I would recommend: Munro Price, John Hardman, Roger Price & Jeremy Popkin for information on France from the Versailles period through the revolution.I would recommend: Munro Price, John Hardman, Roger Price & Jeremy Popkin for information on France from the Versailles period through the revolution. This is primarily a history of the French governing state, 95% monarchy. It's a poor history as well as biased. This is just terrible considering when it's written and relies much too heavily on Christopher Hibbert who is not a good source. This was a waste of a library digital rental ...more
Updating this as I'm using it as a source in my current research. This is incredibly well sourced. The author shares her sources so completely that I'vUpdating this as I'm using it as a source in my current research. This is incredibly well sourced. The author shares her sources so completely that I've been able to track them easily and found the sources do indeed say exactly what us reported and more. This also tracks early ideas of race & racism to before the crusades. Noting that much is debated in Greek & Roman times about the differences in sexuality in women born in hot climates vs women in colder climates being more frigid. This is scarily relevant to how Black marginalized genders are viewed today in comparison with how white marginalized genders are viewed.
This also finds that what are known today as white Christians would be the first group to tie the 'race' to social characteristics. White European Crusaders viewed themselves as 'racially' Christian. Also existed an idea that Christianity removed skin color or washed the person clean inside & out. So Muslims are described using racist stereotyping but not Morisco converts. So the act of converting to Christianity 'whitens' the physical body and soul. There are multiple Medieval plays using this tired theme. At the sametime a fascination or obsession with the Black body begins to be reflected in artwork of the period.
This book basically tracks Black folks in Europe from Roman times to present. It's fascinating, well sourced and fully able to support its conclusions. Incredibly well done. Probably going to reread this.
Truth is I finished this the day after I started it...more
Woefully inaccurate. Some good info but sources aren't solid. In truth I'll return to this once I've found more accurate history of this time period.Woefully inaccurate. Some good info but sources aren't solid. In truth I'll return to this once I've found more accurate history of this time period....more
**spoiler alert** This book is a long winded boring mess. The author's stated opinions are both sexist & racist; in addition he uses this bias to prese**spoiler alert** This book is a long winded boring mess. The author's stated opinions are both sexist & racist; in addition he uses this bias to present an inaccurate history of Charles V. There is tons of information but it is hopelessly unorganized. This is an extremely complex and complicated period in history. You need to know all of the players on your own before reading this. The book includes a section on the children of Chales V but facts about them are sprinkled throughout the book and not in an orderly or logical manner. The author primarily focuses on war and battles. Now this is important to this period but the author never even clearly delineates all of Charles holdings, the government bodies and policies. Again you are expected to know this already. There's not enough info on the actual players in Charles life. This really matters because of the size and type of his Empire. This is a disservice and kinda makes this a useless collection of battle dates. The author has a very limited view, cites lots of research but tailors his findings along biased lines. Example in the the first couple chapters about Charles V's parents. He totally removes all of the well documented abuse that Philip I inflicted on Juana I. Even for her sexist times he was considered wildly abusive. He locked her in room, he took away her clothes so she couldn't socialize with the court, he played horrible mind games with her. Instead the author portrays Philip as the model father and Juana as mean and unbalanced. Considering when this was written it's beyond irresponsible history.
The author purposely culled the sources in order to create the image he wanted to portray, which is how biographies work. In this case very unhelpfully. Charles V is an asshole with no redeeming qualities. He stole from and betrayed all of his siblings as well as his own mother. He fucked over his wife and his kids-legitimate and otherwise. He was unspeakably cruel to his mother whom he kept in a dark room for decades lying to her, isolating her and allowing her jailers to abuse and torture her. He rarely visited but when he did it was steal her treasures. Cortez and Conquistadors happen on Charles V's watch and the author thinks he cared unusually for Indigenous peoples of the Americas....more
This is long, detailed, interesting and worth reading. I gave 3 stars because this focuses more on Juana as documented by the players around her. Also tThis is long, detailed, interesting and worth reading. I gave 3 stars because this focuses more on Juana as documented by the players around her. Also this places a lot of focus on her son, Carlos V. I understand theres more available about those that held her captive than what she thought or felt. That's also true in biographies about thoss held in chattel slavery. That's handled by documenting sources but the enslaved person remains at the center despite the fact that we have nothing written in their own hand. Something similar should've been done here. I think this is possibly a nice companion to the biography written by Bethany Aram. Unfortunately I'm unable to access that other than purchasing it and it's at text book prices so hard pass...more
I did not like this I find that I'm struggling to focus on my books during this pandemic so I've been trying to companion read with online friends. ThiI did not like this I find that I'm struggling to focus on my books during this pandemic so I've been trying to companion read with online friends. This was chosen and I jumped on it and the book on Juana I because I'm researching this period anyway. This was slow, boring and Islamophobic. Every effort is made to remove Isabel from her worst deeds but every action of Grenada is exaggerated and othering. Boabdil was not half Catholic. In fact his mother was a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad and from a very old and powerful family. Grenada was considerably more educated than Castile so it's doubtful Boabdil was swayed by shiny gifts...more
This was surprisingly detailed and interesting. There was a bit of casual white supremacy in relation to colonialism that is common in these texts. OtheThis was surprisingly detailed and interesting. There was a bit of casual white supremacy in relation to colonialism that is common in these texts. Otherwise I'd have given this 4 stars easily....more
Too many inaccuracies. The author lists the Portuguese as trading for chattel slaves in the 1400's with the Kingdom of Dahomey in what is now Benin. ThToo many inaccuracies. The author lists the Portuguese as trading for chattel slaves in the 1400's with the Kingdom of Dahomey in what is now Benin. The only problem with that is that the Dahomey Kingdom doesn't exist until the 1600's. About 150 years after he says they were trading enslaved peoples. Much of the info on Portugal is within reason but the info on West, North, East and South Africa is not accurate to the time in which the author is talking about. Weird...more
A few white colonialist almost racist views towards people of color in general but especially those from West Africa and South America. Which is why tA few white colonialist almost racist views towards people of color in general but especially those from West Africa and South America. Which is why this has only 2 stars. Lots of interesting historic tidbits. First and foremost this book lays out the history of the beginning of the trade in West African peoples as chattel slaves. This starts off Mauritania in the 1450's and gets a boost as a form of income to rent out West Africsn divers. Europeans at this time do not know to swim much less dive. With the discovery of North & South America this will grow into the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. I know this is commonly attributed to Arab North Africans but I'm not seeing evidence of that here. I also had not realized how powerful Portugal was in the emerging global world. They stole and enslaved horribly but I did not realize they were first to do so. Isabel of Castile sends Columbus in 1492 in a bid to compete with Portugal who sails around the Cape of good hope in 1490 (?) and successfully finds sm alternate route to India by 1494. Columbus is only remembered more because of what develops later. Lots of interesting info but scarce on details of Umayyad controlled future Portugal....more
This was well written, interesting and extremely readable. In my opinion this is the most thorough biography written in English I've read on this queeThis was well written, interesting and extremely readable. In my opinion this is the most thorough biography written in English I've read on this queen. The author has tons of sources but I followed up on a few in relation to Gran Canaries and slavery. I found that the source he referenced didn't really match the paragraph he'd written in the book. So I'm unsure where some of his knowledge came from. Most importantly his treatment of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas is racist. He only uses sources written by conquering thieves who we well know lied to make their theft more acceptable in Castile. For example the constant references to 'cannibalism' when we know Columbus labeled the Indigenous people he was capturing and forcing into slavery in Europe could only be sold in Europe if they were labeled as cannibals. The author admits this but only after repeatedly referencing cannibalism. In addition he completely uses European sources for Columbus's contact with the Arawak/Taino peoples. The Taino left records of their own about this exchange and the author doesn't include any of them. Worse yet he passes on white supremacist nonsense like they thought Columbus and the crew were gods. They fucking did not. Arawak/Taino records say they smelled horrible and kept shitting in their drinking water...more
This was a confusing period and I'm not sure I understand all of the players on this crowded stage. None the less I appreciate the information in this This was a confusing period and I'm not sure I understand all of the players on this crowded stage. None the less I appreciate the information in this even if I'm unsure of all of the conclusions reached....more
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