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1) Rise of Islam in the Balkans: The History of the Ottoman Empire's Islamization Efforts in Eastern E
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In terms of geopolitics, perhaps the most seminal event of the Middle Ages was the successful Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453. The city had been an imperial capital as far back as the 4th century, when Constantine the Great shifted the power center of the Roman Empire there, effectively establishing two almost equally powerful halves of antiquity's greatest empire. Naturally, the Ottoman Empire would also use Constantinople as the capital...
2) Rise of Fascism in Europe: The History of the Fascist Takeovers in Nazi Germany, Italy, and Spain
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It's easy to forget how young Italy was when Benito Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883. It is hard to conceive a territory with such a long and ancient history was once young and troubled with constant conflict and instability. Similar to Germany, Italy was unified in 1861, but contrary to its northern cousin, its previous history was one of separation. Italy had no great romantic idea of a "Great Germany," keeping it unified even during the wars...
3) Rise of Classical Greece: The History of the People and Events that Brought Ancient Greece to the
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When people think of ancient Greece, images of philosophers such as Plato or Socrates often come to mind, as do great warriors like Pericles and Alexander the Great, but hundreds of years before Athens became a city, a Greek culture flourished and spread its tentacles throughout the western Mediterranean region via trade and warfare. Scholars have termed this pre-Classical Greek culture the Mycenaean culture, which existed from about 2000-1200 B.C.,...
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Much has been written about Western intervention during the breakup of Yugoslavia, and whether it made matters worse, prevented worse atrocities, or was simply ineffective. In early 1992, however, what was clear was that Europe was hopelessly divided over the best course of action to take towards Yugoslavia, and after several years of fighting, the Bosnian War was one of the most violent conflagrations in Europe since the end of World War II.
That...
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England has more often been faced with the claims of competing kings and queens than with a period of no monarch at all. The major exception to that rule came in the 11 years between 1649 and 1660, when England was a republic. Following the disastrous reign of Charles I and the civil wars that led to his execution, Parliament and the army ruled England. England's republican experiment started out as a work of collaboration and compromise; lords, army...
6) Dramatic Rise and Fall of the Portuguese Empire: The History and Legacy of Portugal's Mercantile Emp
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Trade was able to increase in Europe around the world due to more effective ships being introduced, and some of the improvements that were made to the ships were first introduced by the Chinese. The introduction of multiple mast ships and the sternpost rudders allowed the ships to travel quicker and be more maneuverable. By the start of the 15th century, ships were now much larger and able to support long distance travel with a minimum number of crew...
7) Saint Gregory the Great: The History of the Early Middle Ages' Most Influential Pope and the Rise
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The pope, the bishop of Rome, claims spiritual authority over more than a billion Catholics worldwide. He also exercises temporal authority over a tiny enclave of Rome consisting of the Vatican Palace, Saint Peter's Basilica, and 44 hectares with the ancient Leonine Walls. As sovereign of the Vatican City States, he has around 1,000 subjects, mostly clerics.
While those facts are widely known, many are not familiar with the fact that before the reunification...
8) The Triassic Period: The History and Legacy of the Geologic Era that Witnessed the Rise of Dinosaurs
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Scientists have long attempted to understand Earth's past, and in service to that effort, they have divided the world's history into eons, eras, periods, epochs and ages. For example, the current eon is called the Phanerozoic, which means "visible life. " This is the eon in which multi-cellular life has evolved and thrived. Before this, life was microscopic (single cell). The Phanerozoic eon is divided into 3 eras - Paleozoic ("old life"), Mesozoic...
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As the Western Roman Empire collapsed in the late fifth century, Hadrian's Wall was abandoned, and Roman control of the area broke down. Little is known of this period of British history, but soon the Anglo-Saxons–who had been harassing the Saxon Shore as pirates–showed up and began to settle the land, creating a patchwork of little kingdoms and starting a new era of British history.
Several early medieval historians, writing well after the...
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When people think of ancient Greece, images of philosophers such as Plato or Socrates often come to mind, as do great warriors like Pericles and Alexander the Great, but hundreds of years before Athens became a city, a Greek culture flourished and spread its tentacles throughout the western Mediterranean region via trade and warfare. Scholars have termed this pre-Classical Greek culture the Mycenaean culture, which existed from about 2000-1200 BCE,...
11) Ancient Kingdoms of Africa: The History and Legacy of the African Continent's Most Prominent King
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Africa may have given rise to the first human beings, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world's first systems of mathematics and medicine,...
12) Medieval Europe's Mercenaries: The History of Hired Soldiers across Europe and the Byzantine Empi
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The Middle Ages have long been remembered for armored knights battling on horseback and armies of men trying to breach the walls of formidable castles, but what is generally forgotten is that medieval warfare was constantly adapting to the times as leaders adopted new techniques and technology, and common infantry became increasingly important throughout the period. Meanwhile, political and technological progress led to continuous change of tactics...
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The man known to most of the world as Emperor Hirohito ruled during some of the most tumultuous years in Japanese history. When he came to the throne in 1926, he inherited control of a country which had only recently emerged as a major industrial and world power, and through the aggressive expansion and wars of the 1930s, Hirohito was at the head of one of the world's foremost powers. Throughout the maelstrom of World War II, he remained in power,...
14) Akhenaten and Amarna: The History of Ancient Egypt's Most Mysterious Pharaoh and His Capital City
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Africa may have given rise to the first human beings, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world's first systems of mathematics and medicine,...
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In the late 18th century, as political unrest stirred in the heart of Paris, local residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the city's urban cemeteries faced a pressing crisis: the putrefying stink of rotting corpses, many of which were likely friends and family members, crept into every house and business due to overflowing burial grounds. The city's population had long since outgrown its centuries-old cemeteries, and mass graves packed tightly...
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Africa may have given rise to the first human beings, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world's first systems of mathematics and medicine,...
17) Russo-Turkish Wars: The History and Legacy of the Conflicts Between the Russian Empire and Ottoman
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In the wake of taking Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire would spend the next few centuries expanding its size, power, and influence, bumping up against Eastern Europe and becoming one of the world's most important geopolitical players. It was a rise that would not truly start to wane until the 19th century, and in the centuries before the decline of the "sick man of Europe," the Ottomans frequently tried to push further into Europe.
Some of those...
18) Ottoman Empire's Worst Defeats: The History and Legacy of the Decisive Battles that Checked the Otto
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In the wake of taking Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire would spend the next few centuries expanding its size, power, and influence, bumping up against Eastern Europe and becoming one of the world's most important geopolitical players. It was a rise that would not truly start to wane until the 19th century. The long agony of the "sick man of Europe," an expression used by the Tsar of Russia to depict the falling Ottoman Empire, could almost blind...
19) Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the Republic of Turkey: The History of the Ottoman Empire's Collapse an
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The long agony of the "sick man of Europe," an expression used by the Tsar of Russia to depict the falling Ottoman Empire, could almost blind people to its incredible power and history. Preserving its mixed heritage, coming from both its geographic position rising above the ashes of the Byzantine Empire and the tradition inherited from the Muslim Conquests, the Ottoman Empire lasted more than six centuries. Its soldiers fought, died, and conquered...
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One of the largest islands in the Caribbean and also home to the Arawak and Tainos. Jamaica may have been inhabited as far back as 5,000 years ago, and between 1000 BCE and 500 BCE, a somewhat more advanced Mesolithic race known as the "Ciboneys" or the "Guanahacabibe" began arriving, settling in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Cuba, and Haiti. Two centuries later, the Ciboneys were followed by a wave of Neolithic migrants, comprising broadly the Taínos, and...
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