This attractively illustrated volume describes the succession of courts and monarchies in France from the revolutionary period to the fall of Charles X. It shows decisively that the revolution resulted in a stronger monarchy and a larger and more elitist series of courts than had previously existed. The book is based on many years of research in public and private archives throughout Europe. New light is thrown on the nature of the French Revolution and on the character and policies of Louis XVI, Napoleon I, Louis XVIII, and Charles X, who led their courts through periods of unprecedented...

Using detailed studies of fifteen exiled royal figures, the role of Exile in European Society and in the evolution of national cultures is examined. From the Jacobite court to the exiled Kings' of Hanover, the book provides an alternative history of monarchical power from the 16th to 20th century.

A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year, 2016

Today, Aleppo lies in ruins. Its streets are plunged in darkness; most of its population has fled. Google Earth shows no lights at night. But Aleppo was once a vibrant world city, a trade and cultural hub at the end of the Silk Road, famous for its food and music, and a place where Muslims, Christians, Jews, and visitors from around the world lived and traded together in peace. In this heartbreaking and powerful history of one of the world's oldest, continuously-inhabited cities, author Philip Mansel...