The First Imperial Age explores with subtlety and vigour the origins of Europe's rise to world hegemony in the early modern period, in a survey which brings together a huge range of Geoffrey Scammell's own and other recent research. After a slow start in the 1400s, the pace of European exploration and discovery quickened dramatically. By the end of the period, Europeans in pursuit of Asia and the opportunities encountered en route had determined the outlines of the Africa land mass, discovered and partly subjugated the Americas, opened a sea route to the Far East and established themselves in the great maritime economy of Asia. Europe became a world trader; indigenous people the world over were converted to Christianity; colonies became matters of dispute between European states, and although European knowledge of the worlds they discovered were largely confined to their coastlines, they know enought to feel thay had at last surpassed the deeds of antiquity. Geofrrey Scammell's detached and sceptical view highlights the ambiguities inherent in these triumphs: Europe rose to wealth and power at painful cost to much of the rest of the world, and set in train an enduring legacy of racial tension. The book takes an original approach to its subject. After outlining the salient features of the story, it is organised around broad themes: the reasons for Europe's expansion, how Europeaans could establish themselves in some part of the world and not others, the ways in which they exploited their new possessions; the nature of colonial societies; the influence of Europe on empire; and the nature of imperial experience.

Enlightenment thinkers, searching for ancient models to understand contemporary affairs, were the first to critically interpret Alexander the Great’s achievements. As Pierre Briant shows, in their minds Alexander was the first European: an empire builder who welcomed trade with the “Orient” and brought Western civilization to its oppressed peoples.

A new history explores how one of Renaissance ItalyÕs leading cities maintained its influence in an era of global exploration, trade, and empire. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was not an imperial power, but it did harbor global ambitions. After abortive attempts at overseas colonization and direct commercial expansion, as Brian Brege shows, Tuscany followed a different path, one that allowed it to participate in EuropeÕs new age of empire without establishing an empire of its own. The first history of its kind, Tuscany in the Age of Empire offers a fresh appraisal of one of the foremost cities of the Italian Renaissance, as it sought knowledge, fortune, and power throughout Asia, the Americas, and beyond. How did Tuscany, which could not compete directly with the growing empires of other European states, establish a global presence? First, Brege shows, Tuscany partnered with larger European powers. The duchy sought to obtain trade rights within their empires and even manage portions of other statesÕ overseas territories. Second, Tuscans invested in cultural, intellectual, and commercial institutions at home, which attracted the knowledge and wealth generated by EuropeÕs imperial expansions. Finally, Tuscans built effective coalitions with other regional powers in the Mediterranean and the Islamic world, which secured the duchyÕs access to global products and empowered the Tuscan monarchy in foreign affairs. These strategies allowed Tuscany to punch well above its weight in a world where power was equated with the sort of imperial possessions it lacked. By finding areas of common interest with stronger neighbors and forming alliances with other marginal polities, a small state was able to protect its own security while carving out a space as a diplomatic and intellectual hub in a globalizing Europe.

This book explores how introductory methods shaped intellectual activity in various fields of thought of the post-Hellenistic Age and Late Antiquity by framing them in a wider interdisciplinary framework.

The British Imperial Century provides a concise but comprehensive overview of the formation and administration of the empire from its origins in the early nineteenth century, to its climax at mid-century and ultimate denouement on the eve of the First World War.Considering the impact of British imperial rule and influence on subject peoples, Timothy H. Parsons explores the themes of cross-cultural social and environmental interaction from a world history perspective. He traces the transition from informal to formal empire, which broadened and intensified Britain's relations with Asia, Africa, and the western hemisphere. The establishment of extensive colonies and protectorates in Africa, the occupation of Egypt, the declaration of the Raj in India, and increased economic and political intervention in Latin America and in the Chinese and Ottoman empires brought ever-larger numbers of non-European peoples and cultures under either the influence or direct authority of the British Crown. By considering British imperialism through the lens of world history, Parsons moves beyond questions of Britain's motives in acquiring more territory to ask how it was able to acquire such an empire. As a global network of exchanges, the British Empire linked disparate regions in a series of distinct but overlapping exchanges. By co-opting and adapting the values and customs of their subjects imperial rulers strengthened their authority and legitimacy, but in doing so produced a hybrid culture that was largely British in style but not entirely British in substance. An ambitious and thoughtful contribution, The British Imperial Century will be invaluable for courses on world history and European history and as a supplement for courses on African, Asian, British, and Middle Eastern history.