Tag: European history
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The Faithful Executioner by Joel Harrington
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Faithful Executioner: Who knew being an executioner for 45 years would be depressing? Quick synopsis: A biography of Frantz Schmidt of Nuremberg who was an executioner for 45 years and executed 394 people. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Executing was a family affair, literally. If you were an executioner,…
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Napoleon by Andrew Roberts
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Napoleon: Such a big life from such a little man. Quick synopsis: A (very) in depth biography of Napoleon Bonaparte. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Napoleon was once set upon by hundreds of rabbits during a hunt and needed to flee in a carriage just to get away. Everything I…
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Isabella by Kirstin Downey
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Isabella: She did more than just tell Columbus to go sailing. Quick synopsis: A complete biography of Isabella I of Castile. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Yes, that Isabella. 1492, Columbus and all that. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Isabella was truly a badass woman both for good and bad.…
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Absolute Monarchs by John Julius Norwich
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Absolute Monarchs: Popes behaving badly. Quick synopsis: It’s about the Pope. All of them. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Pope Stephen VI put Pope Formosus on trial. The catch? Formosus was dead for 7 months. They exhumed him and had him sit there during the trial. It’s called the Cadaver…
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The Last Duel by Eric Jager
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Last Duel: This is why we have lawyers. Quick synopsis: The story of the last trial by combat in France in 1386. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are set to write and act in the movie version of this book. That is all the…
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The Nuns of Sant’Ambrogio by Hubert Wolf
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Nuns of Sant’Ambrogio: Lesbian nuns. Don’t give me a dirty look. It’s literally true. Quick synopsis: It’s 1858 at a convent in Rome. Stuff is about to go down. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Lesbian nuns. Am I appealing to the lowest common denominator? Yes. It’s still true. Fun…
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My Favorite History: Saint Thomas More
Imagine being one of the great philosophers of your age. You serve a king, die a martyr’s death, and are revered by the Catholic Church. However, your greatest contribution to the world is a book you wrote on a lark. And the title is used today to mean the exact opposite of the point you…
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Madame Fourcade’s Secret War by Lynne Olson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Madame Fourcade’s Secret War: Spying sounds exhausting. Quick synopsis: The story of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, the spy master of a massive network in France throughout World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Spying in France during World War II was very often a family affair. Olson notes multiple instances where…
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Battle of the Books: Catherine of Aragon
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Catherine of Aragon: Yes, they all talk about the same woman (Catherine/Katherine). They just spelled it differently. Quick synopsis: Biographies of Catherine of Aragon by Giles Tremlett, Patrick Williams, and Amy Licence. She was the first wife of Henry VIII and yes then it all went wrong. Fun Fact Non-History People…