Author: Sam Ottewill-Soulsby
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691227969
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 384
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Book Description
A new history of Christian-Muslim relations in the Carolingian period that provides a fresh account of events by drawing on Arabic as well as western sources In the year 802, an elephant arrived at the court of the Emperor Charlemagne in Aachen, sent as a gift by the ʿAbbasid Caliph, Harun al-Rashid. This extraordinary moment was part of a much wider set of diplomatic relations between the Carolingian dynasty and the Islamic world, including not only the Caliphate in the east but also Umayyad al-Andalus, North Africa, the Muslim lords of Italy and a varied cast of warlords, pirates and renegades. The Emperor and the Elephant offers a new account of these relations. By drawing on Arabic sources that help explain how and why Muslim rulers engaged with Charlemagne and his family, Sam Ottewill-Soulsby provides a fresh perspective on a subject that has until now been dominated by and seen through western sources. The Emperor and the Elephant demonstrates the fundamental importance of these diplomatic relations to everyone involved. Charlemagne and Harun al-Rashid’s imperial ambitions at home were shaped by their dealings abroad. Populated by canny border lords who lived in multiple worlds, the long and shifting frontier between al-Andalus and the Franks presented both powers with opportunities and dangers, which their diplomats sought to manage. Tracking the movement of envoys and messengers across the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean and beyond, and the complex ideas that lay behind them, this book examines the ways in which Christians and Muslims could make common cause in an age of faith.
Author: Timothy Severin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780230769106
Category : Anglo-Saxons
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
The second book in Tim Severin's thrilling historical adventure series set in Saxon timesSigwulf, a Saxon prince exiled to the court of Carolus, King of the Franks, is summoned by the royal advisor Alcuin of York. Carolus has received magnificent gifts from the Caliph of Baghdad and is determined to send back presents that will be equally sensational. White is the royal colour of Baghdad so the most important gifts will be rare white animals from the Northlands. Sigwulf, having proved himself as a royal agent to Moorish Spain, has been selected to obtain the creatures, then take them to Baghdad. He must find white gyrfalcons and two white polar bears and - as Carolus has seen its picture in a book of beasts - a unicorn. He and his companions travel far into the north. Though they obtain some of the animals, they quickly realize that not all are even real. Setting out for Baghdad with their menagerie, they encounter danger after danger and it seems that someone is trying to wreck their mission . . . with each stage of the long journey bringing a new and unexpected peril . . .
Author: Tim Severin
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 0230766870
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 351
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Book Description
The Emperor's Elephant by Tim Severin is the exciting second book in Saxon, the historical adventure series full of exploration and captivating characters. Sigwulf, a Saxon prince exiled to the court of Carolus, King of the Franks, is summoned by the royal advisor Alcuin of York. Carolus has received magnificent gifts from the Caliph of Baghdad and is determined to send back presents that will be equally sensational. White is the royal colour of Baghdad so the most important gifts will be rare white animals from the Northlands. Sigwulf, having proved himself as a royal agent to Moorish Spain, has been selected to obtain the creatures, then take them to Baghdad. He must find white gyrfalcons and two white polar bears and – as Carolus has seen its picture in a book of beasts – a unicorn. He and his companions travel far into the north. Though they obtain some of the animals, they quickly realize that not all are even real. Setting out for Baghdad with their menagerie, they encounter danger after danger and it seems that someone is trying to wreck their mission, with each stage of the long journey bringing a new and unexpected peril . . .
Author: Nik Ranieri
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781632323767
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
Follow the adventures of Quinn, the mouse, who sets out to find his own spot in the great forest. A large rainstorm creates a rushing torrent of water that sweeps him away leaving him lost and alone. Remembering advice from his dad, he tries to seek out the Great Elephant for help. Along the way he meets other forest animals who claim to know about the Great Elephant and, out of desperation; he follows some of their advice only to find he's been led down the wrong path. In his greatest moment of need, will the Great Elephant hear his cry for help? In the time-honored and classic style of fables that teach truth, the allegory of The Great Elephant arrives to be added to the treasury of storybooks for teaching children and enriching adults. And the truth beautifully and cleverly rising out of the story is the greatest of all truths - finding the way to God.
Author: Karen Neis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781643721071
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 36
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Book Description
"At the beginning of the ninth century, the caliph of Baghdad sent an extraordinary gift to Emperor Charlemagne: an elephant named Abul-Abbas. The kings were very happy - but Abul-Abbas was not!What must it have been like to travel with a homesick elephant and his grumpy companion, Isaac? Go on a medieval adventure with illustrations inspired by historic manuscripts and treasures."
Author: Judith Tarr
Publisher: Clarion Books
ISBN: 9780152007379
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Charlemagne's daughter must call on her own magic and the power of a young Breton and a special elephant to save her father from a deadly Byzantine spell.
Author: Eviatar Zerubavel
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198040520
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 177
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Book Description
The fable of the Emperor's New Clothes is a classic example of a conspiracy of silence, a situation where everyone refuses to acknowledge an obvious truth. But the denial of social realities--whether incest, alcoholism, corruption, or even genocide-is no fairy tale. In The Elephant in the Room, Eviatar Zerubavel sheds new light on the social and political underpinnings of silence and denial-the keeping of "open secrets." The author shows that conspiracies of silence exist at every level of society, ranging from small groups to large corporations, from personal friendships to politics. Zerubavel shows how such conspiracies evolve, illuminating the social pressures that cause people to deny what is right before their eyes. We see how each conspirator's denial is symbiotically complemented by the others', and we learn that silence is usually more intense when there are more people conspiring-and especially when there are significant power differences among them. He concludes by showing that the longer we ignore "elephants," the larger they loom in our minds, as each avoidance triggers an even greater spiral of denial. Drawing on examples from newspapers and comedy shows to novels, children's stories, and film, the book travels back and forth across different levels of social life, and from everyday moments to large-scale historical events. At its core, The Elephant in the Room helps us understand why we ignore truths that are known to all of us.
Author: Ting-xing Ye
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781550375268
Category : Children's stories
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
"Chaos follows when a talented baby elephant is too sad to entertain the greedy Emperor of China. Then 7-year-old Hei-dou comes up with a solution" Cf. Our choice, 1998-1999.
Author: Mary Tavener Holmes
Publisher: Two Lions
ISBN: 9780761461111
Category : Elephants
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Relates the story, told by a monk named Notker the Stammerer, of how the Emperor Charlemagne sent an ambassador to Baghdad, the center of the Muslim world, to learn about the great ruler in the East, Haroun al Rashid. Includes notes on the factual basis of the story.
Author: Karen Backstein
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781484403129
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 48
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Book Description
This is a retelling of the fable about six blind men who each get a limited understanding of what an elephant is by feeling only one part of it.
