Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part I: Origins of a Continent 7
Chapter 1: Not So Much a Continent, More a Way of Life 9
Chapter 2: The Stone Age Rocks 19
Part II: Europe of the Ancients 31
Chapter 3: You’re Ancient History! 33
Chapter 4: The Ups and Downs of the Roman Empire 49
Part III: Middle Ages 63
Chapter 5: Dancing in the Dark Ages 65
Chapter 6: Gold, Murder, and Frankish Sense 79
Chapter 7: Knock, Knock, Knocking Heads at Heaven’s Door 95
Chapter 8: Don’t Call Us Medieval! 109
Part IV: New Ideas, New Worlds 123
Chapter 9: Back to the Future: The Renaissance 125
Chapter 10: Reformation Ruckus 139
Chapter 11: Mass and Massacre: The Wars of Religion 153
Chapter 12: Tsar Wars 167
Chapter 13: Absolute Power: The Sun King Rises 181
Part V: Europe Rules the World 195
Chapter 14: The (Almost) Irresistible Rise of France and Russia 197
Chapter 15: Seeking Enlightenment 211
Chapter 16: France Catches a Cold – and We’re All Still Sneezing 225
Chapter 17: Grime Wave: Europe Gets Industrial 239
Chapter 18: Building Nations 253
Part VI: Europe Tears Itself in Two 267
Chapter 19: Europe’s Age of Empire 269
Chapter 20: The War to End All Wars – Doesn’t 283
Chapter 21: Revolution in Russia 297
Chapter 22: Europe Goes to Extremes 311
Chapter 23: World War to Cold War 325
Chapter 24: Eurovision 339
Chapter 25: New Millennium: New Europe 351
Part VII: The Part of Tens 365
Chapter 26: Ten Europeans Who Dominated the Continent 367
Chapter 27: Ten Days That Shook Europe – and the World 373
Chapter 28: Ten Places (apart from Naples) to See Before You Die 379
Chapter 29: Ten Things Europe (and the World) Could Have Done Without 385
Index 391