European History For Dummies

by Sean Lang

Read about the world's smallest continent's incredible From Greek gods and mad Roman emperors to kings, queens, Visigoths, and Normans You meet Visigoths in Africa and Normans in Sicily; an Italian who talked to his books and another who conquered a kingdom and gave it away; Roman emperors who weren't Roman; and Holy Roman Emperors who weren't holy (or Roman). This is the story of Europe's rich history rolled into one thrilling account in plain English. European History For Dummies takes you on a fascinating journey through the disasters, triumphs, people, power, and politics that have shaped the Europe we know today - and you'll meet some incredible characters along the way! From Roman relics to the Renaissance, World Wars, and Eurovision, this accessible guide packs in the facts alongside fun tidbits and brings the past alive. You meet the two Catholic kings of Spain (one was a woman) and the Spanish king who never smiled. You discover a German monk who split Europe in two because he was so afraid of going to hell. And what about the great European war that started when two nobles were thrown out of a window onto a dungheap? Well, at least they had a soft landing. If you don't remember much of what you learned about European history at school, if you didn't like those dry school textbooks, if you think European history sounds a bit hard, but you're interested anyway, this is the book for you. Inside you'll Get your own copy of European History For Dummies to learn all of that and more -- including the ten Europeans who dominated the continent, ten unforgettable dates, and ten European locales you'll absolutely want to visit.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good guide for such a long topic. I feel like it really helps you connect different points of time in history, and you really get the full picture. The author also has a pretty funny tone too, which makes it very readable.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vse podčrtala, pobarvala, napisala opombe, označila. Super schnell-kurs o tem, kako smo od kamenčkov v jamah prišli do današnje moderne Evrope. Ogromno zanimivih štorij in zanimivih osebnosti smo pridelali. Moje najljubše obdobje? Renesansa in humanizem, of course.

[Rnash_1955 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of European history

This title goes into the details as why the world especially that of Europe is the way it is today. I have learned a lot from this book. A must read for anyone interested in European history.

[Arkajit Dey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good broad overview of European History. Also quite funny at times.

[John Keogh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the "Dummies" series of books as, despite the insulting name, they are very good introductions to a subject if you want to get a good broad understanding without getting into too much detail, and they are always written in a light conversational style. However, in the case of this particular book I felt that the author was trying too hard to be humorous to the point that it got in the way of the history and times I wasn't sure if I was reading a fact or a joke.

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serves as a brief, yet good, overview for someone interested in learning about the highlights of European history. Also great for a person look for a quick refresher on a certain period. The touch of humor infused by the author make it a light and easy read. Mr. Lang talks about certain part of Europe over a particular time period, then moving to a different part of Europe around the same time period in the following chapter, while bringing it all together as certain affairs encompass the whole continent. The author does sometimes gloss over very important events in a paragraph or two, which is understandable given the broad topic. Overall a good introductory read on the history of Europe.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how fast I read this! It's not a very in-depth look at European history, but its very readable, and even funny. It really pertains largely to the European continent, since you can read the author's "British History for Dummies" for the British info.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

donated copy

[Michael Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone should read page 328 concerning appeasing terrorist.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out the term "Indulgence".

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview considering how huge the subject is. Easy read - a good starter for European history

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to gather a sketch of a massive subject.

[Olivia]

Interesting overview of European history... Helped me put the pieces together a little better. Loved the sarcasm throughout the whole book.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and witty. Will keep you giggling, and that helps you remember stuff.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining overview of European history.

[Susan Liston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Dummies books in general and this one was quite good. Such a huge subject to cut down to manageable size and this succeeds. A book like this is great to review things you already knew but have forgotten, and/or get a handle on subjects you aren't so familiar with.