Carolyn Decarlo: 6 books

One of the most powerful and recognizable empires to emerge from the Middle Ages is that of the Ottoman Turks. At its height, the Ottoman Empire controlled much of the Middle East and all of its trade routes, Asia Minor, parts of Europe, and all of North Africa through Algeria. This text follows the...

Under the leadership of Genghis Khan, a confederation of nomadic farmers transformed into a powerful military force. This text demonstrations how an aggressive empire could have been established from such agrarian roots, inviting the reader to follow the rise of the Mongol Empire from its founding...

For approximately six hundred years after the death of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, the Muslim community formed a cohesive state called the Caliphate. This book follows the four distinct Caliphates (Rightly Guided, Umayyad, ‘Abbasid, and Fatimid) through their periods of leadership, to the state's...

Many modern-day readers would consider Christians a peaceful people, but their history is steeped in war and bloodshed. This book focuses on a series of military campaigns known as the Crusades, during which Christian warriors attempted to regain the Holy Land (Palestine) from Muslim rule. This inclusive...

Throughout the Middle Ages, various empires reigned across Europe and Asia; a closer look at these empires proves their enduring impact on the world. The Byzantine Empire lasted for more than one thousand years and was one of the world's leading civilizations until its decline in the eleventh century...

A bit of a misnomer, the Holy Roman Empire was never centralized enough to form a cohesive government, language, or system of law, but its political and religious authority reigned over parts of Europe for over a thousand years. Beginning with the papal crowning of Charlemagne in 800 A.D., its transition...