European History
Resources on the history of Europe from ancient to modern times.
Encyclopedias - General -- Online
- Britannica Academic Edition
Contains content from Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary along with other research tools.
Contents: Reference entries, images, video, and primary source materials.
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History by Joel Mokyr (Editor)ISBN: 9780195105070Publication Date: 2003Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field, the Encyclopedia is divided not only by chronological and geographic boundaries, but also by related subfields such as agricultural history, demographic history, business history, and the histories of technology, migration, and transportation.
- A Biographical Dictionary of Women's Movements and Feminisms: Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe, 19th and 20th Centuries by Krassimira Daskalova (Editor); Anna Loutfi (Editor); Francisca DeHaan (Editor); Francisca de Haan (Editor)ISBN: 9789637326394Publication Date: 2006Contains 150 expertly-researched biographical portraits (with pictures) of women and men who were active in, or part of, women's movements and feminisms in 22 countries in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries. The portraits include Romanian princesses, Serbian philosophers and peasants, Latvian and Slovakian novelists, Albanian teachers, Hungarian Catholic social workers, Austrian factory workers, Bulgarian feminist scientists and socialist feminists, Russian radicals and philanthropists, Turkish republican leftist political activists and nationalists, internationally recognized Greek feminist leaders, and so on, from all walks of life.
- The Encyclopedia of European Migration and Minorities by Leo Lucassen (Editor); Jochen Oltmer (Editor); Klaus J. Bade (Editor); Pieter C. Emmer (Editor)ISBN: 9780521895866Publication Date: 2011Migration movements, integration, and multiculturalism have always been part of the history of Europe. Many ethnic groups participated in migration within Europe or into Europe. The first section contains survey studies of the various regions and countries in Europe covering the last centuries. The second sections presents information on about 220 individual groups of migrants from the Sephardic Jews emigration from Spain and Portugal in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the present-day migration of old-age pensioners to the holiday villages in the sun.
- Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction by Gale Editors (Editor)ISBN: 9780684313658Publication Date: 2006The tumultuous recent century of Europe's history is traced in this five-volume set, which picks up the story begun in its companion set, Europe 1789-1914 . Profiling the age of war and reconstruction, Europe Since 1914 details European history from the Bolshevik Revolution to the European Union, linking it to the history of the rest of the world. Many transformations in the European story are covered in this easily accessible collection of about 675 illustrations and 920 articles: Europe sundered by war and genocide, Europe reconfigured after World War II and the Cold War, and Europe making a new place for itself on the world stage.
- A- Z of Modern Europe since 1789 by Martin PolleyISBN: 9780415185974Publication Date: 2000A-Z of Modern Europe 1789-1999 is a comprehensive dictionary which defines modern Europe through its important events and people. It includes entries on: * key people from Napoleon Bonaparte to Hitler * key political and military events * influential political, social, cultural and economic theories.
General Encyclopedias in the library
- Encyclopedia of European Social History from 1350 to 2000Call Number: Reference Stacks HN373 .E63 2001ISBN: 9780684805825Publication Date: 2000The Encyclopedia of European Social History covers all aspects of European social history from the Renaissance to the present. This six-volume reference includes more than 230 articles on everything from serfdom and the economy, to witchcraft and public health.
- Ancient Europe, 8000 B. C. to A. D. 1000: encyclopedia of the Barbarian world by Peter I. Bogucki; Pam J. CrabtreeCall Number: Reference Stacks D62 .A52 2004ISBN: 0684806681Publication Date: 2003This detailed encyclopedia is the first to explore the many peoples of early European civilization. Viewed as "barbarian" through the lens of ancient Greece and Rome, these civilizations were responsible for such accomplishments as the rise of farming in the Neolithic era and the building of Stonehenge. Coverage extends from prehistoric origins through the early Middle Ages (8000 B.C. to A.D. 1000) when tribal movements helped define the end of ancient culture and the rise of the modern European world. Features include 250 black-and-white illustrations; 20 maps; a chronology; a topical outline and index; color frontispieces and two eight-page color inserts; cartographic endpapers; and more.
Ancient Greece and Rome
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome by Michael Gagarin (Editor)ISBN: 9780195170726Publication Date: 2009This multi-volume reference work is a comprehensive overview of the major cultures of the classical Mediterranean world--Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman--from the Bronze Age to the fifth century CE. It also covers the legacy of the classical world and its interpretation and influence in subsequent centuries.
- The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece by Don Nardo; Robert B. Kebric (Consultant Editor)ISBN: 9780737733884Publication Date: 2006This volume presents entries that provide definitions of important terms, biographies of central figures, and brief narratives of pivotal events that transformed ancient Greece.
- The Edinburgh Companion to Ancient Greece and Rome by Edward Bispham (Editor); Thomas Harrison (Editor); Brian Sparkes (Editor)ISBN: 1282136321Publication Date: 2010The Edinburgh Companion is a gateway to the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome. Wide-ranging in its approach, it demonstrates the multifaceted nature of classical civilisation and enables readers to gain guidance in drawing together the perspectives and methods of different disciplines, from philosophy to history, from poetry to archaeology, from art history to numismatics, and many more.
- Sport in the Ancient World from A to Z by Mark GoldenISBN: 9780415248815Publication Date: 2003Sport in the Ancient World from A to Z covers an extraordinarily wide range of Greek and Roman sporting activities. This volume includes more than 700 entries discussing ancient athletes, festivals, important sites, equipment and concepts. Key topics, such as athletic festivals, chariot racing, prizes and the role of women receive more detailed discussion.
- Sex in the Ancient World from A to Z by John G. Younger (Editor)ISBN: 9780415242523Publication Date: 2004John G. Younger examines the sexual practices, expressions and attitudes of the Greeks and Romans, from Catullus and Caligula, to orgies and obscenity, and from abstinence and incest, to pederasty and prostitution. The book opens with an overview of current thinking on ancient sex and sexuality, and goes on to provide an extraordinarily wide coverage of a sexual culture, approaching the subject from the perspectives of literature, history, archaeology and art. Comprehensive, reliable and eye-opening, this A-to-Z illuminates an important aspect of the classical world.
- Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans by Simon K. F. StoddartISBN: 9780810854710Publication Date: 2009The Etruscans were the creators of one of the most highly developed cultures of the pre-Roman Era. Having, at one time, control over a significant part of the Mediterranean, the Etruscans laid the foundation of the city of Rome. They had their own language, which has never been totally decoded, and their art influenced such artists as Michelangelo. While the Etruscans were eventually conquered by the Romans, they left a rich culture behind.
- A Companion to Ancient Greek Government by Hans Beck (Editor)ISBN: 9781405198585Publication Date: 2013This comprehensive volume details the variety of constitutions and types of governing bodies in the ancient Greek world.
- Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia by Gwendolyn LeickISBN: 9780810861824Publication Date: 2009The Greek name Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers." The Romans used this term for an area that they controlled only briefly (between 115 and 117 A.D.): the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, from the south Anatolian mountains ranges to the Persian Gulf. It comprises the civilizations of Sumer and Akkad (third millennium B.C.) as well as the later Babylonian and Assyrian empires of the second and first millennium. Although the "history" of Mesopotamia in the strict sense of the term only begins with the inscriptions of Sumerian rulers around the 27th century B.C., the foundations for Mesopotamian civilization, especially the beginnings of irrigation and the emergence of large permanent settlements, were laid much earlier, in the fifth and fourth millennium.
- The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization by Simon Hornblower; Antony Spawforth; Esther EidinowISBN: 9780198706779Publication Date: 2014Provides sound information on all aspects of classical civilization such as history, politics, ethics, morals, law, society, religion, mythology, science and technology, language, literature, art, and scholarship. The entries in the Companion reflect the changing interdisciplinary aspects of classical studies, covering broad thematic subjects, such as race, nationalism,gender, ethics, and ecology, confirming the impact classical civilizations have had on the modern world.
Medieval Europe
- Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages by André Vauchez (Editor); Adrian Walford (Translator)ISBN: 9780195188172Publication Date: 2005A collaborative work of over 600 scholars from more than forty countries, the Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages provides 3,000 concise and detailed articles on all aspects of the period from the fifth to the fifteenth century. It explores art, architecture, religion, law, science, language, philosophy, and theology, as well as cultural, religious, intellectual, social and political history. With a focus on focus on Europe and Christendom, the Encyclopedia also covers the rise of Islam and people of other cultures with whom Europeans came into contact.
- The Rise of the Medieval World, 500-1300: A biographical dictionary by Jana K. SchulmanISBN: 9780313308178Publication Date: 2002Beginning in 500 with the fusion of classical, Christian, and Germanic cultures and ending in 1300 with a Europe united by a desire for growth, knowledge, and change, this volume provides basic information on the significant cultural figures of the Middle Ages. It includes over 400 people whose contributions in literature, religion, philosophy, education, or politics influenced the development and culture of the Medieval world. While focusing on Western European figures, the book does not neglect those from Byzantium, Baghdad, and the Arab world who also contributed to the politics, religion, and culture of Western Europe. Europe underwent fundamental changes during the Middle Ages. It changed from a preliterate to a literate society. Cities became a vital part of the economy, culture, and social structure. The poor and serfs went to the cities. The devout joined monastic orders. Christianity spread throughout Europe, while a man was born in Mecca who would change the shape of the religious map. Islam spread throughout the Holy Land. Christian piety led to the Crusades. This book provides a convenient guide to those who helped shape these movements and counter-movements during this era that would pave the way for the Renaissance.
- The Late Medieval Age of Crisis and Renewal, 1300-1500: A Biographical Dictionary by Clayton J. DreesISBN: 9780313305887Publication Date: 2000This biographical dictionary provides introductory information on 315 leading cultural figures of late medieval and early modern Europe. The work includes literary, philosophical, artistic, military, religious, humanistic, musical, economic, and exploratory figures. Political figures are included only if they patronized the arts, and coverage focuses on their cultural impact. Figures from western European countries, such as Italy, France, England, Iberia, the Low Countries, and the Holy Roman Empire predominate, but outlying areas such as Scotland, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe are also represented.
- Medieval Jewish Civilization by Norman Roth (Editor)ISBN: 9780415937122Publication Date: 2002This is the first encyclopedic work to focus exclusively on medieval Jewish civilization, from the fall of the Roman Empire to about 1492. .
- Medieval Iberia by E. Michael Gerli (Editor)ISBN: 9780415939188Publication Date: 2002As the first comprehensive reference to the vital world of medieval Spain, this unique volume focuses on the Iberian kingdoms from the fall of the Roman Empire to the aftermath of the Reconquista.
- Medieval France: An encyclopedia by William W. Kibler (Editor); Grover A. Zinn (Editor); John Bell Henneman (Editor); Lawrence Earp (Editor)Call Number: Reference Stacks DC33.2 .M44 1995ISBN: 9780824044442Publication Date: 1995This Encyclopedia covers the political, intellectual, literary, and musical history of France from the early fifth century to the late 15th.
- Medieval Germany: an encyclopedia by John M. Jeep (Editor)Call Number: Reference Stacks DD157 .M43 2001ISBN: 0824076443Publication Date: 2001This A-Z encyclopedia covers the Middle Ages in Germany. It offers the most recent scholarship available, while also providing details on the daily life of medieval Germans.
- The A to Z of the Crusades by Corliss K. SlackISBN: 9780810868151Publication Date: 2009During the late 11th through the early 14th centuries at least seven major expeditions were made between Western Europe and the Holy Land with the goal of ending Muslim control of Jerusalem. Ultimately the crusaders were driven out, but not before a cultural exchange had taken place that had an immense impact on Western Europe and an equally enormous, albeit less positive, impact on Arabs and the Islamic world.
- Historical Dictionary of Medieval Russia by Lawrence N. LangerISBN: 9780810840805Publication Date: 2001The dictionary covers the history of Russia from its founding in the mid-ninth century to the reign of Peter the Great. It contains entries on politics, society, economy, literature, religion, art.
Reformation and Renaissance Europe
- The Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance by Gordon CampbellISBN: 9780198601753Publication Date: 2003The word ''renaissance'', French for ''rebirth'', perfectly describes the intellectual and cultural revival experienced in Europe, starting early in the 14th century and ending early in the 17th century. The Renaissance was a period of intense activity, the fruits of which have had a profound impact on the intellectual history and culture of the whole of Europe and the wider world. Even in the Europe of today there is still much evidence of the enduring influence of the Renaissance--in thought and society as well as in art, architecture, literature, and science. .
- Renaissance and Reformation, 1500-1620: A biographical dictionary by Jo Eldridge CarneyISBN: 9780313305740Publication Date: 2000Covering the period comprising the Renaissance and Reformation, this book covers such figures as the religious leaders who contributed to the Reformation, scientists who paved the way for a new view of the universe, and Renaissance painters, sculptors, and architects, as well as writers, musicians, and scholars. This volume covers those who contributed to the fields of art and architecture, music, philosophy, religion, political and social thought, science, mathematics, literature, history, and education.
- Hutchinson Encyclopedia of the Renaissance by Helicon PublishingISBN: 9781859865446Publication Date: 2005Authoritative companion to the Renaissance, covering not only Italy but developments in the arts, sciences, and ideas across Europe.
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation by Hans J. Hillerbrand (Editor)Call Number: Reference Stacks BR302.8 .O93 1996ISBN: 0195064933Publication Date: 1996In 1517, Martin Luther's legendary Ninety-five Theses set in motion a chain of events that fundamentally altered European history. A critical chapter in the history of Christian thought, the movement provoked political, social, and cultural transformations that profoundly changed the Western world.
- Historical Dictionary of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation by Michael A. MullettISBN: 9780810858152Publication Date: 2010The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century has traditionally been viewed as marking the onset of modernity in Europe. It finally broke up the federal Christendom of the middle ages, under the leadership of the papacy and substituted for it a continent of autonomous and national states, independent of Rome.
Long 19th Century
- Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment by Michel Delon (Editor); Philip Stewart (Translator)Call Number: Reference Stacks B802 .E53 2003ISBN: 157958246XPublication Date: 2001
- The Routledge Companion to European History since 1763 by John Stevenson; Chris CookISBN: 9780415345828Publication Date: 2005-05-16The Routledge Companion to Modern European History since 1763 is a compact and highly accessible work of reference covering the broad sweep of events from the last days of the ancient regime to the ending of the Cold War, and from the reshaping of Eastern Europe to the radical expansion of the European Union in 2004. Within the broad coverage of this outstanding volume, particular attention is given to subjects such as: the era of the Enlightened Despots the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era in France, and the revolutions of 1848 nationalism and imperialism, and the retreat from Empire the First World War, the rise of the European dictators, the coming of the Second World War, the Holocaust, and the post-war development of Europe the Cold War, the Soviet Union and its break up the protest and upheavals of the 1960s, as well as social issues such as the rise of the welfare state, and the changing place of women in society throughout the period.
- A Companion to the French Revolution by Peter McPhee (Editor)ISBN: 9781118316399Publication Date: 2012A Companion to the French Revolution comprises twenty-nine newly-written essays reassessing the origins, development, and impact of this great turning-point in modern history. Examines the origins, development and impact of the French Revolution Features original contributions from leading historians, including six essays translated from French.
- Historical Dictionary of the Napoleonic Era by George F. NafzigerISBN: 9780810840928Publication Date: 2001The author covers one of the most explosive and most exciting periods of world history, spanning the time from the eruption of the French Revolution through the end of the Napoleonic wars (1789-1815). These twenty-six years of history saw the birth of nationalism and Western democracy, economic crisis and political convulsion, the growth of industrialism, the death of ancient traditions, and the birth and break-up of empire. It was the time of Napoleon, who gave his name to this period of tremendous change: the period in which the roots of modern Europe were planted.
Modern Europe
- Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction by Gale Editors (Editor)ISBN: 9780684313658Publication Date: 2006The tumultuous recent century of Europe's history is traced in this five-volume set, which picks up the story begun in its companion set, Europe 1789-1914 . Profiling the age of war and reconstruction, Europe Since 1914 details European history from the Bolshevik Revolution to the European Union, linking it to the history of the rest of the world. Many transformations in the European story are covered in this easily accessible collection of about 675 illustrations and 920 articles: Europe sundered by war and genocide, Europe reconfigured after World War II and the Cold War, and Europe making a new place for itself on the world stage.
- Longman Handbook of Twentieth Century Europe by Chris Cook; John StevensonISBN: 9780582235083Publication Date: 2003The twentieth century was one of constant upheaval across Europe. The continent saw wars, revolutions and the collapse of empires and a range of leading figures from Stolypin and Stalin to Chirac, Schroder and Putin. This book provides a detailed yet wide-ranging guide to the turbulent events of twentieth century Europe. Covering the whole period from Tsarist Russia and Imperial Germany to the Balkan Wars of the 1990's and the final birth of the Euro in 2002, it provides a convenient compendium of key fact and figures for the whole of Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals.
Historical Dictionaries by Country
- Historical Dictionary of Brussels by Paul F. StateISBN: 9780810879201Publication Date: 2015Brussels has become the "capital" of Europe, serving as the headquarters for key regional and international agencies, including the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, UN organizations, multinational businesses, lobbying firms, governmental groups, and nongovernmental organizations. Its status as a diplomatic, political, and economic center assumes ever greater importance as the EU grows in depth and breadth.
- Historical Dictionary of the Catalans by Helena Buffery; Elisenda MarcerISBN: 9780810854833Publication Date: 2010In this reference, Buffery and Marcer cover all of the areas historically inhabited by the Catalan people. These are, in order of size and population: Catalonia, which accounts for over half of the population of the Catalan-speaking areas; Valencia, with over a third; the Balearic Islands with just under 8 percent; and the Catalunya Nord, the Principality of Andorra, and the Catalan-speaking areas within Aragon, Murcia, and Alghero. The Historical Dictionary of the Catalans deals not only with the people who live in Catalonia, but with the language and culture of the Catalan countries as well.
- Historical Dictionary of Austria by Paula Sutter FichtnerISBN: 1282519891Publication Date: 2009Attention has been given to foreign affairs, economic institutions and policies, Austrian financial and commercial relations with the countries of the former Soviet bloc, social issues, religion, and politics.
- Historical Dictionary of Modern Greece by Dimitris KeridisISBN: 9780810859982Publication Date: 2009Located on the southern-most tip of the Balkan peninsula in Europe's southeast, Greece is a small country of some 11 million people. And while few people have a longer history than the Greeks, Modern Greece is a fairly young country, having been founded in 1830. Greece has come a long way since then; it has been a client state, first of Britain and then of the United States, for much of its modern existence but now it has secured an equal place at the top tables of NATO and the EU.
- Historical Dictionary of Switzerland by Leo SchelbertISBN: 9781442233515Publication Date: 2014Switzerland's exceptional scenic beauty of valleys, lakes, and mountains, its central location on international trade routes, and its world famous banking system are just a few elements that have contributed to its rise in the global market. It consists of twenty-six member states, called cantons and it's actively engaged in the maintenance of peace among nations. The history of the Swiss Confederation is as rich and varied as its culture and people.
- Historical Dictionary of Ireland by Andrew McCarthyISBN: 9780810850774Publication Date: 2013All places undergo change, but in few has this change been quite as sweeping as Ireland - both the independent Republic of Ireland and dependent Northern Ireland - so it is good to see where it is heading at present. Obviously, that has to be judged on the background of where it is coming from, not only over the past decade or so but over centuries and, indeed, millennia.
- Historical Dictionary of Lithuania by Saulius SuziedelisISBN: 9780810849143Publication Date: 2011The Lithuanian people have undergone historic changes quite different from those of other European nations. In earlier centuries geography provided strategic advantage and opportunities for expansion but in recent times the country has more often experienced location as a geopolitical curse.
- Historical Dictionary of the Russian Federation by Vlad Strukov; Robert A. SaundersISBN: 9780810854758Publication Date: 2010Straddling Europe and Asia, the Russian Federation is the largest country in the world and home to a panoply of religious and ethnic groups from the Muslim Tatars to the Buddhist Buryats. The volume includes coverage of pivotal movements, events, and persons in the late Soviet Union (1985-1991) and contemporary Russia (1991-present), as well as detailed entries covering the country's expansive geography, unique culture, diverse ethnic groups, and complex political and social environment.
- Historical Dictionary of Modern Italy by Mark Gilbert; K. Robert NilssonISBN: 9780810856028Publication Date: 2007Modern Italy has consistently been a political laboratory for the rest of Europe. In the 19th century, Italian patriotism was of crucial importance in the struggle against the absolute governments reintroduced after the Congress of Vienna, 1814-15. After the fall of Fascism during World War II, Italy became a model of rapid economic development, though its politics has never been less than contentious and its democracy has remained a troubled one.