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Ten Kings and The Worlds They Ruled
A riveting portrait of ten kings in history by Milton Meltzer, America's premier nonfiction writer.
This book tells the story of ten kings. Kings made the rules by which their people lived. Kings carried on wars to protect their realms or expand their power, and kings, like the rest of us, were complex human beings. Starting with Hammurabi, who ruled Mesopotamia, to Peter the Great, the legendary Russian czar, Milton Meltzer shows the reader how political leaders use and abuse power. Although each of these men lived hundreds or thousands of years ago, these tales provide a striking portrait of how human behavior remains virtually unchanged over time and how one person can alter the course of history.
This book tells the story of ten kings. Kings made the rules by which their people lived. Kings carried on wars to protect their realms or expand their power, and kings, like the rest of us, were complex human beings. Starting with Hammurabi, who ruled Mesopotamia, to Peter the Great, the legendary Russian czar, Milton Meltzer shows the reader how political leaders use and abuse power. Although each of these men lived hundreds or thousands of years ago, these tales provide a striking portrait of how human behavior remains virtually unchanged over time and how one person can alter the course of history.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Milton Meltzer
181 books27 followersMilton Meltzer wrote 110 books, five of which were nominated for the National Book Award. With Langston Hughes, he co-authored A Pictorial History of Black Americans, now in its sixth edition. He received the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for his contribution to children's literature, the 1986 Jane Addams Peace Association Children's Book Award, and the 2000 Regina Medal. He died in New York City of esophageal cancer at age 94.
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March 4, 2021Ten Kings and the Worlds They Ruled
Milton Meltzer
Artwork of each ruler and maps
Hammurabi (Mesopotamia - Iraq)
Hanging gardens
Code of laws (a good king must take practical measures to secure the domestic, industrial, and commercial welfare of his people as a whole.)
After a 42 yr reign, he expanded Babylonia from a territory less than 50 mile radius to a realm stretching from the persian gulf to the borders of modern turkey. The empire was about 700 miles long and 100 miles wide, the largest state to appear up to that time. A brilliant diplomat, Hammurabi knew when to give and bend, and when to attack. He made political and miliary alliances, but would break them whenever it helped his drive to power.
Pictograph writing
Scribes education
Three distinct classes: aristocrats, slaves (prisoners of war or sold themselves or family into slavery, but not as absolute and harsh as american slavery), common people (farmers and merchants)
Eye for an eye type of punishment
More severe fines for the wealthy
Lawsuits, witnesses and severely punished liers and corrupt leaders
Stable and we'll organized society with law and order of great importance
After his death, his son was not able to keep things together as the revolts erupted. The realm deminished to a small territory which was later divided and babylon destroyed.
David
A band of nomads drifted with their flocks around western asia. They were aliens, without rights to land or property. They were not homogeneous, but a mixed ethnic group.
By the time they entered Canaan (Palestine) they were divided into twelve tribes. Whenever they roamed they were influenced by the cultures of those they lived among. The israelites first emerged as a people in the middle of the thirteenth century bc. When the Hebrews settled in Canaan they became farmers. The Canaanites, who occupied the land when the Je e entered it, lived in small city-states ruled by kings. The Hebrews, by contrast, lived in tribes. At the head of each tribe was the elder who made decisions. Only rarely did the tribes act together, and then it had to be by agreement of the tribal elders.
Although the israelites, after the Exodus from Egypt, had conquered Canaan, the victory did not end their struggles with neighboring people. There was continual warfare over Canaanite territory. The israelites most dangerous enemies were the Philistines, a people solidly entrenched on the low coastlands. The people turned to Samuel is I g q plea to give them a king which he resisted at first. The people were so fearful of their enemy that they were willing to risk having a king. So Samuel anointed Saul (brave and tall). Saul sent surprise attacks to drive the Philistines out of tribal territory which Samuel was not happy with. Saul felt Samuel and God's disapproval and became depressed. He called on David (handsome, magnetic personality, talented musician) to soothe him by playing the lyre. Saul loved David and made him the armor bearer. When the Philistines gathered their forces to battle the Israelites, david heard goliaths challenge. David told Saul that he would kill Goliath just as he had wild beast when protecting his sheep with the Lord's power.
David hit goliath in the head with a stone and then cut off his head with goliaths sword. The Philistines fled in panick. Saul became jealous of David's greater praise than his own. He worried David would take his throne. Saul gave his eldest daughter who originally promised to another man. Saul told David he could have his youngest if David killed 100 Philistines; David killed 200. So david married the youngest daughter. David fought the Philistines many times and rose to leadership's over troops. David became more popular.
David ran away when saul threw a spear at him in court as he played the lyre. David became a guerrilla chief. Sometimes David's troops fought along side the Philistines, helping to overcome tribes that were hostile to both the israelites and Philistines. Always avoiding Saul's troops which were sent to kill david. David acquired two new wives.
Philistines greatest strength took over Saul's weakest. The israelites were defeated at mount gilboa, with Saul and three of his sons killed. Sails son, Jonathan, had been David's close friend.
When David went to Judah (where his tribe Hebron), the elders proclaim David to be king. After Saul's general and surviving son fought to the death over the kingdom, David took over. David captured jerusalem and made it the capital. His empire grew to fill Palestine into Syria. His land was rich in resources. He opened trade routes and defenses against the Philistines. David created a civil service and a scribe at the head of it. He took a census.
David and Bathsheba. The prophet Nathan denounced David. David asked for forgiveness and married Bathsheba. Bathsheba borne four more sons. One of them, Solomon, became the next king of Israel.
David was reputed to be the most powerful ruler in the world of his time, the undisputed .aster of an empire that commanded the most valuable trade routes in the Middle East.
David who triumphed in war and diplomacy could not control his own large family. Feuds erupted with it, ending in tragedy several times.
Alexander the Great (Macedonia)
Alexander's father is Philip who was assassinated. Then Alexander inherited the throne.
At the time, the Macedonians were not considered truly Greek by the citizens of Athens. They were a tribal people, ruled by a king, while the city-states prided themselves upon their demoncratic politics. Macedonians didn't speak "proper" Greek and lived more like barbarians than civilized people, it was said. That prejudice made it hard for cooperation to develop between Macedonia and the city-states. Yet during the reign of Phiip, Macedonia became the leading power on the Greek mainland, partly because of his character. He was a brilliant soldier and a fine speaker. He would stop at nothing to attain his goals. He brided rivals, and killed them if that didn't work, or postponed action until the powerful army he had created could defeat them. Heis infantry were the hardy and loyal peasants of Macedonia and the cavalry from the aristocrats, land-owning squires. Philip expanded Macedonia'ss territory at the expense of his neighbors. He captured a gold mine that yielded him great wealth every year.
Young Alexander showed remarkable independence of judgment and keen understanding. These were traits that would earn him many victories in the years ahead. One of Alexander's teacher, Leonidas, became a kind of second father to him. Leonidas had Alexander act out like he was Achilles from Homer's Illiad and Alexander began to believe he was descended from him. Philip hired Aristotle, one of the most famous philosophers and scientists in the Greek world, to supervise his son’s education. The future king undoubtedly was influenced by Aristotle in the decisions he would make that reshaped the world. Alexandeer didn’t see much of his father, who was often away on military campaigns. His mother, Olympias, dominated her son’s early years. When Alexander was sixteen, Philip left Alexander as his deputy to govern in the capital, Pella. This meant that if the king should be killed, Alexander would be his successor. By 338, Philip became master of Greece and Alexander graduated from royal school with honors for cavalryman on his warhorse, Bucephalus. Alexander religious worshiped Heracles. Alexander hoped to outdo the Greek Gods as a warrior and a benefactor of humankind. Two years later, Philip was assassinated by a young noble during a festival procession in Macedonia. When Alexander became king, he killed all other who might claim the throne which was not uncommon.
Greek city-statees say it as their chance to get rid of Macedonian domination, but Alexander marched an army south into Greece and opposition disappeared. Alexander was elected captain general of the Hellenic League of city-states, replacing his father. When cities rebelled against Alexander, he negotiated peace, but if they refused then he would destroy them.
Alexander left a trusted general in command of enough troops to assure peace in Macedonia and Greece, before leading an army of 30,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry across the Hellespont (today’s Dardanelles) into Asia. The citizen soldiers and mercenaries were disciplined and devoted. Alexander almost always personally led the cavalry in battle like Philip. The Macedonian army was the first to use prototypes of field artillery. The army and navy were well paid when on active service.
When Alexandeeer headed for Persia, he had many fewer troops and ships, and much less wealth, than Darius. But this did not worry this supremely confident young general and he defeated the Persians. He conquered western Asia Minor and the capital of Darius at sardis.
Hellenization
Before Alexander could pursue his enemy into Persia, he had to take control of the seas and the coastal towns of Phoenicia, Palestine, and Egypt. Otherwise his chain of command could be broken. Some places welcomed Alexander, but Tyre resisted. It took seven months to defeat Tyre’s army and navy and seize the fortree. As he liberated Greek city-states from Persian rule, he got rid of their prro-Persian leadership, brought back exiles, and set up a democracy. Alexander stopped political factions, because they kill rival factions.. He asked for amnesty, the forgiving of political offenses, knowing that without it internal warfare could destroy a community. Alexander winned people over by banning ravaging and looting. Rather, he relied on capturing or buying enemy supplies. When he met resistance, he overcame it by superior power, but did not impose garrisons or demand reprisals
Alexander took Jerusalem. He was badly wounded in his shoulder on the fortified city of Gaza, but recovered. They entered Egypt without opposition. They were glad to be delivered from Persian domination. He made sacrifices to the Egyptian god. The priesthood recognized him as a pharaoh and hailed him as a god. Alexander seems to have accepted the idea that he was truly divine. In Egypt, he promoted Greek culture and founded the city of Alexandria which would become the center of Hellenistic commerce as well as culture. He sent scientist up the Nile to determine its source and to explain the annual flooding of the great river.
Alexander move to Phoenicia and Syria in hopes for a decisive battle with Darius, Persian ruler. On oct 331, Alexander outmaneuvered the Persians , and Darius panicked and fled. Alexander moved on to Persepolis, the Persian capital. He shattered its defense force and then exacted retribution. Capturing the citadel, he allowed his troops to loot the palace before they burned it down. Alexander found that Persian officers had killed Darius. Alexander assuming his crown, began to wear Persian royal clothing and to adopt Persian court ceremonials. The Macedonians in his army didn’t like Alexander adopting Asian customs and demanding they prostrate themselves before him. When one of these men plotted against him, Alexander executed the traitor.
Alexander’s knowledge of Asia’s geography was derived from Aristotle’s teachings (Asia divided into Europe, Libya and Asia surrounded by an ocean), but he learned more as the scientists accompanying him sent him reports on distance, climate, geography, human, animal ecology, etc. At this time, Alexander sent Aristolte a huge sum of money which he found the first great library of literary texts on papyrus in Athen and first collection of specimens for teaching the natural sciences.
Alexander decided to move farther into Asia, he mistakenly thought of India as only a small peninsula jutting into Ocean. Winning victories along the way, his armies reached the Ganges River where the troops cried out that they had enough and didn’t want to go any further. For two days, Alexander tried, and failed, to change their minds. So they turned back. In 324, Alexander was in Persia and learned that disorder had spread in parts of the empire during his campaigns in the East. Fearing the fall of his empire, he took several steps to reunite it. He ordered 80 of his aristocratic officers to marry Persian princesses. Alexander himself took a daughter o Darius as his second wife. Earlier, he had married Rhoxana, the daughter of a Bactrian prince he had captured. He inducted 30,000Persian youths into the army, hoping for unification of the troops.This was too much, complained his Macedonians. Alexander executed 13 rebels and then gave a powerful speech reminding the army of the glories and honors they had won under his leaderships. His words restored their faith in him.
In 323, Alexander had plans to explore Arabia and then invade north Africa. But he came down with malaria and died at the age of 32, just ten years after he had left Macedonia.
The empire fell apart. Alexander’s generals competed for power and territory in a multisided conflict that would last for forty years. There was no reconstruction of Alexander’s empire. Greek culture continued to spread, with Greek the official language of much of the middle East. Alexander believe that people should view themselves not merely as citizens of their state while dismissing the rest of humanity as alien; instead, they should regard themselves as part of a global kingdom that embraced all peoples.
Attila (Huns - AD 445-453 )
Attila’s was a short rign-only eight years. In that time he forced rulers in both the Eastern and Western Empires to pay him huge amounts of ransom. Kings, emperors, and generals all feared and respected him. After Attila’s death his three sons quarreled over the distribution of power. Their factional fights weakened the Hun military, and what was left of Attila’s empire soon disintegrated. The Hums continued only as mercenaries in the armies of eastern and central Europe. In modern Hungary Attila’s name is much respected, and children are often named after him.
Their army won many battles on quick and surprise attacks. They were very skilled horsemen; could sleep on the horses and shoot arrows standing up in any direction for a 100 distances.
Charlemagne Or Charles the Great (king of the Frank's to emperor of the West)
Stimulated the economic and political life of Europe.
The Franks were a Germanic people who originally lived along the Rhine River. Together with other Germanic groups, around Ad 200 they began moving into the territory of the declining Roman Empire. He believed it was his mission to propagate Christianity by sword and book.
Kublai Khan (Mongolia – AD 1260-1294)
The Mongols (under the rule of Genghis Khan and his grandson Kublai Khan) ruled an empire that stretched from the China Sea in the east to the far-distant European country of Hungary in the west. The Mongols created the largest continuous land empire in the history of the world.
Nomads enjoytheir freelife with its horses, their tented camps, thei
Milton Meltzer
Artwork of each ruler and maps
Hammurabi (Mesopotamia - Iraq)
Hanging gardens
Code of laws (a good king must take practical measures to secure the domestic, industrial, and commercial welfare of his people as a whole.)
After a 42 yr reign, he expanded Babylonia from a territory less than 50 mile radius to a realm stretching from the persian gulf to the borders of modern turkey. The empire was about 700 miles long and 100 miles wide, the largest state to appear up to that time. A brilliant diplomat, Hammurabi knew when to give and bend, and when to attack. He made political and miliary alliances, but would break them whenever it helped his drive to power.
Pictograph writing
Scribes education
Three distinct classes: aristocrats, slaves (prisoners of war or sold themselves or family into slavery, but not as absolute and harsh as american slavery), common people (farmers and merchants)
Eye for an eye type of punishment
More severe fines for the wealthy
Lawsuits, witnesses and severely punished liers and corrupt leaders
Stable and we'll organized society with law and order of great importance
After his death, his son was not able to keep things together as the revolts erupted. The realm deminished to a small territory which was later divided and babylon destroyed.
David
A band of nomads drifted with their flocks around western asia. They were aliens, without rights to land or property. They were not homogeneous, but a mixed ethnic group.
By the time they entered Canaan (Palestine) they were divided into twelve tribes. Whenever they roamed they were influenced by the cultures of those they lived among. The israelites first emerged as a people in the middle of the thirteenth century bc. When the Hebrews settled in Canaan they became farmers. The Canaanites, who occupied the land when the Je e entered it, lived in small city-states ruled by kings. The Hebrews, by contrast, lived in tribes. At the head of each tribe was the elder who made decisions. Only rarely did the tribes act together, and then it had to be by agreement of the tribal elders.
Although the israelites, after the Exodus from Egypt, had conquered Canaan, the victory did not end their struggles with neighboring people. There was continual warfare over Canaanite territory. The israelites most dangerous enemies were the Philistines, a people solidly entrenched on the low coastlands. The people turned to Samuel is I g q plea to give them a king which he resisted at first. The people were so fearful of their enemy that they were willing to risk having a king. So Samuel anointed Saul (brave and tall). Saul sent surprise attacks to drive the Philistines out of tribal territory which Samuel was not happy with. Saul felt Samuel and God's disapproval and became depressed. He called on David (handsome, magnetic personality, talented musician) to soothe him by playing the lyre. Saul loved David and made him the armor bearer. When the Philistines gathered their forces to battle the Israelites, david heard goliaths challenge. David told Saul that he would kill Goliath just as he had wild beast when protecting his sheep with the Lord's power.
David hit goliath in the head with a stone and then cut off his head with goliaths sword. The Philistines fled in panick. Saul became jealous of David's greater praise than his own. He worried David would take his throne. Saul gave his eldest daughter who originally promised to another man. Saul told David he could have his youngest if David killed 100 Philistines; David killed 200. So david married the youngest daughter. David fought the Philistines many times and rose to leadership's over troops. David became more popular.
David ran away when saul threw a spear at him in court as he played the lyre. David became a guerrilla chief. Sometimes David's troops fought along side the Philistines, helping to overcome tribes that were hostile to both the israelites and Philistines. Always avoiding Saul's troops which were sent to kill david. David acquired two new wives.
Philistines greatest strength took over Saul's weakest. The israelites were defeated at mount gilboa, with Saul and three of his sons killed. Sails son, Jonathan, had been David's close friend.
When David went to Judah (where his tribe Hebron), the elders proclaim David to be king. After Saul's general and surviving son fought to the death over the kingdom, David took over. David captured jerusalem and made it the capital. His empire grew to fill Palestine into Syria. His land was rich in resources. He opened trade routes and defenses against the Philistines. David created a civil service and a scribe at the head of it. He took a census.
David and Bathsheba. The prophet Nathan denounced David. David asked for forgiveness and married Bathsheba. Bathsheba borne four more sons. One of them, Solomon, became the next king of Israel.
David was reputed to be the most powerful ruler in the world of his time, the undisputed .aster of an empire that commanded the most valuable trade routes in the Middle East.
David who triumphed in war and diplomacy could not control his own large family. Feuds erupted with it, ending in tragedy several times.
Alexander the Great (Macedonia)
Alexander's father is Philip who was assassinated. Then Alexander inherited the throne.
At the time, the Macedonians were not considered truly Greek by the citizens of Athens. They were a tribal people, ruled by a king, while the city-states prided themselves upon their demoncratic politics. Macedonians didn't speak "proper" Greek and lived more like barbarians than civilized people, it was said. That prejudice made it hard for cooperation to develop between Macedonia and the city-states. Yet during the reign of Phiip, Macedonia became the leading power on the Greek mainland, partly because of his character. He was a brilliant soldier and a fine speaker. He would stop at nothing to attain his goals. He brided rivals, and killed them if that didn't work, or postponed action until the powerful army he had created could defeat them. Heis infantry were the hardy and loyal peasants of Macedonia and the cavalry from the aristocrats, land-owning squires. Philip expanded Macedonia'ss territory at the expense of his neighbors. He captured a gold mine that yielded him great wealth every year.
Young Alexander showed remarkable independence of judgment and keen understanding. These were traits that would earn him many victories in the years ahead. One of Alexander's teacher, Leonidas, became a kind of second father to him. Leonidas had Alexander act out like he was Achilles from Homer's Illiad and Alexander began to believe he was descended from him. Philip hired Aristotle, one of the most famous philosophers and scientists in the Greek world, to supervise his son’s education. The future king undoubtedly was influenced by Aristotle in the decisions he would make that reshaped the world. Alexandeer didn’t see much of his father, who was often away on military campaigns. His mother, Olympias, dominated her son’s early years. When Alexander was sixteen, Philip left Alexander as his deputy to govern in the capital, Pella. This meant that if the king should be killed, Alexander would be his successor. By 338, Philip became master of Greece and Alexander graduated from royal school with honors for cavalryman on his warhorse, Bucephalus. Alexander religious worshiped Heracles. Alexander hoped to outdo the Greek Gods as a warrior and a benefactor of humankind. Two years later, Philip was assassinated by a young noble during a festival procession in Macedonia. When Alexander became king, he killed all other who might claim the throne which was not uncommon.
Greek city-statees say it as their chance to get rid of Macedonian domination, but Alexander marched an army south into Greece and opposition disappeared. Alexander was elected captain general of the Hellenic League of city-states, replacing his father. When cities rebelled against Alexander, he negotiated peace, but if they refused then he would destroy them.
Alexander left a trusted general in command of enough troops to assure peace in Macedonia and Greece, before leading an army of 30,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry across the Hellespont (today’s Dardanelles) into Asia. The citizen soldiers and mercenaries were disciplined and devoted. Alexander almost always personally led the cavalry in battle like Philip. The Macedonian army was the first to use prototypes of field artillery. The army and navy were well paid when on active service.
When Alexandeeer headed for Persia, he had many fewer troops and ships, and much less wealth, than Darius. But this did not worry this supremely confident young general and he defeated the Persians. He conquered western Asia Minor and the capital of Darius at sardis.
Hellenization
Before Alexander could pursue his enemy into Persia, he had to take control of the seas and the coastal towns of Phoenicia, Palestine, and Egypt. Otherwise his chain of command could be broken. Some places welcomed Alexander, but Tyre resisted. It took seven months to defeat Tyre’s army and navy and seize the fortree. As he liberated Greek city-states from Persian rule, he got rid of their prro-Persian leadership, brought back exiles, and set up a democracy. Alexander stopped political factions, because they kill rival factions.. He asked for amnesty, the forgiving of political offenses, knowing that without it internal warfare could destroy a community. Alexander winned people over by banning ravaging and looting. Rather, he relied on capturing or buying enemy supplies. When he met resistance, he overcame it by superior power, but did not impose garrisons or demand reprisals
Alexander took Jerusalem. He was badly wounded in his shoulder on the fortified city of Gaza, but recovered. They entered Egypt without opposition. They were glad to be delivered from Persian domination. He made sacrifices to the Egyptian god. The priesthood recognized him as a pharaoh and hailed him as a god. Alexander seems to have accepted the idea that he was truly divine. In Egypt, he promoted Greek culture and founded the city of Alexandria which would become the center of Hellenistic commerce as well as culture. He sent scientist up the Nile to determine its source and to explain the annual flooding of the great river.
Alexander move to Phoenicia and Syria in hopes for a decisive battle with Darius, Persian ruler. On oct 331, Alexander outmaneuvered the Persians , and Darius panicked and fled. Alexander moved on to Persepolis, the Persian capital. He shattered its defense force and then exacted retribution. Capturing the citadel, he allowed his troops to loot the palace before they burned it down. Alexander found that Persian officers had killed Darius. Alexander assuming his crown, began to wear Persian royal clothing and to adopt Persian court ceremonials. The Macedonians in his army didn’t like Alexander adopting Asian customs and demanding they prostrate themselves before him. When one of these men plotted against him, Alexander executed the traitor.
Alexander’s knowledge of Asia’s geography was derived from Aristotle’s teachings (Asia divided into Europe, Libya and Asia surrounded by an ocean), but he learned more as the scientists accompanying him sent him reports on distance, climate, geography, human, animal ecology, etc. At this time, Alexander sent Aristolte a huge sum of money which he found the first great library of literary texts on papyrus in Athen and first collection of specimens for teaching the natural sciences.
Alexander decided to move farther into Asia, he mistakenly thought of India as only a small peninsula jutting into Ocean. Winning victories along the way, his armies reached the Ganges River where the troops cried out that they had enough and didn’t want to go any further. For two days, Alexander tried, and failed, to change their minds. So they turned back. In 324, Alexander was in Persia and learned that disorder had spread in parts of the empire during his campaigns in the East. Fearing the fall of his empire, he took several steps to reunite it. He ordered 80 of his aristocratic officers to marry Persian princesses. Alexander himself took a daughter o Darius as his second wife. Earlier, he had married Rhoxana, the daughter of a Bactrian prince he had captured. He inducted 30,000Persian youths into the army, hoping for unification of the troops.This was too much, complained his Macedonians. Alexander executed 13 rebels and then gave a powerful speech reminding the army of the glories and honors they had won under his leaderships. His words restored their faith in him.
In 323, Alexander had plans to explore Arabia and then invade north Africa. But he came down with malaria and died at the age of 32, just ten years after he had left Macedonia.
The empire fell apart. Alexander’s generals competed for power and territory in a multisided conflict that would last for forty years. There was no reconstruction of Alexander’s empire. Greek culture continued to spread, with Greek the official language of much of the middle East. Alexander believe that people should view themselves not merely as citizens of their state while dismissing the rest of humanity as alien; instead, they should regard themselves as part of a global kingdom that embraced all peoples.
Attila (Huns - AD 445-453 )
Attila’s was a short rign-only eight years. In that time he forced rulers in both the Eastern and Western Empires to pay him huge amounts of ransom. Kings, emperors, and generals all feared and respected him. After Attila’s death his three sons quarreled over the distribution of power. Their factional fights weakened the Hun military, and what was left of Attila’s empire soon disintegrated. The Hums continued only as mercenaries in the armies of eastern and central Europe. In modern Hungary Attila’s name is much respected, and children are often named after him.
Their army won many battles on quick and surprise attacks. They were very skilled horsemen; could sleep on the horses and shoot arrows standing up in any direction for a 100 distances.
Charlemagne Or Charles the Great (king of the Frank's to emperor of the West)
Stimulated the economic and political life of Europe.
The Franks were a Germanic people who originally lived along the Rhine River. Together with other Germanic groups, around Ad 200 they began moving into the territory of the declining Roman Empire. He believed it was his mission to propagate Christianity by sword and book.
Kublai Khan (Mongolia – AD 1260-1294)
The Mongols (under the rule of Genghis Khan and his grandson Kublai Khan) ruled an empire that stretched from the China Sea in the east to the far-distant European country of Hungary in the west. The Mongols created the largest continuous land empire in the history of the world.
Nomads enjoytheir freelife with its horses, their tented camps, thei
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2008
Ten Kings and How They Ruled the World is a fascinating study in history and power.Over a span of thousands of years, beginning with Hamurabi in Mesopotamia, and ending with Pater the Great, Metzer compares and contrasts Kings. The book has interesting sidebars and maps and is is illustrated with large colorful pictures. The author does a fine job of presenting the times and historical background of each ruler. It is interesting to see if any common personality traits are shared by all the kings.There seem to be many, many circumstances that go into the making of a great king. The book reads like a novel and would bee a good research tool. Unfortunately collected biographies are often lost on the shelf...the trick is getting this into the right hands.
May 30, 2018
Fascinating look at ten major rulers in history: Hammurabi, David, Alexander the Great, Attila, Charlemagne, Kublai Khan, Mansa Musa, Atahualpa, Louis XIV, Peter the Great. Gives a brief overview of the lives and effects of these men.
May 2, 2022
A great resource for teachers or homeschoolers.
February 17, 2018
Historian and writer Milton Meltzer’s Ten Kings are ten short “portraits” of ten kings that had “supreme ruler over a nation or territory.” The Kings in the Ten Kings range in time from Hammurabi of Babylon (in present-day Iraq) who reigned in the 1700s B.C.E. to Peter the Great of Russia who died in 1725 C.E. Unlike Meltzer’s Ten Queens all of the Ten Kings that appear in this book were known to me before I read this book. Ten Kings is a good introduction to lives of these Ten Kings. Meltzer’s book does a good job including Kings from all around the World. Illustrator Bethanne Andersen's colorful pictures and her wonderful maps add to Meltzer's texts. Some of the Kings, Meltzer writes about have very different interpretations from many different historians. Meltzer writes about Peter the Great is viewed by some historians as ending “the Middle Ages in Russia”, but those reforms maybe came at a price, the Russian historian Anisimov Evgenii believes that the reforms of Peter lead to “foundation of the totalitarian state.” As Meltzer writes in his “A Note on Sources” the further back in the past a King is that he is writing about the harder it is to find multiples sources which affect what kind of biographical sketch, he writes. Considering the lack of sources on some Kings, Meltzer does a decent job writing the biographical sketch of the Kings he chooses to cover. Hopefully, Ten Kings will inspire readers to research more into the biographies of these Ten Kings.
August 1, 2011
This book introduces the reader to 10 very famous kings and tells of their contributions to their world. These may not have been the greatest men, but they have contributed to mankind in some way. The biographies are short enough not to bore the reader and give enough information to intrigue the reader to do more in-depth research if he is interested. A great addition to a library.
January 6, 2015
Excellent history for 9-to-12s. The entries are from around the world (South America, Africa and Asia in addition to Europe), they're short and easy-to-read, the illustrations are good and the history is accurate.
April 6, 2012
This was another book that I found by chance when I was at the library to pick up another book. I not only learned a lot about the kings but also a lot about history that I didn't know. A great book.
March 27, 2013
Read with the kiddos.
May 30, 2013
A fun book to find out more about some influential kings throughout time. All of their names were familiar, but I found out I didn't really know too much about very many of them.
November 4, 2015
I liked it. It talks about 10 kings and some of the kings were Peter the Great, Louis the XIV, Charlemagne. It talks about their lives and their empire.
November 3, 2016
Great concept, not too interesting to read aloud.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews