A magisterial world history unlike any other that tells the story of humanity through the one thing we all have in common: families • From the New York Times best-selling author of The Romanovs“Succession meets Game of Thrones.” —Daily Mail Plus • “The author brings his cast of dynastic titans, rogues and psychopaths to life...An epic that both entertains and informs.” —The Economist,Best Books of the YearAround 950,000 years ago, a family of five walked along the beach and left behind the oldest family footprints ever discovered. For award-winning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, these poignant, familiar fossils serve as an inspiration for a new kind of world history, one that is genuinely global, spans all eras and all continents, and focuses on the family ties that connect every one of us.In this epic, ever-surprising book, Montefiore chronicles the worlds great dynasties across human history through palace intrigues, love affairs, and family lives, linking grand themes of war, migration, plague, religion, and technology to the people at the heart of the human drama. It features a cast of extraordinary diversity: in addition to rulers and conquerors, there are priests, charlatans, artists, scientists, tycoons, gangsters, lovers, husbands, wives, and children. There is Hongwu, the beggar who founded the Ming dynasty; Ewuare, the Leopard-King of Benin; Henry Christophe, King of Haiti; Kamehameha, the conqueror of Hawaii; Zenobia, the Arab empress who defied Rome; Lady Murasaki, the first female novelist; Sayyida al-Hurra, the Moroccan pirate-queen. Here too are moderns such as Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelensky. Here are the Caesars, Medicis and Incas, Ottomans and Mughals, Bonapartes, Habsburgs and Zulus, Rothschilds, Rockefellers and Krupps, Churchills, Kennedys, Castros, Nehrus, Pahlavis and Kenyattas, Saudis, Kims and Assads. These powerful families represent the breadth of human endeavor, with bloody succession battles, treacherous conspiracies, and shocking megalomania alongside flourishing culture, moving romances, and enlightened benevolence. A dazzling achievement as spellbinding as fiction, The World captures the whole human story in a single, masterful narrative.
"The World: A Family History of Humanity" by Simon Sebag Montefiore
In his monumental work, "The World: A Family History of Humanity", Simon Sebag Montefiore embarks on an epic journey through the annals of human history, tracing the interconnected lives and stories of individuals and families across time and continents. Spanning from the dawn of civilization to the modern era, Montefiore weaves a tapestry of human experience, revealing the common threads that bind us together as a species.
Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, Montefiore brings to life the lives of remarkable men and women from all walks of life. From ancient rulers and explorers to ordinary people who made extraordinary contributions, he paints a vivid picture of the human spirit in all its complexity and diversity. Montefiore's narrative is punctuated by insightful analysis, drawing parallels between different eras and cultures, and shedding light on the forces that have shaped the course of human history.
The book is a testament to the enduring power of the human story. Montefiore deftly weaves together personal narratives with historical events, showing how the lives of individuals are inextricably linked to the larger currents of history. He explores the themes of love, loss, ambition, and sacrifice, delving into the human heart to reveal the universal truths that connect us all.
"The World: A Family History of Humanity" is a must-read for anyone interested in history, anthropology, or the human experience. Montefiore's masterful storytelling and his ability to synthesize vast amounts of information into a compelling narrative make this book a tour de force of historical writing.
