The Great, the Pious, the Fair; the Wise, the Lame, the Mad. Imprisoned, deposed, exiled. Excommunicated, assassinated; devout, debauched; loved, loathed - the Middle Ages produced a fascinating array of monarchs. From Britain to Russia, from Scandinavia to Sicily, from the 9th century CE to the completion of the Reconquista of Spain in 1492, Kings & Queens of the Medieval World explores the captivating stories of monarchs from all across Europe. Arranged thematically, the book groups the kings and queens by their achievements - military leaders, law-makers, religious reformers, patrons of the arts. These are stories of monarchs leading their armies into battle to expand or defend their territory, and of kings - and queens - going on crusade - both within Europe and to the Holy Land. These, too, are stories of, on the one hand, countries united by marriage, and, on the other, sons scheming against fathers in an effort to gain - and maintain - power. And yet these are also the stories of the people who constructed beautiful cathedrals, who founded universities and supported artists, of religious kings who were later canonised, of kings who created more just legal systems, established parliaments and permanent armies, and laid the foundations for more modern governments and societies. Featuring the major European dynasties, Kings & Queens of the Medieval World is a lively account of monarchs from Charlemagne to Alexander Nevsky to Ferdinand and Isabella. Illustrated with 180 colour and black-and-white artworks, photographs and maps, this is a colourful, accessible history.

Practiced today by more than 500 million adherents, Buddhism emerged from India between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. Based around the original teachings of the Buddha, key texts emerged to promote a true understanding of Buddhist ethics and spiritual practices. The Buddhist traditions created a vast body of mythological literature, much of it focused on the life of the Buddha. For example, the 550 Jataka Tales tell of Buddha's early life and renunciation, as well as his previous human and animal incarnations. The stories also tell of Gautama Buddha's family, such as his mother Mara, and her dream of a white elephant preceding his birth; as well as his cousin, Devadatta, a disciple monk who rebelled against Buddha and tried to kill him. Buddhist literature includes numerous parables - such as the Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking - as well as recounting scenes from the Indian epic the Ramayana. History and myth intermingle in texts such as Ashokavadana, where the Mauryan emperor Ashoka is portrayed as a model of Buddhist kingship. Illustrated with 120 photographs and artworks, Buddhist Myths is an accessible, engaging and highly informative exploration of the fascinating mythology underlying one of the world's oldest and most influential religions.

In ancient Rome (753 BC - 476 AD) mythology was integral to various aspects of society, from religion, to politics, to the founding of the city. Today, we may encounter the legacy of these stories before we encounter the stories themselves, whether this is in day-to-day speech, the 18th century art on display at the Louvre, or the works of William Shakespeare. The Roman tendency to accept their mythology as part of history creates a degree of uncertainty around the historical basis of the figures featured in these legendary tales. Truth, fiction, or both, the significance of mythology to this people is palpable. From Romulus and Remus and the founding of Rome to Lucretia and the Republic; from Livy and the Dii Consentes to Virgil's Aeneid; from Dis Pater in the underworld to Jupiter, god of the sky. Illustrated with 180 colour and black-and-white photographs, artworks, and maps, Roman Myths is an engaging and informative book, offering an introduction to Roman mythology, its roots, and its ongoing importance.

With the aid of superb line artworks, Unarmed Combat demonstrates to the reader how special forces soldiers are taught to excel in hand-to-hand fighting: how they maximise bodyweight, and the use of various strikes, throws, locks and constrictions to defeat opponents. It explains how different martial arts have been combined by military units to create hand-to-hand combat systems for defence against multiple assailants, for fighting on the ground, for dealing with edged and impact weapons, what works against attackers with firearms and - more importantly - what doesn't. With tips and techniques from unarmed combat experts, the book is divided into two main sections. The first covers the mental preparation needed to be ready to defend yourself. The second covers the physical techniques needed to defend yourself, and if necessary, strike back to temporarily incapacitate your attacker and escape. With more than 300 easy-to-follow artworks and handy pull-out lists of key information, Unarmed Combat is the definitive guide for anyone wanting to be ready for anything - it could save your life.

You may not think you know much about Norse mythology but you've heard of Valhalla and the Valkyrie, and of trolls and elves, and you'd certainly miss Wednesday and Thursday - named after Norse gods - if they weren't there. Norse mythology is rich in adventure and ideas about creation, death and the afterlife. And from Wagnerian operas to Lord of the Rings to Marvel's Avengers, it has had an immense influence across Western culture. Norse Myths takes a wide-ranging approach to the topic, examining the creation stories of the Norse world, the monsters and the pantheons of the deities including such figures as Thor, Freyr and Loki. It looks at the sagas that tell of real and imagined people, featuring both heroic tales and humorous escapades. The book also examines how Norse myths were interpreted in a Christianised Europe and how their motifs influenced medieval German writers and, in turn, were used in the modern world in very different ways, by the likes of Richard Wagner, Adolf Hitler and J.R.R. Tolkien. Illustrated with 180 colour and black-&-white photographs, artworks and maps, Norse Myths is an exciting, engaging and highly informative exploration of a fascinating and highly influential world, and will appeal to anyone interested in folklore and history.

Here lies entombed the renowned King Arthur in the island of Avalon. - Inscription found at Glastonbury in the late 12th century King Arthur most probably never existed and - even if he did - we know precious little about him, and yet he is one of the most famous Britons, while Excalibur and Camelot are perhaps the world's best known sword and castle. So, what's the truth behind King Arthur? How did the legends take hold? And why have they endured for so long? Long before the Marvel Universe there was the universe of Arthurian romance, and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table examines the fact and the fiction behind Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Guinevere, Galahad, among others, as well as the quest for the Holy Grail. Beginning in the 12th century, the book explores what factual basis there is for the tales and how the characters, stories and motifs developed through histories, epic poems and prose tellings. The book also charts the revived interest in Arthurian romance in the 19th century and considers how the tales still hold the popular imagination today. Illustrated with more than 180 colour and black-and-white artworks and photographs and maps, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is an expertly written account of where literature, mythology and history meet.

Ireland holds a special place in people's hearts - even for many who haven't been there. To some the appeal is its natural beauty, to others it's the history; to some it's the country's strong folk tradition, to others it even seems to be a mystical place. Ireland presents more than 200 outstanding photographs celebrating the island's most evocative and beautiful places, whether in nature or man-made, from the miles of near empty beaches to the Mourne Mountains in County Down, from the pretty fishing towns of County Cork to Dublin's elegant Georgian streets. Featuring images from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the book ranges widely across landscapes and history, from rugged cliffs and rolling hills to mysterious stone circles, magnificent cathedrals and ruined abbeys; and from medieval forts and castles to grand Victorian follies and villages abandoned during the Potato Famine. While some images such as the striking basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway may be familiar, others you may know only from Game of Thrones and the Star Wars films but never realized that they, too, are in Ireland. Presented in a handy pocket-sized landscape format and with captions explaining the story behind each entry, Ireland is a stunning collection of images celebrating the island's natural beauty, culture and history.

With a new world order emerging in the early 21st century, Chinese ground forces have been consistently improved and geared towards quality for costly main battle tanks, while still maintaining a huge number of cheaper AFVs. With 7,450 vehicles, China has today by far the largest number of armoured fighting vehicles of any army in the world. ModernChinese Tanks explores the main battle tanks, armoured fighting vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, self-propelled guns and missile-launching platforms in service since 1945, with an emphasis on the latest technology deployed by the PLA. Organised historically by type, the entries include the Type 98 and 90 tanks, the Type 80/85/88 held in reserve, and the Type 99 used by elite battalions. In addition, there is the YW-306 self-propelled rocket launcher and the PLA PL0 100mm assault gun. Illustrated with expert colour profile artworks for each entry and completed with technical specifications, ModernChinese Tanks is a detailed reference guide for modellers and enthusiasts with an interest in modern military technology.

Duck punch, cover block and knee strike. Boxing, wrestling and Ju-Jitsu. Gameplan, lines of attack and final disengagement. If you can't take flight, you're going to have to fight. Extreme Unarmed Combat is an authoritative handbook on an immense array of close combat defence techniques, from fistfights to headlocks, from tackling single unarmed opponents to armed groups, from stance to manoeuvring. Presented in a handy pocketbook format, Extreme Unarmed Combat's structure considers the different fighting and martial arts skills you can use before looking at the areas of the body to defend, how to attack without letting yourself be hurt and how to incapacitate your opponent. With more than 300 black-&-white illustrations of combat scenarios, punches, blocks and ducks, and with expert easy-to-follow text, Extreme Unarmed Combat guides you through everything you need to know about what to do when you can't escape trouble. This book could save your life.

Drones are found in the airspace throughout the world and are more popular now than ever before. We see them in the newspaper, on the TV, in films, at sporting events, and soon, they might be delivering our shopping. One of the most significant developments in contemporary warfare is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones as they are more commonly known. Drones can fly autonomously or be controlled by remote control - their deployment is transforming the way wars are fought across the globe. Drones are not only used for fighting wars but for a wide-range of daily tasks such as photography, mapping, policing, delivery, search and rescue, meteorology and many more. Drones explores the history behind unmanned aircraft, it explains how they work and features the most well-known military and civillian drones in action today. From the armed and deadly MQ-9 Reaper, the long endurance RQ-4 Global Hawk to the small hand-launched Cropcam and the Remus autonomous underwater vehicle. Illustrated with 200 colour photographs and artworks Drones is an exciting, accessibly written narrative about the latest in military and civilian aviation technology

When Pope Urban II called European Christianity to stem the expansion of Islamic states into Europe, he set off a train of events that would last many hundreds of years and have far reaching political and economic consequences. Battles of the Crusades introduces 20 key battles from this period of religiously inspired conflict in Europe and the Middle East. Beginning with the battle of Dorylaeum (1097) and finishing with the battle of Varna (1444), examples from every era and campaign are featured. Apart from such well-known encounters as Antioch, Jerusalem and Harran, battles between the Crusader states and their Muslim neighbours include Montgisard and Saladin's destruction of the Crusader army at Hattin. Beyond the Middle East, featured battles include the Christian recapture of Lisbon and the massacre of the Albigensians at Beziers in France. Battles from the Reconquista of Spain and the expansion of the Teutonic Knights make this a rounded account of 500 years of religious conflict. Each entry includes a contextual introduction, a concise description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned colour map illustrating movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader to grasp the development of the battle. With more than 200 colour and black-and-white maps, artworks, and photographs, Battles of the Crusades provides an accessible introduction to key engagements of the Medieval era. Designed for both the general reader and enthusiast, the book is an essential companion for anyone interested in the warfare and tactics of the Middle Ages.

There are many different methods that can be used to fight unarmed, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The Self Defence series simplifies the subject for the reader, How to Punch focusing solely on the varieties of punches that can be performed in unarmed combat. By selecting and demonstrating the best techniques of the various martial arts schools, the series builds into an invaluable guide to mixed martial arts techniques, ideally suited first to learning and then revising particular skills. Useful for both the beginner and experienced martial arts practitioner, the series allows the reader to progress at their own pace. Illustrated with detailed artworks, the Self Defence series is an authoritative guide to the key techniques needed for specific actions, and will appeal to any martial arts enthusiast. About the Author Martin J. Dougherty is a freelance writer and editor specializing in military and defence topics. His published works deal with subjects ranging from the history of small arms to naval warfare and private security. He has previously contributed to Battles of the Ancient World and Battles of the American Civil War.