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Publisher: London : BlackiePublication date: 1898Subjects: Hundred Years' War, 1339-1453Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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"Divided Houses" is a tale of contrasting fortunes. In the last decade of his reign Edward III, a senile, pathetic symbol of England's past conquests, was condemned to see them overrun by the armies of his enemies. When he died, in 1377, he was succeeded by a vulnerable child, who was destined to grow into a neurotic and unstable adult presiding over a divided nation. Meanwhile France entered upon one of the most glittering periods of her medieval history, years of power and ceremony, astonishing artistic creativity and famous warriors making their reputations as far afield as Naples, Hungary and North Africa. Contemporaries in both countries believed that they were living through memorable times: times of great wickedness and great achievement, of collective mediocrity but intense personal heroism, of extremes of wealth and poverty, fortune and failure. At a distance of six centuries, as Jonathan Sumption skilfully and meticulously shows, it is possible to agree with all of these judgments. ... Read more

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Henry V (1386?87 ? 31 August 1422) was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start, his military successes in the Hundred Years' War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Swiss mercenaries were soldiers notable for their service in foreign armies, especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European history, from the Later Middle Ages into the Age of the European Enlightenment. Their service as mercenaries was at its apogee during the Renaissance, when their proven battlefield capabilities made them sought-after mercenary troops. During the Late Middle Ages, mercenary forces grew in importance in Europe, as veterans from the Hundred Years War and other conflicts came to see soldiering as a profession rather than a temporary activity, and commanders sought long-term professionals rather than temporary feudal levies to fight their wars. Swiss mercenaries (Reisläufer) were valued throughout Late Medieval Europe for the power of their determined mass attack in deep columns with the pike and halberd. Hiring them was made even more attractive because entire ready-made Swiss mercenary contingents could be obtained by simply contracting with their local governments, the various Swiss cantons?the cantons had a form of militia system in which the soldiers were bound to serve and were trained and equipped to do so. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

A excellent book on US Naval History
This book describes how threats, world events, and politics created the Navy we have today.The book explains why the US created a large Navy, why various weapon systems were pursued, and the perceived threats during the 21st century.The book also details the rivalry between the Air Force and the Navy (after reading this book it appears the USAF posed a bigger threat to Navy than the Soviet Union).Our naval leadership created a navy that was the only force that could respond quickly in large numbers anywhere in the world. The book does not go into details describing battles, or tactics during the various wars, but it is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the US Navy.After reading this book you will begin to discover that few political leaders understand what the Navy can provide and you will have a greater appreciation of our past naval leadership.

Ruling the Ocean Waves
This book is a history of the U.S. Navy between 1890, when Alfred Thayer Mahan published "The Influence of Seapower Upon History," and 1990, when the Cold War ended."The central thesis of this book, that the Navy, as any other agent of the government, is the instrument of national policy, its junior partner in every regard, and to dissociate itself from the broad national proposition is to disassociate itself from the source of its purpose and its strength" (p. 415).

The problem, as Baer explains, is that the political leadership--particularly in the first half of these hundred years--often failed to provide any guidance.The admirals of the USN muddled on as best they could, deducing policy from public statements of their civilian masters.War Plan Orange, a document that was constantly revised during the first half of the twentieth century, was the plan for going to war with Japan.Although it is easy to misinterpret the War Plan as a master blueprint for World War II, it was a USN document and developed without consulting the U.S. Army.It was not part of any national security strategy.That it ended up influencing the outcome of the Pacific Theater is a testament mainly to the analytical impact the document and related war games and other exercise had on the service.

Baer's account is broad.Most of his focus is on years of peace and the strategic application of sea power: roughly one-third focuses on events prior to World War II, another third to that conflict, and a final third to the Cold War years.He understands the nuance of strategy, foreign policy, and technological advances.The battleship dominated interwar planning not because of some linger sentimental attachment on the part of senior officers, but because it was the best and most accurate way of delivering firepower across big stretches of water.The aircraft carriers were still weapons systems in development at this time and the U.S. Navy turned to them in desperation only after December 7, 1941.In fact, the Imperial Japanese Navy was the stronger service during most of the 1930s and U.S. naval officers warned--with good reason--for that decade and as late as 1941 that they could very well lose to the Japanese.The USN got stronger only as the American economy grew recovered from the Great Depression, which gave the service the additional ships and men that it needed to fulfill its mission.President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Secretary of State were more concerned with political issues, than these operational matters, and were basically writing checks that the United States could not cash, at least for a year or two.

When war came Roosevelt was trying to do as much as was possible, but the Japanese were in a position to win the war had they had a better understanding of the indirect ramifications of seapower.Their mistakes, as much as American actions, were responsible for the outcome of the war.Baer gives proportional focus to naval operations in the Atlantic and is even more critical of German efforts, but does not forgive U.S. admirals for making mistakes about convoy protection that gave the enemy some easy victories.

Despite this massive victory, the USN lost its way during the Cold War years. Admirals thought the need for a strong navy was self-evident and were unable to coordinate the Navy's missions to national security strategy.The service was out of step with each succeeding administration.The number of ships shrank dramatically in the late 1960s and 1970s and the USN made a modest comeback at best during the Reagan years before the Cold War ended.

Baer's analysis and writing are impressive.This book is a serious one that many, many people interested in naval history and national security strategy should read, but the author's skills as a writer make it an enjoyable experience as well.

How it Happened, Why it Happened and Where You Get the Shirt.
This is one of the most thorough and comprehensive (modern) American Naval Histories in existence to date.At ~550 pages, obviously little is covered in great detail, but Prof. Baer does an effective job of covering the periods in question with a deft hand that provides enough background to make the how and why of what the Navy did at the time make sense.

The most valuable part of this book however, is the fact that it is exhaustively noted and these notes and the index literally take up the last 90 pages of the book, making it _the_ guide to determining what primary sources and other histories should be your next stop for any subject, battle, commander or time period you are interested in exploring further.

Read it for a course, have already ordered a copy for my professional library. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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Published to coincide with the centennial celebration of U.S. Navy aviation, this book details the history of U.S. Navy aviation from its earliest days, before the Navy s first aircraft carrier joined the fleet, through the modern jet era marked by the introduction of the F-18 Hornet. It tells how naval aviation got its start, profiles its pioneers, and explains the early bureaucracy that fostered and sometimes inhibited its growth. The book then turns to the refinement of carrier aviation doctrine and tactics and the rapid development of aircraft and carriers, highlighting the transition from propeller-driven aircraft to swept-wing jets in the period after World War II. Land-based Navy aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, rigid airships, and balloons are also considered in this sweeping tribute. ... Read more

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An action-filled saga that depicts the rise and fall of empires in the North Pacific details the history of Hawaii, Japan, Siberia, California, and more. By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Heavens and the Earth. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Leaving the glory in
Imperialists used to say that trade follows the flag. As Walter McDougall shows in 'Let the Sea Make a Noise . ..,' they had it backward. The struggle for hegemony in the North Pacific, which was the last place in the world to have its great power interests sorted out, was created by traders.
And in the end, trade and settlement had at least as much impact on the outcome as military power, maybe more.
Hawaii was discovered by a technician (surveyor and mapmaker) and merchant, Capt. James Cook, sailing in a humble converted collier; while the haughty alii (Hawaiian chiefs) in their elegant war canoes did not discover England.
University of Pennsylvania Professor McDougall, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his history of the space age, lays out a provoking, thoughtful, surprising, opinionated, exciting history of my neck of the woods.
The characters are astounding. In an attempt to grapple with the possible personal motivations behind the public actions, McDougall calls up the shades of some of the most interesting of them, and in interludes -- which he calls by the Hawaiian term `aha iki -- he holds imaginary colloquies with them.
I found this offputting at first but got used to it. It does allow McDougall to lob in comments, many of them politically incorrect, that otherwise would hardly appear in a serious history.
In the third `aha iki, he says of American historiography: 'Now we stress the shame and leave the glory out.'
Refreshingly, McDougall leaves the glory in. The organization of the North Pacific area politically was very much the result of individual efforts of singular personalities. Though he is not treated extensively, Kamehameha the Great was one. There is no reason to think that if he had not lived some other chief would have combined the motivations and skills that he had. (The Hawaii representative in the `aha iki discussions is not Kamehameha but his wife Kaahumanu, who was regent after his death and sponsored the first written law code in the islands -- half the 10 Commandents.)
But though McDougall subscribes to the 'great man' view of history, he tempers it with the environmental or social view. Thus, early in the book he identifies an obscure event that, in his analysis, controlled the destiny of the North Pacific, though that was not stabilized for another 250 years.
The event was the conflict between Russians expanding through Siberia with East Asians in the Amur River valley. The Russians could perhaps have controlled that valley, but they turned away to seek furs in the forests. But the Amur, McDougall says, was the only area within reach of Russian expansionists in East Asia that could have produced enough grain to sustain a successful Russian settlement of the North Pacific Rim.
Thus, although the small bands of Russians managed much later to establish toeholds in Hawaii and California, they were not numerous enough to sustain themselves. Their supply line was too fragile.
'Tragic,' comments McDougall, 'if you are Russian, for the brave efforts still to come had already been rendered vain -- in 1689 -- at Nerchinsk.'
Hawaii, naturally, plays an important role in this long story. As for the outcome of the struggle for hegemony, after all the adventures and stress, McDougall settles for realpolitik as the explanation:
'In sum, control of Hawaii meant absolute security for the eastern Pacific (for America), whereas foreign control of it meant substantial insecurity.'The legalities of annexation do not, in this view, count for much.
But the reason for spending 700 pages with Walter McDougall is not just that he has a lot of interesting tales to tell. The virtue of 'Let the Sea Make a Noise . . . ' is that he lets almost all the conflicting emotions and desires of the four centuries have their moments.
The ambiguity of the situation is always acknowledged. 'The whites on the Pacific shore,' he says, 'have always been paranoid, as if they knew they were interlopers.'
At the same time, McDougall writes, 'To me, the Pacific Ocean still suggests cleanliness, sweetness and strangeness.'
Few of the dozens of tales in this book are clean or sweet, but they are all strange.

Waves of details and facts tempered with speculation
"Let the Sea Make a Noise" forges historical scholarship with insightful notions about the realms encompassing the north Pacific ocean. The author, Walter A. McDougall, spent untold hours researching and organizing minutia then interweaving vast history replete with sensory details; human and political failings, dreams, and successes; meteorological and geographic facts; and overlooked, obscure bits of history.

Consequently, the book itself is somewhat overwhelming for it is nearly impossible to absorb this level of detail or maintain a clear understanding of the myriad relationships and ideologies.

Of course, having too much detail is better than not enough in any book of this sort, and Mr. McDougall is never shy about throwing in what may be a touch of conjecture. One cannot really know what some of the many people profiled here might have been thinking, but ultimately the scope of the book prevails, and one must admire the tenacity and effort funneled in to this book.

Be prepared to invest some time reading this history but be forewarned that you may have to put the book down from time to time to let the facts and information swamp you like a big wave.

An extremely original, creative, and thought-provoking book!
McDougall's book is excellent.I am a graduate student in Russian history who read this book for the first time while in between my master's and doctoral programs, and it was extremely influential in shaping thesubsequent course of my program.I had long been fascinated by the factthat Russia isthe only "European" nation that is also part ofthe Pacific Rim and once ruled Alaska.McDougall considers both thesedevelopments in due course, while fitting them into the larger context ofthe history of the North Pacific as a coherent region.He writes historyin episodic chapters that give the book a sort of novelistic feel, completewith cliffhangers.Yet the book is not "dumbed-down" for ageneral audience.While not exactly scholarly (there are no footnotes, forexample), it is obviously well-researched and presents many generalquestions for further consideration (or research). The book has the meritof focusing on the common history of regions not always thought of asconnected:China, Japan, & Korea, Russia, the North American West, andHawaii.It was a pleasure to read and inspired me greatly.It was enoughto motivate me both to begin to study Chinese lanuage and take a year-longsurvey course on Japanese history. I cannot recommend McDougall's bookhighly enough!

Solid history you can't put down
I picked this book up on the recommendation of a friend.Since then, I have read it three times...and I almost never read history.McDougall has a knack for combining storytelling with history, so that general trends in the lands surrounding the Pacific are illustrated with fascinating stories about the people involved. This format is so effective that I found that after the first reading, I actually remembered all the salient features of McDougall's book (and probably bored my friends by sharing my exciting new knowledge with them on a road trip).His illustrative anecdotes combine with his knowledge of history to show you why people's actions made sense to them at the time.For example, why didn't the Russians consolidate their holdings in East Asia and Alaska?In hindsight, it looks crazy, but with McDougall and the characters (like Count Witte) that he brings to life, you understand and sympathize. McDougall's book contains a certain amount of subtle U.S. nationalism, tempered by criticism of stupid American policies, past and present.It is not jingoistic, but rather cognizant of the fact that of all the governments jockeying around the Pacific, the U.S. was about the most enlightened. So if you ever wanted to know why a relatively advanced island nation like Japan never really opened up to the world, why British Columbia almost became part of the U.S., how close Russia came to owning the West Coast down to California (they built a fort there, once), or how the U.S. got the whole Louisiana purchase when they really wanted New Orleans, read this book.You won't be sorry.

The story of how the whole world was impacted by one ocean
This is a must read for any serious history advocate.In simple English, you learn why Japan and China don't own land in the US, why Russia failed here, and why Hawaii isn't british, french or Roman catholic. What happened in Europe, Russia and the US from the 1600's to present times is tied to what happened in the northern pacific. It's a world-wide lesson in riveting doses of prose and fiction that will make you read all night ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more