A revisionist new biography reintroducing readers to one of the most subversive figures in English history--the man who sought to reform a nation, dared to defy his king, and laid down his life to defend his sacred honor Beckets life story has been often told but never so incisively reexamined and vividly rendered as it is in John Guys hands. The son of middle-class Norman parents, Becket rose against all odds to become the second most powerful man in England. As King Henry IIs chancellor, Becket charmed potentates and popes, tamed overmighty barons, and even personally led knights into battle. After his royal patron elevated him to archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, however, Becket clashed with the King. Forced to choose between fealty to the crown and the values of his faith, he repeatedly challenged Henrys authority to bring the church to heel. Drawing on the full panoply of medieval sources, Guy sheds new light on the relationship between the two men, separates truth from centuries of mythmaking, and casts doubt on the long-held assumption that the headstrong rivals were once close friends. He also provides the fullest accounting yet for Beckets seemingly radical transformation from worldly bureaucrat to devout man of God.
Here is a Becket seldom glimpsed in any previous biography, a man of many facets and faces: the skilled warrior as comfortable unhorsing an opponent in single combat as he was negotiatingterms of surrender; the canny diplomat with the appetite of a wolf who unexpectedly became the spiritual paragon of the English church; and the ascetic rebel who waged a high-stakes contest of wills with one of the most volcanic monarchs of the Middle Ages. Driven into exile, derided by his enemies as an ungrateful upstart, Becket returned to Canterbury in the unlikeliest guise of all: as an avenging angel of God, wielding his power of excommunication like a sword. It is this last apparition, the one for which history remembers him best, that will lead to his martyrdom at the hands of the kings minions--a grisly episode that Guy recounts in chilling and dramatic detail.
An uncommonly intimate portrait of one of the medieval worlds most magnetic figures, Thomas Becket breathes new life into its subject--cementing for all time his place as an enduring icon of resistance to the abuse of power.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Kansas City Star Bloomberg From the Hardcover edition.
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A groundbreaking examination of how the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn sent shockwaves across a continent and changed England forever.

''In many places, where once we had speculation, we now have certainty. This book is at once an education and a joy to read'' LITERARY REVIEW
''Combines meticulously researched history and contemporary voices with narrative flair'' SUNDAY TIMES
''Anne Boleyn comes alive in this impressive study . . . Moves and informs'' THE TIMES

The story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is one of the most remarkable in history: a long courtship followed by a shotgun wedding and then a coronation, ending just short of three years later when a husband''s passion turned to such hatred that he simply wanted his wife gone. In Hunting the Falcon, John Guy and Julia Fox examine the most recent archival discoveries and peel back layers of historical myth to present Anne and Henry in startlingly new ways. They show how Anne and Henry''s relationship was tied almost completely to the major events of international politics at one of the great turning points of European history, and dispel any assumptions that a sixteenth-century woman, even a queen, could exert little influence on the politics and beliefs of a patriarchal society. Anne was in fact a shrewd and ruthless politician in her own right, a woman who steered Henry and his policies - and whom Henry seriously contemplated making joint sovereign.

Hunting the Falcon sets the facts and some completely new finds into a wide frame, unearthing the truth about these two extraordinary lives and their tumultuous times. It pays particular attention to the seven ''missing'' years that Anne spent in France, and explores how she organised her side of the royal court in novel ways that ultimately sowed the seeds of her own downfall. In this feat of historical research and analysis, Guy and Fox offer a sumptuous retelling of one of the most consequential marriages in history and an exhilarating portrait of love, lust, politics and power.

''Better than Wolf Hall because it''s all true'' ANDREW ROBERTS
''A sumptuous drama of lust, intrigue and betrayal, underpinned by the harsh reality of politics'' AMANDA FOREMAN> Lire la suite Fermer

Recto : représentation de l'illustration, nom de l'illustrateur, nom de l'auteur et titre de l'oeuvre en marquage à chaudVerso : passage du texte, présentation de l'oeuvre, caractéristiques techniques ((dimensions, type de papier, «À encadrer», «À manipuler avec précautions» etc.)Étui renforcé par un carton.

The story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is one of the most remarkable in history: a long courtship followed by a shotgun wedding and then a coronation, ending just short of three years later when a husband''s passion turned to such hatred that he simply wanted his wife gone. Missing from most accounts is how the turbulent nature of Anne and Henry''s relationship was tied almost completely to the major events of international politics at one of the great turning points of British and European history. This was a marriage that convulsed not just a nation, but a whole continent.

Drawing on new archival documents, startling artefactual discoveries and reinterpretations of long-misunderstood sources, John Guy and Julia Fox unearth the truth of these two extraordinary lives and their tumultuous times. They pay particular attention to the formative years Anne spent in the French courts while Henry learned how to be king among English courtiers - and dispel any lingering assumptions that a sixteenth-century woman, even a queen, could exert little to no influence on the politics and beliefs of a patriarchal society. Hunting the Falcon is a sumptuous retelling of one of the most consequential marriages in history and a startling portrait of love, lust, politics and power.> Lire la suite Fermer

Au-delà des discours partisans et alarmistes, il est important de s'interroger sur les défis auxquels le Québec sera confronté que le Oui l'ait emporté ou non. Les auteurs nous proposent une analyse des causes ayant mené aux relations actuelles avec le reste du Canada de même qu'une réflexion sur les défis qui se présentent au lendemain du référendum.

La Guerre Solaire Après des années de guerre dévastatrice, Horus et ses forces approchent enfin de Terra. Mais avant de poser le pied sur le Monde Trône, ils doivent vaincre les défenses du système Sol. De puissantes flottes et des fortifications bien conçues leur font obstacle - mais est-il seulement possible de barrer la route à l'armada des félons?
Les Égarés et les Damnés
La Guerre Solaire est finie. Le Siège de Terra commence. Les traîtres déchaînent leurs armes les plus meurtrières, et les défenseurs du Monde-trône vivent un cauchemar sur fond d'épidémie - mais Terra doit tenir.

La collaboration entre des chercheurs français et québécois a alimenté, durant les dernières décennies, de nombreuses recherches comparatives sur le monde rural. Dans les années 1990, l´étude des modes de transmission des biens a constitué le principal champ de réflexion. Aujourd´hui, cette recherche s´élargit au Canada anglais et à la Suisse, tandis que les études se concentrent désormais sur la famille et les transformations économiques dans le monde rural. Ces nouvelles recherches offrent une vision nuancée de l´insertion du monde rural préindustriel dans l´économie de marché en soulignant tantôt les avancées, tantôt les limites devant la persistance d´une dimension plus communautaire de la vie rurale. Le marché, sous ces multiples facettes, s´avère un puissant facteur de changement. Il représente un instrument de dépendance des familles paysannes envers le monde extérieur.Le colloque de Montréal, tenu en novembre 2001, complète la première étape de ces nouvelles recherches qui ont permis la tenue d´un autre colloque à Paris à l´automne 2002. Ce colloque a également apporté une contribution à l´étude des phénomènes migratoires qui constitueront l´élément principal de la prochaine rencontre du groupe à Genève, à l´automne 2003.
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