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Under the leadership of Genghis Khan, a confederation of nomadic farmers transformed into a powerful military force. This text demonstrations how an aggressive empire could have been established from such agrarian roots, inviting the reader to follow the rise of the Mongol Empire from its founding through its expansion into the Golden Horde in the West under the leadership of Batu and his successors and the Yuan Dynasty in the East under Kublai Khan....
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A bit of a misnomer, the Holy Roman Empire was never centralized enough to form a cohesive government, language, or system of law, but its political and religious authority reigned over parts of Europe for over a thousand years. Beginning with the papal crowning of Charlemagne in 800 A.D., its transition in the tenth century under Germanic rule through to the House of Hapsburg, and on to its subsequent division via Napoleon Bonaparte, this dramatic...
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Throughout the Middle Ages, various empires reigned across Europe and Asia; a closer look at these empires proves their enduring impact on the world. The Byzantine Empire lasted for more than one thousand years and was one of the world's leading civilizations until its decline in the eleventh century C.E. In this insightful, straightforward text, readers will be led through the rise, the golden age, and the fall of the empire, including the creation...
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In the slightly more than two centuries since the dawn of the nineteenth century, Russia has undergone sweeping changes several times over. Readers will learn about the tension between reform and autocracy that marked the nineteenth century, World War I and the fall of the last tsar, and the rise of the USSR. They will examine the USSR's time as a twentieth-century superpower, the fall of communism, and Russia's current power plays for global influence....
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To truly understand today's Russia, it is important to look back through the centuries to the figures, events, and neighboring cultures that have shaped it into what it is today. Starting with the rise of the Rus in the first millennium, this book traces the first thousand or so years of Russian history. The rise and fall of Kiev as the Rus center, the Novgorod Republic, the Mongol Invasion, the rise of first Rurikid and then Romanov Muscovy, and...
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Though current events have brought Russia into the spotlight of late, many Americans still have only the haziest notion of Russian culture. This wide-ranging reference introduces the peoples, languages, and religions of Russia and also delves into such facets of Russian culture as sports, the media, holidays, traditional foods, and education. Chapters devoted to architecture, the visual arts, literature, and the performing arts highlight the best...
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For approximately six hundred years after the death of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, the Muslim community formed a cohesive state called the Caliphate. This book follows the four distinct Caliphates (Rightly Guided, Umayyad, 'Abbasid, and Fatimid) through their periods of leadership, to the state's prolonged downfall at the hands of the Seljuqs and the Crusaders, and its ultimate defeat by the Ottoman Empire. This text includes a focus on contributions...
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One of the most powerful and recognizable empires to emerge from the Middle Ages is that of the Ottoman Turks. At its height, the Ottoman Empire controlled much of the Middle East and all of its trade routes, Asia Minor, parts of Europe, and all of North Africa through Algeria. This text follows the empire from its basis in the dynasty created by Othman in the early fourteenth century through its golden age under the leadership of three consecutive...
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Russia is a vast country, as well as the world's largest nation by far. Readers of this volume will learn about the country's varied landscape, lakes and rivers, climate, and environmental zones. Russia's natural resources and the impact these have had on the country's settlement patterns are also discussed. Moscow is the focus of one chapter, while another celebrates Russia's many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Maps, charts, and sidebars provide extra...
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There was a time when every voyage contained an element of the unknown. Today, however, the world spreads out before us carefully mapped and plotted. One must credit explorers with this transformation. Readers will devour these tales of explorers who have pushed geographic and personal boundaries, leaving virtually no corner of the globe off limits.
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The Middle Ages were marked by economic and territorial expansion, demographic and urban growth, the emergence of national identity, and the restructuring of secular and ecclesiastical institutions. Readers will learn about the great achievements of the ninth through twelfth centuries, a time when people were often categorized into three orders: those who fight, those who pray, and those who labor. Other notable events and phenomena examined in this...
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Although once regarded as a time of uninterrupted ignorance, superstition, and social oppression, the Middle Ages are now understood as a dynamic period during which the idea of Europe as a distinct cultural unit emerged. This title dives into late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, a time when political, social, economic, and cultural structures were profoundly reorganized. As Roman imperial traditions gave way to those of the Germanic peoples...
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The Islamic world has a rich artistic tradition, with particular strengths in calligraphy, illuminated manuscripts, architecture, and the decorative arts. This reference traces the development of Islamic art and architecture from the Umayyad dynasty to the present day. Readers will learn about the art of the Fatimids, Seljuqs, Mamluks, Mongols, Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals, and more. Eye-catching photos of gorgeous mosques, delicate manuscript paintings,...
14) The Crusades
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Many modern-day readers would consider Christians a peaceful people, but their history is steeped in war and bloodshed. This book focuses on a series of military campaigns known as the Crusades, during which Christian warriors attempted to regain the Holy Land (Palestine) from Muslim rule. This inclusive text begins with the origins of these campaigns, with reference to the Selijuq Turks' defeat of the Byzantine armies and Pope Urban II's Council...
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The sixteenth century in Europe was a period of vigorous economic expansion that led to social, political, religious, and cultural transformations and established the early modern age. This resource explores the emergence of monarchial nation-states and early Western capitalism during this period. Also examined in depth are the Protestant Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, which exacerbated tensions between states and contributed to the Thirty...
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The modern period of history is often considered to have begun with the Renaissance, one of the rare periods of genius in the world's history. This volume traces the Renaissance from its beginnings in Italy in the fourteenth century to its spread across the rest of Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Along with the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman writing, the Renaissance represented a new age in the fields of science, literature,...
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Beginning in the twelfth century, the migration of various Turkic peoples over a four-century period greatly influenced the political and cultural organization of the Islamic world. This title assesses various factors-including the Mongol incursions and the Crusades-during the period of expansion and renewal leading up to Ottoman rule. Also covered are the impacts of colonialism, decolonization, and globalization on Islamic societies. This in-depth,...
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Written in various languages, on multiple continents, and over many centuries, Islamic literature encompasses a rich and varied body of texts. While mention is made of key historical and religious works, this volume focuses on poetry and literary prose, whether popular or courtly in inspiration. Topics covered include dominant genres, recurring patterns in imagery, the influence of pre-Islamic Arabian literature, and the periods of development that...
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Amidst growing concerns about radical religious terrorism and general misinformation about the Islamic faith, this authoritative, academic guide reveals the rich historical development and core theological teachings of the world's second-largest religion. By covering Islam's philosophical development in detail alongside biographical treatments of several key thinkers, this title unveils the beliefs of an oft-misunderstood religion. Through an in-depth...
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Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 8.7 - AR Pts: 1
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Modern medicine was no accident, except when it was. The history of medical innovation, which spans centuries, is filled with killer diseases, scientific inquiry, accidental discoveries, and brilliant machines. Readers will embark on a journey across time from Ancient Egypt to the twenty-first century, and learn about the creative mistakes and ingenious solutions physicians, scientists, and regular people devised to explore and heal the human body....
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