An interesting account of the other Norman Conquest in Southern ...
922741
An interesting account of the other Norman Conquest in Southern Italy and Sicily. I first became interested in the Normans in the First Crusade, but could find out little about where their last stop had been. This crowd left home base even earlier than William had left for England. Now, if I could just find out more about Rollo, the first to set up shop in Normandy.
2252118
A very well done novel.  An interesting viewpoint  of Hastings and the coming of William the Conquerer. The women of this period form the basis for this novel and provide a very clear description of this period in terms of social positions .
1321522
This book is an interesting read containing first hand accounts of the sacking of Osceola.  There are some views that appear to be slanted, but much hard evidence is presented that the Civil War could have been less devastating had it been managed better through Lincoln's decisions.  The early history of the area is worth reading.
1482283
Southern Storm provides a detailed account of General Sherman's march through Georgia and the military and political implications of this military feat.  It is amazing to consider that an army set out with little supplies, no communications to its home base and into a hostile territory with the intent to live off the land and defeat the populace so they are forced to rejoin the Union.  This book details the movement of Sherman's two wings (often acting independently) with the various outlying guards in the form of cavalry and artillery.  The southern resistance was almost non existence due to the errors in organization leaving several regional commanders that did not have to respond to the centralized authority. The shinning grace came in the form of Bedford Forrest's cavalry who harassed many supply lines but ultimately was not going to turn the tide of the war.  The book is filled with sweeping historical pictures, as well as, intimate vignettes into the lives of daily soldiers, civilians hiding their valuables, and military leaders as the armies of Sherman swept across the land.  For those who are looking for an account of this story you cannot do much better. Without fanfare or hyperbole this provides an excellent account of not only the victories of Sherman's armies but the realities of the destruction that was wrought as they moved throughout the South.  Whether you are a beginner or an expert you cannot go wrong with this one.
1805440
Mr Craney has done a fine job in bringing to life a relatively unknown episode of history, the Albigensian Crusade of the 13th century. Although it is largely about the experiences of the protagonist, Esclarmonde de Foix, a Cathar viscountess, and her love for Guilhelm, a Templar knight, the background is always the fearful ordeal of her people, the Cathars. This crusade was the cruelest of all and the only one against fellow Christians. One of the reviewers decries the gore and horror that the author describes, yet that is what the war was like. I found the description of the siege of Montsegur and the death of Esclarmonde very moving. It is difficult for us to understand the mindset of people in mediaeval Europe but the author does a good job. It is an absorbing, if sad, story.
3460870
Fascinating account of the early Christian Church before and after the Roman Conquest and later. A must read for all those who are interested in the history of the early Christians in Britain. History is written by the conquerors, but this book provides evidence that all was not quite as stated by the Roman Catholic Church as regards the "pagans" in the British Isles.
1707837
Excellent historical account about a medieval king who was a turning point in England's history. Superbly researched and written. I enjoy Mr. Mortimer's books. Gave me a whole new view of the "usurper" king, Henry of Bolingbroke. Made him very human and alive for me, great characterization.
1137976
Not your usual romance tale. There are no flowery words here. Rolfe the Relentless rides into Ceidre's life like the Norman conqueror that he is. I did find some of this rather hard to believe... ...The ending of the book is just as off-key as the rest, although, quite frankly, probably more along the lines of what really could have happened in that time period. A decent read, it is more along the lines of "The Wolf and the Dove", conqueror and vanquished finding love in the face of unbelievable adversity and against all odds.
1739945
This book gives a good picture of the logistics involved in these campaigns down to figures on tons of animal fesces produced. Lots of stats on type of armaments,equipment,boats used,type of horses(which were considerably smaller than alot of todays),a real nuts and bolts book but easy to read. What interested me was the breakdown of the fighting units in the armies. It seemed the "housecarls" were the retained hardcore weapons people whereas the "fyrd" was poorly equipped and probably of questionable loyalty to either side. After all,this was centuries before the nation/state where soldiers had a direct stake in winning or losing. At Hastings probably the levied(drafted/forced) saw a victory by either side as a mild change in benefits or oppression. The Norman army definitely was better prepared and had some new warfare techniques learned and proved true on the continent like a new use for cavalry and archers. The guys running around with little to no defensive equipment on in the Bayouex tapestry make sense now. They're probably depicted that way because they had no equipment,and no stake in the outcome : No wonder they're running like the dickens,not cowards-just smart!
362611
Sir Ivon de Clairpont is a Norman knight with holdings of his own and comes to England as part of a large escort to Alfred Atheling. Suspecting treachery, Earl Godwinson and his men attack the group and slaughter Alfred and most of the knights, although some are spared and sold into slavery. One of those is Sir Ivon, who is bought as a thrall by Eric Olafson and taken to his lands in the north. Ivon always dreams of retuning to his holdings in Normandy, but after several escape attempts Ivon is finally crippled in the foot and unable to try again, and must accept his lot in life as a thrall.

Ivon is married to another thrall Gunnar and the story eventually picks up again in 1065 with the story of Ivon's grandson in 1065, Ivon Oddeyes (a de Clairpont trait to have two different eye colors). After the battle of Hastings, Williams tires of the revolts in the north and sends his knights in to destroy all sources of rebellion with what has come to be known as the  Harrying (or Harrowing) of the North. All males over the age of ten are murdered, homes burned and crops destroyed. With no food and no homes, the women and children of Eric's Dale head for York, but the harsh winter conditions and lack of food hamper their journey, leading some to take drastic measures to survive, and the memories of what the Norman knights did haunt Ivon Oddeyes for the rest of his life. Ten year old Ivon is taken in by monks, but his hatred for the Normans who destroyed his home and family is never lost, nor is his desire to be a free man, as his grandfather once was and he keeps a handle from a knife carrying the device of bridges (hence the Bridges over Time name of the series) from his grandfather and that device and the story of his free birth is passed down to subsequent generations. Ivon impresses a Norman lord and as a reward he is given his own land to serve as a villein, a tenant farmer and owned by the land, although it was not quite what Ivon expected, he did not understand that villeins were tied to the land and not free.

The rest of the story follows Ivon Oddeyes and two subsequent generations of his family as Anand lets the reader see how the lesser folk deal with the wars of the lords and kings, including the Civil War between Stephen and Maude. Anand's writing is beautiful, but while the Harrying of the North and the destruction caused to the land and the villeins during the Civil War were terrifying, the rest of the book is a bit slow paced at times, and perhaps not for all readers. You're not going to see much of kings, knights, lords and ladies or battles, this book is about the lives of those who didn't rule and really didn't care who ruled as long as there was peace. For those interested in getting a look at the other side of the coin in medieval England this book and the subsequent books in the series might be of interest.

The series in order,

The Proud Villeins
The Ruthless Yeomen
Women of Ashdon
The Faithful Lovers
The Cherished Wives
The Dowerless Sisters

Some are a bit spendy on the used market, but I'm going to give my library's ILL program a whirl and see how lucky I am. This one came from a Benedictine Abbey outside of Salem Oregon. 4/5 stars.
196421
Being from the American Southwest, and more specifically, the area that this history took place, I thoroughly enjoyed the written account of the events described in the book.  It is interesting to read the perception of the author about the towns and people.
2860104
The author find some interesting consistencies among the soldiers fighting against the allies in Normandie such as their belief that they would win until a certain  point ; their astonishment at the  number resources the Allies had.  It it was a very interesting book and I enjoyed reading it.
1728955
I am interested in the time of the Plantagenets.  Within that period, the most interesting figure to me is The Marshall.  This account of The Marshall's life, told from the perspective of a beloved servant, tells a great tale with many interesting historical details.  But be forewarned, this is not the best written book.  Worse, the proofreading seems to be entirely missing, and the author struggles with verb tenses in their simplest forms.  But I can overlook a few flaws and enjoy this author for his freshness and sincerity. .
2832966
Much more illuminating than previous partial accounts of the role of Basques in the Spanish empire.
1085181
As a resident of the Gower Peninsula, Ive really enjoyed Ann Marie Thomass colourful and insightful accounts of the areas troubled history.  The sequel (or prequel) to Ms Thomass previous book  Alina: the White Lady of Oystermouth , Broken Reed tells of Alinas ancestor William de Breos and his turbulent friendship with King John (he of the Magna Carta).  Ms Thomass conversational style and attention to detail make for an easy, interesting and informative read, while the extensive bibliography and endnotes provide ample resources for further exploration.
5934
Most people with any interest in the Vikings have heard of Ibn Fadlan, the Arab traveler who famously witnessed the funeral of a Rus chieftain during a Diplomatic visit to the Bulgars. This short but evocative (and provocative) account was repeated in Michael Crichtons rather silly novel "Eaters of the Dead", and then again (in more fanciful form) in the even sillier film 13th Warrior.

Some are also familiar with some other fragments, such as a more sympathetic account of some Vikings in the trading town of Hedeby. Well, it turns out there are quite a few of these little fragments, almost all of which are collected in this book "Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness", along with other equally interesting accounts of travels by Muslim merchants and diplomats in Northern Europe and Western Central-Asia, among such interesting characters as the Slavs, the mysterious and evocative Khazars (the Worlds only ever Empire of Jewish Turks), the Bulgars, the Magyars, Norsemen and Saxons.

Among other things I found interesting it includes the first ever (early 10th Century) account of Prague at a time when I thnk it was still pagan, (described as a prosperous stone city with very cheap provisions and good quality trade goods) a 10th Century description of Mainz (in which they mention the markets included cloves and ginger from the East Indies) and a first hand account of the then Danish town of Schleswig in which the locals are described as wearing eye-makeup, as well as trips into the far north (the land of darkness) and descriptions of ice skating and dog sleds and other exotica.

Maybe the most gripping part was a short but by far the most epic account of a (Rus) Viking raid that I've ever read. A very vivid and evocative description of a large 'Rus' invasion and their capture and subsequent abandonment of a large Muslim town in the coast of the Caspian Sea, which virtually demands to be made into a movie.

Most of the accounts are from the 9th-10th Centuries, and almost all from Arab, Moorish (in one case Moorish-Jewish), Turkish or Persian authors, with a couple of short excerpts from the Russian Primary Chronicle and Marco Polo thrown in for variety.

If you have any interest in the Vikings or in this early period of Medieval history, this is a must-read in my opinion.
3019428
I've enjoyed Mel Starr's work before, this is the next in the series about a bailiff and doctor in late middle ages, after the Norman Invasion of England when kings fought constantly across land and water.  This book takes place mostly during a battle in Western France, away from our hero's home near Cambridge.  A few reviewers didn't care for the displacement but I found the history interesting, I mean, what did these various men of various skills do when called by their king to go to war?