Vanished kingdoms : the rise and fall of states and nations

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. 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. About the Author Norman Davies is a supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, Fellow of the British Academy and of the Royal Historical Society, and Professor Emeritus at London University. His books include Europe: A History (a New York Times Notable Book), The Isles: A History , and the definitive history of Poland, God鈥檚 Playground . History; bought-and-paid-for; Non-Fiction 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. Tolosa : Soujourn Of The Visigoths (ad 418-507) -- Alt Clud : Kingdom Of The Rock (fifth To Twelfth Centuries) -- Burgundia : Five, Six, Or Seven Kingdoms (c. 411-1795) -- Aragon : A Mediterranean Empire (1137-1714) -- Litva : A Grand Duchy With Kings (1253-1795) -- Byzantion : The Star-lit Golden Bough (330-1453) -- Borussia : Watery Land Of The Prusai (1230-1945) -- Sabaudia : The House That Humbert Built (1033-1946) -- Galicia : Kingdom Of The Naked And Starving (1773-1918) -- Etruria : French Snake In The Tuscan Grass (1801-14) -- Rosenau : The Loved And Unwonted Legacy (1826-1918) -- Tsernagora : Kingdom Of The Black Mountain (1910-1918) -- Rusyn : The Republic Of One Day (15 March 1939) -- Éire : The Unconscionable Tempo Of The Crown's Retreat (1916-2011) -- Cccp : The Ultimate Vanishing Act (1924-1991) -- How States Die. Norman Davies. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "While Germany, Italy, France, and England dominate our conceptions of Europe, these modern states are relatively recent constructs. In this brilliant work of historical reconstruction, Norman Davies brings back to life the long-forgotten empire of Aragon, which once controlled the Western Mediterranean; the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, once the largest country in Europe, and the Kingdom of the Rock, founded by ancient Britons when neither England nor Scotland existed. In the tradition of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel, Davies subverts our established view of the past and urges us to reconsider the impetus for the rise and fall of nations"--From the publisher