If there is a fundamental truth of geopolitics, it is this: whoever controls the core of Europe controls the entire continent, and whoever controls all of Europe can dominate the world. Over the past five centuries, a rotating cast of kings and conquerors, presidents and dictators have set their sights on the European heartland, desperate to seize this pivotal area or at least prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. From Charles V and Napoleon to Bismarck and Cromwell, from Hitler and Stalin to Roosevelt and Gorbachev, nearly all the key power players of modern history have staked their titanic visions on this vital swath of land.

In "Europe," prizewinning historian Brendan Simms presents an authoritative account of the past half-millennium of European history, demonstrating how the battle for mastery there has shaped the modern world. Beginning in 1453, when the collapse of the Byzantine Empire laid Europe open to Ottoman incursion and prompted the dramatic expansion of the Holy Roman Empire, Simms leads readers through the epic struggle for the heart of Europe. Stretching from the Low Countries through Germany and into the North Italian plain, this relatively compact zone has historically been the richest and most productive on earth. For hundreds of years, its crucial strategic importance stoked a seemingly unending series of conflicts, from the English Civil War to the French Revolution to the appalling world wars of the 20th century. But when Europe is in harmony, Simms shows, the entire world benefits--a lesson that current leaders would do well to remember.

A bold and compelling work by a renowned scholar, "Europe" integrates religion, politics, military strategy, and international relations to show how history--and Western civilization itself--was forged in the crucible of Europe.

布伦丹·西姆斯，历史学家，剑桥大学国际关系史专家，他的研究涉及英国、德国、美国的外交关系历史，在时间跨度上则同时包括近代与现代。他在2002年出版的《最糟的时刻》（Unfinest Hour）回顾英国政府1990年代初在巴尔干问题上的失误，曾获得英国非小说类图书最高奖塞缪尔·约翰逊奖（Samuel Johnson Prize)的提名。