Books with author Jane Abbott

One of the shrewdest and most intelligent rulers the English monarchy has ever known, Queen Elizabeth is an entertaining biography of an unyielding and forceful ruler during one of the England's most critical periods.Illustrated throughout to enhance the reading experience.Contents include:Elizabeth's Mother.The Childhood of a Princess.Lady Jane Grey.The Spanish Match.Elizabeth in the Tower.Accession to the ThroneThe War in Scotland.Elizabeth's Lovers.Personal Character.The Invincible Armada.The Earl of Essex.The Conclusion.

ABOUT five or six hundred years before Christ, almost the whole of the interior of Asia was united in one vast empire. The founder of this empire was Cyrus the Great. He was originally a Persian; and the whole empire is often called the Persian monarchy, taking its name from its founder's native land. Cyrus was not contented with having annexed to his dominion all the civilized states of Asia. In the latter part of his life, he conceived the idea that there might possibly be some additional glory and power to be acquired in subduing certain half-savage regions in the north, beyond the Araxes. He accordingly raised an army, and set off on an expedition for this purpose, against a country which was governed by a barbarian queen named Tomyris. He met with a variety of adventures on this expedition, all of which are fully detailed in our history of Cyrus. There is, however, only one occurrence that it is necessary to allude to particularly here. That one relates to a remarkable dream which he had one night, just after he had crossed the river...

Cyrus II of Persia (Old Persian: KUURUUSHA[4] Kūruš; New Persian: کوروش Kurosh ; c. 600 or 576 – 530 BC),[5] commonly known as Cyrus the Great [6] (Persian: کوروش بزرگ‎‎, Kourosh-e-Bozorg) and also called Cyrus the Elder by the Greeks, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.[7] Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East,[7] expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia and the Caucasus. From the Mediterranean Sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen.[8] Under his successors, the empire eventually stretched from parts of the Balkans (Bulgaria-Paeonia) and Thrace-Macedonia in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east. His regal titles in full were The Great King, King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, and King of the Four Corners of the World.The reign of Cyrus the Great lasted between 29 and 31 years. Cyrus built his empire by conquering first the Median Empire, then the Lydian Empire and eventually the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Either before or after Babylon, he led an expedition into central Asia, which resulted in major campaigns that were described as having brought "into subjection every nation without exception".[9] Cyrus did not venture into Egypt, as he himself died in battle, fighting the Massagetae along the Syr Darya in December 530 BC.[10][11] He was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II, who managed to add to the empire by conquering Egypt, Nubia, and Cyrenaica during his short rule.

A beautiful and stimulating biography of Xerxes, King of the Persian Empire and would-be conqueror of Greece. Immerse yourself in the splendor and horror of the ancient world as seen through the eyes of one of the most devastating kings to ever live. Fully illustrated throughout to enhance the reading experience, this eBook is formatted for Kindle devices and the Kindle for iOS apps.

Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart[3] or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567 and Queen consort of France from 10 July 1559 to 5 December 1560.Mary, the only surviving legitimate child of King James V of Scotland, was six days old when her father died and she acceded to the throne. She spent most of her childhood in France while Scotland was ruled by regents, and in 1558, she married the Dauphin of France, Francis. He ascended the French throne as King Francis II in 1559, and Mary briefly became queen consort of France, until his death in December 1560. Widowed, Mary returned to Scotland, arriving in Leith on 19 August 1561. Four years later, she married her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, but their union was unhappy. In February 1567, his residence was destroyed by an explosion, and Darnley was found murdered in the garden.James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, was generally believed to have orchestrated Darnley's death, but he was acquitted of the charge in April 1567, and the following month he married Mary. Following an uprising against the couple, Mary was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. On 24 July 1567, she was forced to abdicate in favour of James, her one-year-old son by Darnley. After an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, she fled southwards seeking the protection of her first cousin once removed, Queen Elizabeth I of England. Mary had previously claimed Elizabeth's throne as her own and was considered the legitimate sovereign of England by many English Catholics, including participants in a rebellion known as the Rising of the North. Perceiving her as a threat, Elizabeth had her confined in various castles and manor houses in the interior of England. After eighteen and a half years in custody, Mary was found guilty of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth, and was subsequently beheaded.

Jacob Abbott was one of the most prolific American writers of history in the nineteenth century, writing many biographies on the world’s most influential leaders in a clear and exciting style. This comprehensive volume, first published in 1849 and part of Abbott’s Illustrated Histories series, details the remarkable and fascinating life of William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England. The king’s life is researched and recorded thoroughly, chronicling the years from his illegitimate birth to his calamitous burial. Born in Normandy and promised the throne of England by King Edward, William decided to invade the country after another contender for the crown took the throne. Abbott recounts the famous Battle of Hastings in great detail, and with an enthralling narrative captures the young conqueror’s struggles, ambition, and aspirations during his time in power. William the Conqueror’s reign in England significantly transformed the country, whose residents resented being ruled by a foreigner who relied entirely upon his army to keep the country in subjugation and who suppressed their many revolts. With a brief history of the Saxon and Danish kings of England and the dukes of Normandy, and original engravings, this book is great for anyone interested in the political struggles of the Middle Ages, and is a valuable addition to any history buff’s library.

Alexander the Great was a king of the Greek kingdom of Macedon. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander succeeded his father, Philip II, to the throne at the age of twenty. He spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa, until by the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to Egypt and into present-day Pakistan. He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of history's most successful commanders.Alexander's legacy includes the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered. He founded some twenty cities that bore his name, most notably Alexandria in Egypt. Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and the resulting spread of Greek culture in the east resulted in a new Hellenistic civilization, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-15th century. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mold of Achilles, and he features prominently in the history and myth of Greek and non-Greek cultures. He became the measure against which military leaders compared themselves, and military academies throughout the world still teach his tactics.

A beautifully written biographical history of King Richard II. Fully illustrated throughout to enhance the reading experience.Contents include:Richard's Predecessors.Quarrels.The Black Prince.The Battle of Poictiers.Childhood of Richard.Accession to the Throne.The Coronation.Chivalry.Wat Tyler's Insurrection.The End of the Insurrection.Good Queen Anne.Incidents of the Reign.The Little Queen.Richard's Deposition and Death.