‘Every time gardens welcomed us, we said to them,Aleppo is our aim and you are merely the route.’Few cities are as ancient and diverse as Aleppo—one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the
Chronicles the history of three major cities in the Levant region--Smyrna, Alexandria, and Beirut--from its golden age in the sixteenth century when different cultures and religions lived together to
This attractively illustrated volume describes the succession of courts and monarchies in France 1789–1830, from the revolutionary period to the fall of Charles X. It shows decisively that the revolution resulted in a stronger monarchy and a larger and more elitist series of courts than had existed previously. The book is based on many years of research in public and private archives throughout Europe. New light is thrown on the nature of the French revolution and on the character and policies of Louis XVI, Napoleon I, Louis XVIII and Charles X, who led their courts through periods of unprecedented formality and splendour.
A Times Literary Supplement Book of the YearToday, Aleppo lies in ruins. Its streets are plunged in darkness; most of its population has fled, its memories ravaged. But this was once a vibrant world c
Levant is a book of cities. It describes three former centers of great wealth, pleasure, and freedom—Smyrna, Alexandria, and Beirut—cities of the Levant region along the eastern coast of
Throughout history rulers have used dress as a form of legitimisation and propaganda. While palaces, pictures and jewels might reflect the choice of a monarch's predecessors or advisers, clothes refle
Louis XIV, King of France and Navarre, dominated his age. In the second half of the seventeenth century, he extended France's frontiers into the Netherlands and Germany, and established colonies in Am
'The ultimate biography of the Sun King, Louis XIV' Simon Sebag MontefioreA TELEGRAPH AND BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEARLouis XIV, King of France and Navarre, dominated his age. In the second half of the seventeenth century, he extended France's frontiers into the Netherlands and Germany, and established colonies in America, Africa and India. Louisiana, which once occupied a third of the territory of the present-day United States, is named after him.Louis was also one of the greatest patrons of European history - Moliere, Racine, Lully, Le Brun, le Notre all worked for him. The stupendous palace he built at Versailles, and its satellites at Marly and Trianon, became the envy of monarchs all over Europe, frequently imitated but never surpassed. In all his palaces, Louis encouraged dancing, hunting, music and gambling.He loved conversation, especially with women: the power of women in Louis's life and reign is a particular theme of this book. Louis was obsessed by the details of g
The Sun King is a dazzling double portrait of Louis XIV and Versailles, the opulent court from which he ruled. With characteristic elan, Nancy Mitford reconstructs the daily life of king and courtiers
Using detailed studies of fifteen exiled royal figures, the role of Exile in European Society and in the evolution of national cultures is examined. From the Jacobite court to the exiled Kings' of Han
This is the tragic story of the short-lived Iraqi monarchy. The first king of Iraq, Faisal I, was installed by the British in 1921. Faisal, who had led the Arab Revolt and fought alongside T.E. Lawren
