Imperial Splendour

In St. Petersburg on a mission to glean intelligence for the Prime Minister on the likely intentions of Czar Alexander with regard to the ongoing war in which both Russia and the UK are at war with Napoleon’s France, the dashing and eminently eligible bachelor Duke of Welminster is beset by diplomatic problems. The War aside, there is the issue the Princess who is pressing upon him the attractions of her daughter Tania. At thirty-three, the handsome Duke has vowed never to marry but has no choice but to agree to meet the young woman. But when he does, he finds Tania dancing with another young girl called Zoia. This other girl seems to him ‘as if she moves amongst trees covered with blossom and the whole world awakens with spring’. Instantly he is entranced. Then when he discovers she is the daughter of famous French composer Pierre Vallon and she plays for him, he is utterly smitten. But after he suffers a near-fatal injury and Zoia and her father are forced to flee the city or die, it seems that love is doomed by War.

This important new work describes how the Imperial German Navy, which had expanded to become one of the great maritime forces in the world, second only to the Royal Navy, proved, with the exception of its submarines, to be largely ineffective throughout the years of conflict.?The impact of this impotence had a far-reaching effect upon the service. Germany, indeed most of Europe, was in the grips of a spirit of militant nationalistic fervour, and the inactivity of the great Imperial Navy caused deep frustration, particularly among the naval officers. Not only were they unable to see themselves as heroes, they were also ridiculed on the home front and felt profoundly humiliated. With the exception of the one sea battle at Jutland, their ships saw little or no action at sea and morale slowly collapsed to a point where, at the end of the war, the crews were in a state of mutiny. The seemingly ludicrous order that forced the fleet to go to sea against the British in 1918 was driven by a sense of humiliation, but coming at the war's end it triggered a revolution because the German sailors wanted no part in such madness. The internment at Scapa Flow was the ultimate shaming. ?This is a fascinating and perceptive analysis of a whole era, and it contributes substantially to our understanding of the war and its consequences _ consequences, sadly, that helped pave the way for the Third Reich.

An illustrated survey of British colonial architecture that once dominated the landscape of the Indian subcontinent, this book tells a rich and complicated history of imperialism. One of the most revealing legacies of Britain's long history in India is the colonial architecture from the two centuries preceding the struggle for independence. Built to house both occupiers and occupied alike, these imposing buildings, including palaces, mansions, clubhouses, and government offices, represented a hybrid of Western and Eastern sensibilities as their architects sought to plant the flag of British dominance in a foreign culture. Splendours of Imperial India focuses on India's towns and cities, particularly Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, providing countless illustrations, sketches, and photographs of the many impressive buildings and ruins that dot India's coastlines, hillsides, and valleys. Andreas Volwahsen's informative commentaries highlight the considerable achievements of these magnificent structures while offering insight into the stories these buildings tell about their own and India's history.

Byzantine Empresses provides a series of biographical portraits of the most significant Byzantine women who ruled or shared the throne between 527 and 1204. It presents and analyses the available historical data in order to outline what these empresses did, what the sources thought they did, and what they wanted to do.

This riveting tale of the Kohinoor, the worldÕs most coveted gem, unearths fascinating new information as it moves from the Mughal court to Persia to Afghanistan; from Maharaja Ranjit Singh's durbar in Punjab to the Queen of England's Crown. A thrilling tale, full of violence, drama and intrigue.