Discover the Best Sellers Audiobooks in History, European

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Title: The Jesuits

Subtitle: The History and Legacy of the Catholic Church's Society of Jesus

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Scott Clem

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

The Middle Ages remains one of the most defining eras of human civilization. It is an era characterized by illustrious monarchs, valiant knights in shining armor, and magnificent Gothic architecture. It is also an era characterized by fervent friction, brutish barbarism, frequent famines, pestilent plagues, and of course, death. Some say the mortality rate in medieval times was like no other; with about a third of all children dying before the age of five, it was nearly miraculous for one to live past their 40s.

As a result, medieval people spent their entire lives preparing for the inevitability of death and the afterlife, hoping to one day make their way into the kingdom of heaven. The Catholic Church did little to alleviate the fear of hell, a common theme in the sermons delivered by stern priests across Europe. The only surefire way into heaven, they preached, was for one to pledge their undying love and support to God, with extra points available for the sums and contributions one was willing to gift to the church.

Of all of the important Catholic men and women who have been venerated over the last 2,000 years, one of the faith's most popular and influential men also lived one of the most unique lives. Like Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) found God about as far away from church as possible; it was during military service that he underwent a remarkable conversion. A Spanish knight who hailed from a noble Basque family, Ignatius seemed destined for military glory until he was badly wounded in 1521 during the Battle of Pamplona. While convalescing, Ignatius began reading De Vita Christi by Ludolph of Saxony, after which he began a tireless career in service of the Catholic Church.

After spending several years studying the faith, Ignatius formed the Society of Jesus in 1539, and as its Superior General, he sent followers as missionaries across Europe to create schools, colleges, and seminaries. On September 27, 1540, Pope Paul issued a Papal Bull recognizing the church's newest religious order not as the Company of Jesus but as the Society of Jesus.

The one thing that is clear is that neither Pope Paul, nor Ignatius, ever intended for members of the order to be known as the Jesuits. This term was initially given to them by their critics and was a derogatory term applied to those who spent too much time, in the opinion of those coining the phrase, speaking of Jesus in their conversations. It was only years later that the term became a popular and acceptable nickname for the Society of Jesus, and the Jesuits remain active across the world nearly 500 years later.

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Title: A Short History of England

Author: Simon Jenkins

Narrator: Simon Jenkins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-01-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Which battle was fought 'For England, Harry and St George'? Who demanded to be painted 'warts and all'? What - and when - was the Battle of the Bulge?

In A Short History of England, best-selling author Simon Jenkins answers all these questions - and many more - as he tells the tumultuous story of a fascinating nation. From the invaders of the Dark Ages to today's coalition, via the Tudors, the Stuarts and two world wars, Jenkins weaves together a gripping narrative with all the most important and interesting dates in his own inimitable style.

Until now there has been no short history of England covering all significant events, themes and individuals: this bestselling book, published in association with the National Trust, will be the standard work for years to come.

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Title: Our Times

Subtitle: The Age of Elizabeth II

Author: A. N. Wilson

Narrator: Ralph Cosham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-11-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, there were many who proclaimed that a new Elizabethan Age had begun. Few could have any inkling, however, of the stupendous changes that were going to take place, in Britain and around the world. The collapse of British power in the world and the near-evaporation of its wealth were established facts, but few people had even begun to understand them.

In the third book in A. N. Wilson's acclaimed histories, Our Times follows the beginnings of modern Britain from the 1950s with the Suez crisis, immigration, the Angry Young Men, and Harold Macmillan, to the 1960s and changes in attitudes towards divorce and homosexuality, the rise of satire, and the boom in pop music and fashion. It continutes through the 1970s, with Vietnam and the Cold War looming large and the Labour government that ushered in the Winter of Discontent, to the Thatcher government of the '80s and the collapse of the Soviet Union, which signalled the end of a political era in Britain, up to the current period of, according to Wilson, unprecedented peace and prosperity.

Critic Reviews:

"No review can do justice to the richness, liveliness and sheer fun of this book. Wilson has written one of the books of the year." (

Guardian)"A very funny, extremely opinionated, always provocative and often thoughtful read....Wilson is endlessly entertaining." (Dominic Sandbrook,

Observer)

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Title: Shakespeare's Local: Six Centuries of History, One Pub

Author: Pete Brown

Narrator: Cameron Stewart

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 29 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Welcome to the George Inn near London Bridge: a cosy, wood-panelled, galleried coaching house a few minutes' walk from the Thames. Consider this: who else has made this their local over the last 600 years? Chaucer and his fellow pilgrims almost certainly drank in the George on their way to Canterbury. Shakespeare may have popped in from the nearby Globe, and we know that Dickens definitely did. Mail carriers changed their horses here, while sailors drank here before sailing.

The pub, as Pete Brown points out, is the 'primordial cell of British life' and in the George he has found the perfect case study. All life is here, from murderers, highwaymen and ladies of the night to gossiping pedlars and hard-working clerks. So sit back and enjoy a tour through six centuries of history, through the stories of everyone that ever drank in one pub.

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Title: Richard III and the Ultimate Game for the Throne

Author: C. Derbyshire

Narrator: Daniel Penz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-23-15

Publisher: Burton Crown Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

This is no mythical kingdom. This is England.

This is not fiction, but complete fact. Don't they say that the truth is stranger than fiction?

This was the 15th century and in this green and pleasant land, numerous players took their chances in the ultimate game. The prize was the throne of England.

The game was harsh and it was brutal.

Rival families went to war, leaving cousins dead on the battlefield. Brother fought brother as power corrupted and twisted men's souls. Families were imprisoned and executed. Men were dragged from holy places and murdered where they stood. Advisers schemed and swapped sides. King murdered king in the Tower of London.

And it finally ended with a glorious battle charge to either absolute victory or certain death.

This was the Wars of the Roses.

For 30 years a brutal and bloody civil war ravished the country. The two rival royal houses, York and Lancaster, fought for control and for the crown. During this period the throne changed hands seven times. Two kings were murdered in the Tower. Princes of the realm were executed in cold blood. The period includes immortal figures from history, Henry VI, Edward IV, The Princes in the Tower, Margaret Beaufort, Henry Tudor, Elizabeth of York, and the Kingmaker himself: Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.

But there was one figure that lived through the entire war. One figure that was central to the conflict. One figure that still divides opinion today.

Richard III.

This is his story and the game that he played for the throne of England.

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Title: Firestorm

Subtitle: Allied Airpower and the Destruction of Dresden

Author: Marshall De Bruhl

Narrator: Michael Prichard

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 01-12-07

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 64 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

In Firestorm, Marshall De Bruhl re-creates the drama and horror of the Dresden bombing and offers the most cogent appraisal yet of the tactics, weapons, strategy, and rationale for the controversial attack. Using new research and contemporary reports, as well as eyewitness stories of the devastation, De Bruhl directly addresses many long-unresolved questions relating to the bombing: Why did the strike occur when the Allies' victory was seemingly so imminent? Was choosing a city choked with German refugees a punitive decision, intended to humiliate a nation? What, if any, strategic importance did Dresden have? How much did the desire to send a "message" to Imperial Japan, or the advancing Soviet armies, factor into the decision to firebomb the city?

Editorial Reviews:

For hundreds of years Dresden, Germany, was a bastion of civilization and culture. Because it was also the center of an extensive railway system and weapons-production facilities, Allied bombers burned the city near the end of WWII, causing a firestorm of destruction and controversy. Michael Prichard's pleasant and resonant voice leads listeners through a well-researched documentary of flight, politics, and technology. He sometimes uses deft pauses to punctuate the quotes, and at other times a theatrical portrayal of the speaker. Prichard handles the abundant German with ease and the sadness of death with sobering respect. While the book on paper might be dull, Prichard's touch brings a welcome luster.

Critic Reviews:

"De Bruhl [is] quite good at analyzing the tactics that transformed Dresden into an inferno.' (San Francisco Chronicle)

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Title: Paris Reborn

Subtitle: Napoléon III, Baron Haussmann, and the Quest to Build a Modern City

Author: Stephane Kirkland

Narrator: Robert Blumenfeld

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-01-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 41 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Stephane Kirkland gives an engrossing account of Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann, and one of the greatest transformations of a major city in modern history.

Traditionally known as a dirty, congested, and dangerous city, 19th Century Paris was transformed in an extraordinary period from 1848 to 1870, when the government launched a huge campaign to build streets, squares, parks, churches, and public buildings. The Louvre Palace was expanded, Notre-Dame Cathedral was restored and the French masterpiece of the Second Empire, the Opra Garnier, was built. A very large part of what we see when we visit Paris today originates from this short span of twenty-two years.

The vision for the new Nineteenth Century Paris belonged to Napoleon III, who had led a long and difficult climb to absolute power. But his plans faltered until he brought in a civil servant, Georges-Eugne Haussmann, to take charge of the implementation. Heedless of controversy, at tremendous cost, Haussmann pressed ahead with the giant undertaking until, in 1870, his political enemies brought him down, just months before the collapse of the whole regime brought about the end of an era.

Paris Reborn is a must-read for anyone who ever wondered how Paris, the city universally admired as a standard of urban beauty, became what it is.

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Title: A Macat Analysis of Natalie Zemon Davis's The Return of Martin Guerre

Author: Joseph Tendler

Narrator: Macat.com

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-16

Publisher: Macat International Limited.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

The bizarre story of Martin Guerre - a peasant who disappears from a small village in 16th-century France and whose place is taken by an imposter - has captivated historians for centuries.

In her 1983 book, Natalie Zemon Davis, a historian with a special interest in gender studies, examines the role of Martin Guerre's wife Bertrande in their fraudulent marriage. Davis argues that Bertrande plays a key part in the deceit and readily goes along with it. Her book helped spur a shift in the way historians viewed past events generally, and the role of women in a period where documentary evidence was lacking. She daringly used her imagination to reinterpret the story, and some scholars criticized her for "filling in the gaps." But Davis was unrepentant about mixing literary techniques with historical research.

The book became a best-seller and inspired other historians to chronicle the lives of people ignored by traditional history books.

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