Dynasties
A Global History of Power, 1300–1800

A vibrant and broad-ranging study of dynastic power in the late medieval and early modern world.

Jeroen Duindam (Author)

9781107637580, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 1 October 2015

435 pages, 8 b/w illus. 60 colour illus. 3 maps
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.9 cm, 0.7 kg

'This book is an instantly enjoyable read, a sprightly tour which takes the reader from Constantinople to Kyoto, from Benin to Versailles. It is written with clarity and elegance, packed with highly quotable sentences. Its scope is so big that anyone picking up the volume will glean from it new information and memorable nuggets … The book is an evocative, bright patchwork.' Natalia Nowakowska, The English Historical Review

For thousands of years, societies have fallen under the reign of a single leader, ruling as chief, king, or emperor. In this fascinating global history of medieval and early modern dynastic power, Jeroen Duindam charts the rise and fall of dynasties, the rituals of rulership, and the contested presence of women on the throne. From European, African, Mughal, Ming-Qing and Safavid dynasties to the Ottoman Empire, Tokugawa Japan and Chos?n Korea, he reveals the tension between the ideals of kingship and the lives of actual rulers, the rich variety of arrangements for succession, the households or courts which catered to rulers' daily needs, and the relationship between the court and the territories under its control. The book integrates numerous African examples, sets dynasties within longer-term developments such as the rise of the state, and examines whether the tensions inherent in dynastic power led inexorably to cycles of ascent and decline.

Introduction
1. Rulers: position versus person
2. Dynasty: reproduction and succession
3. At court: spaces, groups, balances
4. Realm: connections and interactions
Conclusion
Glossary
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], European history [HBJD]