Caroline Boggis-Rolfe – författare

Adriatic spans over two thousand years of history and the whole of the eastern Mediterranean region around the Adriatic Sea and part of the neighbouring Ionian Sea. Ever since the Romans, these lands and their peoples have experienced the coming and going of great empires, including occupation by the British in recent centuries, and the demise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the First World War, which had its origins in this combustible region. The book untangles a rich and complex history into the twentieth century, before the former Yugoslavia once again fractured.The fascinating and highly accessible account emphasises the interplay between different parts of the Adriatic: on the plus side, the alliances that countries formed, often through trade or royal marriage, and on the negative side, the rivalries that divided states and ended in war, invasion or the overthrow of government. The narrative is filled with personal stories of individuals from many different periods that illuminate the real issues of their day, and explores the political, cultural and economic developments, together with the major conflicts from earliest Roman times, through the Crusades, right up to the battles of the Second World War.

The Baltic Story recounts the shared history of the countries around the Baltic, from the events of a thousand years ago to today. It shows the ties of blood and commerce that have bound the different lands which now lie in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Western Russia and eastern Germany. The narrative encompasses the foundation of some of Europe’s greatest cities, including St Petersburg, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Gdánsk. The earliest settlers created a commercial network. As these Hansa merchants became wealthier, they began to impose on the political affairs of their neighbours.In Poland, descendants of her first rulers eventually united their territories and created a state offering religious tolerance and an elective monarchy. Meanwhile, one of Europe’s most ancient dynasties, the Oldenburgs, assumed power in Denmark, but the king was deposed after his massacre of Swedish nobles. When Gustav Vasa takes the Swedish throne, the Kalmar Union collapses. The Catholic king of Poland invades Russia and his son is elected tsar. Russia’s turmoil ends with the election of Michael, the first of the Romanovs. As the feud between the Poles and Swedes continues, Karl X ravages Poland and moves on to Denmark, where he crosses the frozen sea to attack Copenhagen. Having stood firm against further Swedish assault, the Danish king attains absolute power.This history shows the growth of autocracy, from Denmark’s absolutist kings to the opulent world of the eighteenth-century Russian empresses. It analyses the period of the Enlightenment, in particular the achievements of Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine II of Russia and the problems facing Poland that ended with the country’s collapse. And it shows how Enlightenment thinking influenced Denmark and Sweden and rocked the monarchies. It also explores the threat of Napoleon’s France to the Baltic and the impact of the First World War and the Russian Revolution, which led to the radical re-shaping of the region.