History Books

A Catholic Perspective on American History History is the key to understanding men-whether as nations, families, or individuals. For Catholics, history has an even higher purpose beside. For them, history is the unfolding of God's Will in time, and the attempts of men either to conform themselves to or to resist that Will. But American Catholic historians have generally refrained from exploring their own national history with these principles, preferring instead to adopt the analysis of their...

For 240 years, most Americans have identified our country with its government as the embodiment of “Freedom” and the nation itself. Take away the Constitution, Congress, and presidential elections, and not only liberty but the United States themselves would vanish. Or would they? We have a government that imposes social change from above at breakneck speed, while each presidential election seems to offer even more pathetic choices than the one before. Many are scratching their heads and wonde...

Most books about the Popes have either tried to whitewash every sin any Pope has committed, or else have made them all out to be all out to be anti-Christs. On this emotional topic, writers seem to have left very little middle ground. But the truth is that there have obviously been good and obviously evil Popes, controversial Popes and forgotten Popes. In this book, they will all have their day in court. One by one, each Pope will be profiled, and their rich history, with all its pageantry, i...

A Holy Emperor and His Legacy October 3, 2004 saw what appeared to many to be a very strange thing: Emperor-King Charles of Austria-Hungary, last Habsburg to rule in Central Europe and wartime foe of the United States, was raised to the altars of the Church as a Blessed by St. John Paul II. But odd as this appeared, the real story of the “Peace Emperor” and his just as remarkable wife reads like a combination of a suspense thriller, Greek tragedy, and hagiography. The inheritor of a tradition...

With Arthurian grandeur the Papal Zouaves marched into Italy in the mid-nineteenth century, summoned by the Pope under siege as the Wars of the Risorgimento raged. Motivated by wanderlust, a sense of duty and the call of faith, some 20,000 Catholic men from around the world rallied to Vatican City to defend her gates against Sardinian marauders. Volunteers came from France, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Austria, and many other countries, including the United States. The battles that ensued lasted ...

The incisive analysis presented in The Great Heresies will transform the way you view religious orthodoxy. Written by renowned Catholic apologist and historian Hilaire Belloc, this new edition of a classic work examines the five most disparaging heresies that have shaped Christianity throughout history. Belloc dives deep into Arianism, Mohammedanism (Islam), Albigensianism, Protestantism, Modernism and expounds on how each of the contrasting viewpoints began, how they infiltrated various popu...

In his treatise on European economic history, Hilaire Belloc explores the many failings of the Capitalist system. He explains that Capitalism emerged from the English Reformation, reached its present form during England's Industrial Revolution, and from there was exported to the rest of the world. “It was in England that the Industrial System arose. It was in England that all its traditions and habits were formed; and because the England in which it arose was already a Capitalist England, mod...

Europe and the Faith by Hilaire Belloc is an eye-opening look at the often-overlooked story of Europe and its heritage. This captivating book offers a detailed exploration of how Christianity has shaped Europe throughout history, making it one of the most influential regions in terms of belief and culture. Belloc masterfully builds his case, relying on solid evidence from religion, politics, economics, geography, and other disciplines. Through carefully documented arguments and well-settled f...

One of the most fascinating books ever written by the great Catholic historian Belloc, he presents in bold colors the 23 principal characters of the Protestant Reformation, focusing primarily on those figures concerned with the events in England, analyzing their strengths, mistakes, motives and deeds which changed the course of history. Among the characters he examines are Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, St. Thomas More, Mary Tudor, Thomas Cromwell, William Cecil, Mary Stuart, Cardinal ...

Heart of Europe is an essential addition to any history lover’s library, offering unique insights into one of the most important empires in European history. Spanning almost a millennium, it sheds light on the political and military power that formed at the heart of Europe under Charlemagne and lasted until the Holy Roman Empire’s destruction by Napoleon.This book by Peter H. Wilson is more than just a piece of history – it dives deep into how the empire worked, why it was so powerful, and ho...

Introducing 'God's Battalions' - a daring and thought-provoking book from respected scholar, Dr. Stark. His scholarly opinion and in-depth analysis of the centuries-old Crusades offer an unprecedented perspective on this iconic event. This groundbreaking work challenges the long-held narrative that the Crusades were a cowardly display of religious aggression against Muslims and flips it on its head whether you agree or not.Informed by meticulous research and driven by his bold exploration of...

The Crusades: The World's Debate is a historical masterpiece written by Hilaire Belloc in 1937. It reveals an insightful view of the motivations and intentions that lay at the heart of one of history's most passionate, complex, and important conflicts. This book provides a unique perspective on the crusade's ultimate failure, exploring personal and strategic failings of the First Crusade's leaders, as well as its aftermath for centuries to follow.Belloc also offers a prophetic warning about t...

From the Pharaoh to the Most Christian King Discover an enriching, deeply researched new book from acclaimed French author and expert in religious studies, Sacred Royalty. This captivating book grants remarkable insight into the origin and nature of royalty, as seen through the lens of both ancient and modern societies.From the Pharaoh to the Most Christian King, this work serves as an exploration into dynasties from ages past and cultures around the globe. Explore political systems that span...

Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars is about the life, death and legacy of Louis XVI's tragic Queen, based upon the author's thirty years of research. Whenever possible the historical persons speak for themselves out of memoirs and letters. Marie-Antoinette is seen in light of her Imperial heritage as a child of the Habsburg dynasty. Having assumed the crown of the Holy Roman Empire in the 1400’s, the crown which had originated with Charlemagne in the year 800, they were seen as the con...

Answering Twenty Centuries of Anti-Catholic Myths Anti-Catholics like to paint Church teachings in a way that makes them seem vain, backward, or superstitious, all in the hope of drawing people out of the Faith and into sects or unbelief. Catholic apologists fight back with facts and sound arguments. But there’s another area where the Church’s enemies tell their own false story of Catholicism: its history. Whether it’s from the media, in classrooms, or out of the mouths of pastors and politic...

If you're like most people, you've probably heard a lot of things about the early Church that just don't seem to make sense. Maybe you've been told that the early Christians were a bunch of radical outcasts who were persecuted by the Romans. Or maybe you've heard that they were nothing more than a secretive cult of fanatics.Either way, it's easy to feel like we're missing something when it comes to understanding the early Church. But what if you discovered that there is a reliable way to know...

Monarchy or Plutocracy? This is the rousing question Hilaire Belloc placed before his readers in this masterly 1938 work. Belloc, grown old, saw the revolutionary dreams of his youth were naive. The great liberal insurrections, which supposedly led to Democracy, had yielded instead to secretive control by shadowy Capitalistic elites. As provocative as this thesis was in 1938, many today harbour similar suspicions of entities as varied as Wall Street, Washington, the European Union and the Wor...

Phoenix from the Ashes is a comprehensive look at the state of the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council--one of a series of recurrent periods of moral and intellectual crisis to which it has succumbed in its history. A chapter on the Council describes in detail how Pope Paul VI diverted it by placing it under the exclusive control of European liberals. An equally close study is devoted to the liturgical "reform" entrusted by the same pope to a group of radicals whose work undermi...

Max Weber's celebrated thesis, which explores the relationship between Protestant work ethic and the emergence of capitalist enterprise, is presented here inclusive of his lengthy notes. In coining the phrase 'Protestant work ethic', Weber demonstrates a series of parallels between certain Protestant denominations and the modern business. The veneration of hard work, discipline, and carefulness with money birthed a culture that led over generations to the establishment of capitalism; with eno...

A Noble Treason is a remarkable and riveting true story of Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans, two university students who lived in Germany in 1942. As members of the Hitler Youth, their enthusiasm for National Socialism was tempered when faced with the Nazi’s brutal horror. Although once supporters of the party, they soon formed the White Rose – an underground group of students from different religious backgrounds. Together their mission was to print anti-Nazi leaflets which were then distri...

Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the "wise men from the East" as pious legend. Matthew's gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche. For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously. But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy? In an astonishing feat of detective w...

Our Lady, the Divine Mercy, and the Popes of the Marian Era from Blessed Pius IX to Benedict XVI In the past 200 years, the Catholic Church has approved a series of private revelations with a deeply apocalyptic undercurrent. But what have the popes taught concerning these times? In this ground-breaking book, Stephen Walford uncovers the astonishing truth that the successors of St. Peter have together warned of the rapidly approaching final coming of Jesus Christ. By unearthing a great variet...

In the late third century, more and more people withdrew to the radical seclusion of the desert so as to live entirely for God under the direction of a spiritual father. Among these Desert Fathers one figure is especially preeminent: Saint Anthony the Hermit. This book takes the reader back to the hour when monasticism was born and describes the life of those revolutionary Christians who sought God in the Egyptian desert. The focus of the book is the life and work of Saint Anthony, whose expe...

Salazar and His Work is an indispensable volume that provides an in-depth overview of the life and legacy of one of Portugal's most beloved leaders. António de Oliveira Salazar was a statesman whose strong personal values guided his leadership, making him especially revered among the Portuguese citizens. He was highly intelligent, honest and dedicated to public service, working arduously with deep devotion to ensure a prosperous future for his country. Salazar and His Work is an insightful lo...

In The Middle Ages, Dorothy Mills lets medieval chroniclers tell their own tales; poets and troubadours, minstrels and wandering scholars sing their own songs; and serfs describe their hard lot. She combines interesting source material with a scholarly interpretation of important events and of those features that characterized all countries during the Middle Ages: the Church; monks and friars and pilgrims; feudalism and chivalry; the manors and towns; Crusades; students wandering in search of...

The Long, Jagged Trail to a Postmodern Void From Christendom to Americanism and Beyond describes the momentous changes that occurred in the European cultural orbit from the end of the Middle Ages until the mid 20th century. During this period the Catholic unity of the West--what rightly was called Christendom--was lost, and the social order came to be organized on an entirely new basis. Instead of a society that attempted to arrange all its activity and institutions in a hierarchy directed to...

Here's an unabashedly Catholic history that documents scores of sustained and unprecedented assaults on our Catholic Faith these past five centuries and delineates our Church's brave response to each one. For five hundred years, from Luther to Marx, through Darwin, Hitler, and Rousseau, wave after wave of cynical anti-Catholic men and movements have wrought havoc even worse than that of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan, leaving our once noble Christendom a ruined city, devastated politically a...

Dorothy Mills' book Renaissance & Reformation Times is an essential read for anyone interested in European history. This book not only delves into the reasons behind the great change in thought during this period, but also how it affected the everyday lives of people in countries like Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and England. Mills' engaging and direct approach to writing history makes this book a valuable resource for homeschooling parents and private school educators alike. With sound...

"A Heart For Europe" is a riveting book that introduces readers to the heartfelt story of Emperor Charles, the last Hapsburg ruler of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire. Now declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II in 2004, Emperor Charles was married to Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma and inherited the throne in 1916 amidst World War One. Despite facing impossible odds, this devoted sovereign set out on a mission to bring peace to Europe and end the war. His efforts were recognized and he was honored ...

Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary Empress Zita of Austria (1892--1989) was declared a Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI. But who is she? What is it about her life and spirituality that inspired the Church to open the investigation into her beatification? Zita's life and her integral role within the House of Habsburg during the tumultuous 20th century are not well known. In Zita: Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, Charles Coulombe takes readers through Zita's lineage and the poli...

Were World Wars I and II inevitable? Were they necessary wars? Or were they products of calamitous failures of judgment?In this monumental and provocative history, Patrick Buchanan makes the case that, if not for the blunders of British statesmen- Winston Churchill first among them-the horrors of two world wars and the Holocaust might have been avoided and the British Empire might never have collapsed into ruins. Half a century of murderous oppression of scores of millions under the iron boot...

What did the first Christians believe about the Eucharist?How did they follow Jesus' command, "Do this in remembrance of me"?How did they celebrate the Lord's Day?What would they recognize in today's Mass? The answers may surprise you. In The Mass of the Early Christians, respected author, scholar, and television host Mike Aquilina reveals the Church's most ancient Eucharistic beliefs and practices. Using the words of the early Christians themselves -- from many documents and inscriptions -- ...

From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium The History of the Catholic Church, from the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium is an inspiring and authoritative scholarly work. Covering two thousand years of our shared history and culture, it is both insightful and informative for readers of all backgrounds. With expert perspective and detail, the book provides a comprehensive and clear guide to the evolution of the Catholic Church. The historical narrative begins with Jesus Christ himself...

Discover one of the most comprehensive and authoritative Church histories available today with St. Joseph Church History. Written by esteemed author Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, SVD, this educational resource details the major events in the Catholic Church in a clear and compelling way that is easy to understand for the modern reader. Charting its divine origin throughout the ages, St. Joseph Church History comes equipped with evidence-backed summaries, large typeface, informative tables and ins...

This is the most authoritative account of life in Medieval Europe between the fall of the Roman Empire and the coming of the Renaissance. Full coverage is given to all aspects of life in a thousand-year period which saw the creation of western civilization: from the empires and kingdoms of Charlemagne, the Byzantines, and the Hundred Years War, to the ideals of the crusades, the building of great cathedrals and the social catastrophe of the Black Death; the cultural worlds of chivalric knight...

In 1797, Revolutionary France, with the dynamic young General Bonaparte in command of its armies, set upon the conquest of Europe, both by taking territory and by spreading the new ideology. Pope Pius VI, though firmly opposed to the Revolution, nonetheless thought he had spared Rome from its march by granting Napoleon control over the papal lands in Tuscany, where the popes had reigned for a millennium. But the accidental death of a French general, living in Rome at the residence of the Fren...

Can the medieval world still speak to the modern? The implicit answer in Bede Jarrett's remarkable work, Social Theories of the Middle Ages, is a resounding "yes". Fascinating as a purely historical study, it serves also to present the foundation whereby Christendom began to articulate the vision of a different kind of common life. Embedded in medieval doctrines regarding law, women, Christendom, art - and especially just war, property, money-making, and education - are principles that we wou...

A Texas oilman. A brilliant female archaeologist. An unknown world underneath the Vatican. In 1939, a team of workers beneath the Vatican unearthed an early Christian grave. This surprising discovery launched a secret quest that would last decades a quest to discover the long-lost burial place of the Apostle Peter. From earliest times, Christian tradition held that Peter a lowly fisherman from Galilee, whom Christ made leader of his Church was executed in Rome by Emperor Nero and buried on Va...

Well-known in the French-speaking world for his devastating critiques of the decadence of thought in the West since Descartes's Cogito ergo sum, Marcel De Corte published Intelligence in Danger of Death as the final stage of his reflections in 1969. To grasp the profound mutation which man and society have undergone, Marcel De Corte offers a merciless analysis that relies on classical philosophy and insight from Christian Revelation. He outlines the genealogy of contemporary evils and indic...

Catholic Christendom versus Revolutionary Disorder Volume 1 (The Collected Works of Dr. John Rao) If Christ came to "bring a sword" into history, it was a sword that was meant to fight on behalf of the personal and common good of individual human beings and the communities through which they work to perfect themselves. Everywhere that sword cut, it did so to fashion a true, good, and beautiful civilization in which men could live with a freedom and a dignity that surpasses all purely natural...

A Brief History of Catholic Traditionalism in the United States, from Triumph to Traditionis Custodes In this compact and informative book, Stuart Chessman tells the tale of the traditionalist movement in the United States of America, from its birth in the era of Triumph (1965-1975) to the mounting tensions with "conservative Catholicism" (1975-1985), to the dawning of hope in the "Indult regime" (1985-2007), leading into the broad daylight of Summorum Pontificum (2007-2021), and then descend...

Mohammed and Charlemagne the last book penned by Belgian historian Henri Pirenne before his death in 1935, is in many ways the culmination of his lifelong study of medieval history. As Professor of History at the University of Ghent from 1886 until 1930 (with a brief hiatus during Germany's invasion of Belgium during World War I), Pirenne contributed many works to the study of medieval Europe. Not the least of these is the present volume, left unfinished at the time of his death but meticulou...

Too little intimate history has been written of common people in the Middle Ages. Most "comprehensive" works pass them by in favor of tales of monarchs and warriors. Yet if we truly wish to form an accurate understanding of how life was during a certain period, it is to the lives of ordinary people that we should first direct out attention. It is precisely this strategy that Eileen Power employs in Medieval People. In this refreshingly insightful collection of lives untouched by fame, Power g...

Explore the vibrant and complex first thousand years of Christian culture with Popes, Emperors, and Elephants: The First Thousand Years of Christian Cult. This carefully researched book is written in an accessible style that adults and children alike can enjoy. Roy Peachey takes you on a journey from Athens to China, from Rome to Ethiopa and through ancient lands like Jerusalem and Iraq. You’ll learn about saints, popes, emperors, sailors —and yes, even the occasional elephant! It’s an eye-op...

Are you looking to gain an insightful look into today’s current political climate? If so, Why Liberalism Failed, by Patrick Deneen, is an ideal book to read. This powerful and persuasive argument takes us on a journey through the three major twentieth-century ideologies: fascism, communism, and liberalism. With only liberalism left standing in our modern day and age, Deneen provides brilliant insight into this ideology and why it can be seen to stand on contradictory foundations. For example,...