Böcker av Jeremy Black

A sweeping history of nations grappling for control of a continent

Englishness is an idea, a consciousness and a proto-nationalism. There is no English state within the United Kingdom, no English passport, Parliament or currency, nor any immediate prospect of any. That does not mean that England lacks an identity, although English nationalism, or at least a distinctive nationalism, has been partly forced upon the English by the development in the British Isles of strident nationalisms that have contested Britishness, and with much success. So what is happening to the United Kingdom, and, within that, to England? Jeremy Black looks to the past in order to understand the historical identity of England, and what it means for English nationalism today, in a post-Brexit world. The extent to which English nationalism has a "deep history" is a matter of controversy, although he seeks to demonstrate that it exists, from 'the Old English State' onwards, predating the Norman invasion. He also questions whether the standard modern critique of politically partisan, or un-British, Englishness as "extreme" is merited? Indeed, is hostility to "England," whatever that is supposed to mean, the principal driver of resurgent English nationalism? The Brexit referendum of 2016 appeared to have cancelled out Scottish and other nationalisms as an issue, but, in practice, it made Englishness a topic of particular interest and urgency, as set out in this short history of its origins and evolution.

Tracing the development of the University of Exeter over the six decadessince it was granted its royal charter in 1955, this book tells the historyof the institution and its community. Includes interviews with leading university figures, contributions from former students, and a postscript looking to the future.

A concise and very readable history of what we know today as Italy, from prehistory right up to the present day.

Sumer was the first literary culture in the history of the world, as early as 2500 BC. Dr Black explroes how we can "read" this oldest poetry today. His account is structured around the the narrative poem that treats the hero Lugalbanda and his enounter with a monstrous bird.

Fortifications and Siegecraft explores the global history of fortifications and the threats posed to them by siegecraft. Tracing the interaction of attack and defense over time, Black situates fortifications within their broader cultural and political context, showing their ongoing importance to military and social interaction in the world today.

A comprehensive and wide-ranging account of the historical atlas. It explores the role, development and nature of this important reference tool and discusses its impact on the presentation of the past.

This best-selling guide will help you get to grips with the larger themes and issues behind historical study, while also showing you how to formulate your own ideas in a clear, analytical style.

This book tells the story of a group of islands, their peoples, and their remarkable impact on the rest of the world. Concise and authoritative, it provides a balanced and absorbing narrative of an extraordinary shared past, with equal attention paid to England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. This new edition brings the story up to the present day, and pays greater attention to social developments

From the vantage point of the 21st century, this short history looks back to the age of extremes. Jeremy Black goes beyond the two world wars to focus on the great themes of the 20th century: the crisis of the earth's environment, religion, fundamentalism and politics.

Political decisions are never taken in a vacuum but are shaped both by current events and historical context. Working forward from the later seventeenth century, this book explores the 'deep history' of the changing and competing understandings within the Tory party of the role Britain has aspired to play on a world stage.

Placing eighteenth-century warfare in a truly global context, Jeremy Black challenges conventional accounts and offers a reappraisal of debates in Western and Asian history. This concise, up-to-date survey assumes little prior knowledge and provides cutting-edge historical insights into a crucial period of world history.

Jeremy Black considers how the ocean affected British exploration, defence, trade, commerce and the role of the navy, as well as the attitudes and perceptions of the British people themselves.

Taking issue with traditional military historians, Black argues persuasively that strategy was as much political as battlefield tactics and that plotting power did not always involve outright warfare but global considerations of alliance building, trade agreements, and intimidation.

Takes the analysis of modern warfare into the twentieth century. Beginning with the British conquest of Egypt in 1882, this book goes on to examine the Spanish-American War of 1898, the Boer War and the Balkan conflicts leading to world war in 1914.

A wide-ranging and comprehensive survey of warfare from the outbreak of the American War of Independence to the British conquest of Egypt. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, it offers an account of civil and international conflicts involving Western powers, integrating both naval and land warfare.

In this up-to-date account of European warfare since 1815, important treatments of major conflicts - especially World Wars I and II - are combined with insightful analyses of military developments and of their wider political and social contexts.

This is a history of warfare, wars and the armed forces of Europe from the military revolution of the mid-17th century to the Napoleonic wars.

War was a central theme in the world history of the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with military capability and activity central to its states, societies, economies and cultures.