«Exciting, masterful ... precious gems scattered throughout the book» - Peter Frankopan, Spectator

«Original with a special charm but also scholarly and authentic, to be read with pleasure and serious thought» - Telegraph

*The dramatic history of the shifting center of Europe, from the author of The Habsburgs*

Central Europe is not just a space on a map, but a region of shared experience - mutual borrowings, impositions, and misunderstandings. From the time of the Roman Empire, it has been a target of attacks from the east. In the Middle Ages, Central Europeans viewed their eastern opponents as "the dog-headed ones" who would later become the Turks, Swedes, Russians, and Soviets, all of whom pulled the region apart and rebuilt it according to their own vision.

The rivalry among the Middle Kingdoms of Europe produced repeatedly cultural processes. This was the first home of the High Renaissance outside Italy, the cradle of the Reformation, the starting point of the Enlightenment, Romanticism, symphony, and modern nationalism. It was also a permanent battlefield for religious and political ideas.

More recent historical references to Central Europe are limited to the countries between Germany and Russia, focusing on Poland, Hungary, and what is now the Czech Republic. This new history encompasses the entire Central Europe, including the German lands as well as Ukraine and Switzerland. The history of the Middle Kingdoms of Europe is a reminder of Central Europe's uncertainty, creativity, and turbulence, as well as the common cultural currents that make these regions so special.

Pages: 640, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm