Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire
Peter H. Wilson
Jun 2017 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Napoleon Ryan
3.5star
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34 hr 3 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
The Holy Roman Empire lasted a thousand years, far longer than ancient Rome. Yet this formidable dominion never inspired the awe of its predecessor. Voltaire quipped that it was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire. Yet as Peter H. Wilson shows, the Holy Roman Empire tells a millennial story of Europe better than the histories of individual nation-states. Heart of Europe traces the Empire from its origins within Charlemagne's kingdom in 800 to its demise in 1806. By the mid-tenth century its core rested in the German kingdom, and ultimately its territory stretched from France and Denmark to Italy and Poland. Yet the Empire remained abstract, with no fixed capital and no common language or culture. The source of its continuity and legitimacy was the ideal of a unified Christian civilization, but this did not prevent emperors from clashing with the pope over supremacy. Though the title of Holy Roman Emperor retained prestige, rising states such as Austria and Prussia wielded power in a way the Empire could not. While it gradually lost the flexibility to cope with political, economic, and social changes, the Empire was far from being in crisis until the onslaught of the French revolutionary wars.
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3.5
2 reviews
Colin Singleton
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October 30, 2018
The glitch in audio has resolved. I'll listen and give a more complete review when finished.
About the author
Peter H. Wilson is Chichele Professor of the History of War at the University of Oxford. His books include The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy and The Holy Roman Empire: A Thousand Years of Europe's History.
Napoleon Ryan is a British actor from London. He began his career on stage, acting in the West End and touring with plays and musicals across Britain, Ireland, and Europe. Napoleon performs on television and in films, and is also known for his work as an audiobook narrator.
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