a military ...

The public shall be my confessor.—In the summer of last year, whilst the larger portion of the civilized world was anxiously awaiting the result of our sincere negotiations for a peace, which, alas! the crafty ministers of Napoleon, never intended should be other than mere “romans politiques,” the desire of contemplating a country, and a race of people to me entirely new, induced me to trespass upon their shore. I resolved upon visiting Holland, although in a state of reluctant war with my...

The little tour which gave birth to the following remarks, was takenimmediately after the exchange of the ratifications of a peace,necessary, but not inglorious to my country, after a contestunexampled in its cause, calamity, extension, vicissitudes and glory;amidst a people who, under the influence of a political change,hitherto unparallelled, were to be approached as an order of beings,exhibiting a moral and political form before but little known...

Many books have been written about the life of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, yet there always seem to be corners of his long life that have remained unexplored. In this long look back into his early years, Constantinos Lagos and John Carr uncover hitherto unknown aspects of Philip's life as a Greek prince and his gradual transformation from a mere appendage of the troubled Greek royal family to an enduring pillar of the British monarchy. For the first time, Lagos and Carr delve int...

This WWII history examines the most consequential and hard-fought battle between Greek and Italian forces in Albania.On March 9th, 1941, the Italians launched their Spring Offensive, designed to stem four months of humiliating reverses. Watched by Mussolini himself, the operation's objective was a pair of parallel valleys dominated by the Greek-held Hill 731. The Italian Eighth Corps, part of Geloso's 11th Army, had the task of seizing the heights, spearheaded by 38...