Conflict between England and France was a fact of life for centuries, but few realize that its origins date from the time of the Vikings, when a Norse chieftain named Rollo established himself and his progeny in Normandy. In this compelling and entertaining history, Mary McAuliffe takes the reader back to those dark and turbulent times when Rollo’s descendants, the dukes of Normandy, asserted their dominance over the weak French monarchy—a dominance that became especially threatening after Duke William conquered England in 1066, giving him a royal crown.Despite this crown, William the Conqueror and his royal successors remained dukes of Normandy, with feudal obligations to their overlord, the king of France. This naturally fostered an ongoing hostility between the French and English crowns that, as McAuliffe convincingly shows, became ever more explosive as the strength and territorial holdings of the English monarchs grew. Conflict erupted regularly over the years, and Eleanor of Aquitaine’s desertion of one camp for the other only added fuel to the long-simmering feud. McAuliffe takes the reader back to this dramatic era, providing the fascinating background and context for this “clash of crowns.” She offers colorful insights into Richard Lionheart and Eleanor of Aquitaine as well as lesser-known French and English monarchs, especially Philip II of France. Philip proved a determined opponent of Richard Lionheart, and their cutthroat rivalry not only created fatal divisions within the Third Crusade but also culminated in an incendiary faceoff at Richard’s newly built Château-Gaillard, the seemingly impregnable gateway to empire. The outcome would shape the course of English and French history throughout the centuries that followed.

Product Description: Irish Feminisms: Past, Present and Future is a collection of multi-disciplinary essays from leading academics and activists that interrogates the various waves of Irish feminist activism over the last one hundred years. Emanating from a conference held in 2012, this collection offers snapshots of the many feminist issues, ideas and campaigns that have invigorated, enlivened and challenged Irish society since the early twentieth century...read more

Product Description: Between 1864 and 1867 Fanny Taylor made many trips to Ireland, and Irish Homes and Irish Hearts (1867) is an eyewitness account of her visits to the many Irish Catholic religious orders and their institutions: these include Magdalene homes, reform schools, lunatic asylums, orphanages, workhouses, infirmaries, and schools...read more

Product Description: Uncovering the Paris that charmed Thomas Jefferson in the 18th century and George Gershwin in the 20th, this guide—written by an historian and based on personal exploration, old maps, and documents—offers 50 walking destinations, many unfamiliar even to Parisians...read more

Product Description: It is now generally acknowledged that women played a pivotal and vital role in the Irish Revolutionary movement in the years 1913-23, including the Easter Rising. Women of the Irish Citizen Army, Cumann na mBan, the Clan na nGaedhal Girl Scouts as well as individual women fought side by side with their male counterparts in most of the Rising outposts in Dublin, Enniscorthy and Galway during Easter Week 1916...read more

Product Description: Now available in paperback! This innovative collection offers a new understanding of sexual and gender politics in Ireland throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Leading experts in the field contribute to a captivating and controversial debate on sexuality in Irish society, and specifically include explorations of lesbian histories, the treatment of intersex persons in Ireland, the patriarchal system, prostitution, sex education, and the ongoing and divisive issue of abortion...read more