The Middle Kingdoms

A New History of Central Europe

By: Martyn Rady

Narrated by: John Curless

An essential new history of Central Europe, the contested lands so often at the heart of world history 

Central Europe has long been infamous as a region beset by war, a place where empires clashed and world wars began. In The Middle Kingdoms, Martyn Rady offers the definitive history of the region, demonstrating that Central Europe has always been more than merely the fault line between West and East. Even as Central European powers warred with their neighbors, the region developed its own cohesive identity and produced tremendous accomplishments in politics, society, and culture. Central Europeans launched the Reformation and Romanticism, developed the philosophy of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, and advanced some of the twentieth century’s most important artistic movements.

Drawing on a lifetime of research and scholarship, The Middle Kingdoms tells as never before the captivating story of two thousand years of Central Europe’s history and its enduring significance in world affairs.

Fascinating and engaging

Excellent survey book on the history of Central Europe. Can’t imagine there’s a better single volume that covers this history

A comprehensive look at a misunderstood history

Although broad in scope and detailed in content, this historical look at a generally poorly understood region is lively and quite readable. Reminiscent of a good novel, it moves along briskly, with intrigue and continuity, leading almost to the present day. It’s a work of profound erudition.

Amazing narrative

This has been the comprehensive historical work on central Europe I've been waiting for. It goes in depth into origins and histories of the lesser written about countries such as Poland, Hungary, Polmeralia and Pomerania and more importantly, how they all interacted and impacted each other. 10/10.

Great History

The book is informative hilarious at times, well read, and engaging. I would absolutely recommend.

Great book

I really enjoyed the performance and the story. The book covers comprehensively covers the history of Central Europe over a vast amount of time.