Walking long distance across a large part of Europe is quite daunting. You tell your friends you’re going to walk from the southeastern-most tip of the UK across France, over the massive range of the Alps and down to Rome and they look at you as though you are crazy. But what would your friends have thought a thousand years ago? Rome must have seemed remote and the journey quite terrifying. Life now is very different from that of the described short, nasty and brutish tenth century. But was it so bad? This book follows two travellers as they set off from Canterbury on their journey to the eternal city of Rome. One is Archbishop Sigeric, who journeyed to Rome in AD 990 to collect the pallium that conferred the Pope’s authority on him, and the other is now in the 21st century, a thousand years later treading in his footprints. Has the road changed much?

Walking long distance across a large part of Europe is quite daunting. You tell your friends you're going to walk from the southeastern-most tip of the UK across France, over the massive range of the Alps and down to Rome and they look at you as though you are crazy. But what would your friends have thought a thousand years ago? Rome must have seemed remote and the journey quite terrifying. Life now is very different from that of the described short, nasty and brutish tenth century. But was it so bad? This book follows two travellers as they set off from Canterbury on their journey to the eternal city of Rome. One is Archbishop Sigeric, who journeyed to Rome in AD 990 to collect the pallium that conferred the Pope's authority on him, and the other is now in the 21st century, a thousand years later treading in his footprints. Has the road changed much?

Where did the story that ended with the great Edwardian castles of north Wales begin? How was it that hundreds of men from Savoy built castles in north Wales? Whose stylised statue sits outside the Savoy Hotel in London on the site of his former palace? Whose castle of Pevensey endured successfully the longest English siege? Why does much of Switzerland speak French to this day? Why do we find elements of the Magna Carta in the Statutes of Savoy? Who was one of the greatest figures of the thirteenth century? Peter of Savoy, known to chroniclers of his homeland as The Little Charlemagne. Peter of Savoy came to England as the uncle of Queen Alianor de Provence, the consort of King Henry III. He quickly found favour as one of Henry’s closest advisers and noblemen. Peter was in effect Queen Alianor’s right-hand man in England, her protector, and subsequently the protector of Lord Edward, the future King Edward I. He played a key role in Henry’s military and diplomatic efforts to recover his ancestral lands in France which culminated in the 1259 Treaty of Paris. This rapprochement between the Capetians and Plantagenets might have warded off the Hundred Years War, but it was not to be. Nonetheless, the nineteenth-century monks of Savoy thought it his greatest accomplishment. Peter played a key role in the Second Baronial War which engulfed Henry’s reign, at first siding with Simon de Montfort but then changing sides as the reform movement veered toward xenophobia. Returning to Savoy he laid the foundations for the County of Savoy to become a powerful Duchy which in turn almost became a country before it was dismembered by Switzerland, Italy and France. His historical reputation suffered at the hands of English chroniclers keen to eulogise the Montfortian regime. This work is an attempt to discover the real Peter of Savoy.

From wool and leather to silks, spices and gems, a fascinating journey through early international trade.

The essays in this volume in honour of Martin Brett address issues relating to the compilation and transmission of canon law collections, the role of bishops in their dissemination, as well as the interpretation and use of law in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The studies are grouped thematically under the headings 'Bishops and Their Texts', and 'Texts and the Use of Canon Law'. These reflect important areas of contention in the historiographical literature and hence will further the debates regarding not simply the compilation and dissemination of canonical collections in the earlier middle ages, but also the development of the practical application of canon law within Europe, especially after c.1080. Individually, the contributors offer new viewpoints on key issues and questions relating to the creation of canonical texts, their transmission and use on both sides of the English Channel in the decades either side of the year 1100. Collectively, the essays explore the methods and motives of compilers, assess the use of law, find readers both in the compilation of texts and within their margins, and - perhaps most importantly - speculate where possible about the living communities in which these texts were compiled, copied and used.

From prehistory to the present day, take a grand tour of world events at eye-level perspective with accounts that combine knowledgeable commentary with practical detail. You may even be inspired to lace up your own boots! From geologic upheavals and mad kings to trade routes and saints' ways, this book relates the tales behind the top 500 walks that have shaped our society. It's easy to imagine travelling back in time as you read about convicts and conquistadors, silk traders and Buddhists who have hiked along routes for purposes as varied as the terrain they covered.

Amid the carnage of the 100 Years War – the bloodiest conflict in medieval history – a young English archer confronts his destiny... England, 1346: For Thomas Blackstone the choice is easy – dance on the end of a rope for a murder he did not commit, or take up his war bow and join the king's invasion. As he fights his way across northern France, Blackstone learns the brutal lessons of war – from the terror and confusion of his first taste of combat, to the savage realities of siege warfare. Blackstone will brave the terrors of the High Alps in winter, face the Black Prince in tournament, confront the bloody anarchy of a popular revolt and emerge from the Battle of Crécy as a knight. He may yet defy death but he can't defy his destiny: Master of War. Collected in a single volume for the first time, the first three novels in the epic Master of War series, comprising of: Master of War Defiant unto Death Gate of the Dead.

PRE-ORDER THE NEW MASTER OF WAR NOVEL BY DAVID GILMAN, TO KILL A KING – COMING IN FEBRUARY 2024 'A gripping chronicle of pitched battle, treachery and cruelty' Robert Fabbri Tuscany, 1358: Thomas Blackstone has built a formidable reputation in exile, fighting as a mercenary amid the ceaseless internecine warring of Italy's City States. But success has bred many enemies, and when a dying man delivers a message recalling him to England, it seems almost certain to be a trap. Yet Blackstone cannot disobey – the summons is at the Queen's demand. On his journey, Blackstone will brave the terrors of the High Alps in winter, face the Black Prince in tournament, confront the bloody anarchy of a popular revolt and submit to trial by combat. And every step of the way, he will be shadowed by a notorious assassin with orders to despatch him to Hell.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, in co-operation with the European Association of Historic Towns and Regions and the City of Norwich, organised the European Symposium on "Heritage for the future - Realising the economic and social potential of a key asset", which was held in Norwich (United Kingdom) on 9 - 10 September 2004.This publication contains the main statements and representations of the symposium. The event was attended by over 100 participants from across Europe, who shared their experiences relating to the heritage of European towns.The symposium included discussions on the economic and social importance of cultural heritage, mechanisms to facilitate the protection and enhancement of heritage, enhancing the potential of cultural routes, cultural heritage and technology and improving co-operation between international organisations and the public

For a long time, the Norman Conquest has been viewed as a turning point in English history; an event which transformed English identity, sovereignty, kingship, and culture. The years between 1066 and 1086 saw the largest transfer of property ever seen in English History, comparable in scale, if not greater, than the revolutions in France in 1789 and Russia in 1917. This transfer and the means to achieve it had a profound effect upon the English and Welsh landscape, an impact that is clearly visible almost 1,000 years afterwards. Although there have been numerous books examining different aspects of the British landscape, this is the first to look specifically at the way in which the Normans shaped our towns and countryside. The castles, abbeys, churches and cathedrals built in the new Norman Romanesque style after 1066 represent the most obvious legacy of what was effectively a colonial take-over of England. Such phenomena furnished a broader landscape that was fashioned to intimidate and demonstrate the Norman dominance of towns and villages. The devastation that followed the Conquest, characterised by the ‘Harrying of the North’, had a long-term impact in the form of new planned settlements and agriculture. The imposition of Forest Laws, restricting hunting to the Norman king and the establishment of a military landscape in areas such as the Welsh Marches, had a similar impact on the countryside.