Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire

ISBN: 0674244869

Author: Wilson, Peter H.

Condition: New

An Economist and Sunday Times Best Book of the YearDeserves to be hailed as a magnum opus.-Tom Holland, The TelegraphAmbitiousseeks to rehabilitate the Holy Roman Empires reputation by re-examining its place within the larger sweep of European historySucceeds splendidly in rescuing the empire from its critics.-Wall Street JournalMassive, ancient, and powerful, the Holy Roman Empire formed the heart of Europe from its founding by Charlemagne to its destruction by Napoleon a millennium later. An engine for inventions and ideas, with no fixed capital and no common language or culture, it derived its legitimacy from the ideal of a unified Christian civilization-though this did not prevent emperors from clashing with the pope for supremacy.In this strikingly ambitious book, Peter H. Wilson explains how the Holy Roman Empire worked, why it was so important, and how it changed over the course of its existence. The result is a tour de force that raises countless questions about the nature of political and military power and the legacy of its offspring, from Nazi Germany to the European Union.EngrossingWilson is to be congratulated on writing the only English-language work that deals with the empire from start to finishA book that is relevant to our own times.-Brendan Simms, The TimesThe culmination of a lifetime of research and thoughtan astonishing scholarly achievement.-The SpectatorRemarkableWilson has set himself a staggering task, but it is one at which he succeeds heroically.-Times Literary Supplement