History has it that when Hannibal was a young boy, his father, ruler of Carthage, held his son over a fire and made him swear eternal enmity toward Rome. It was not necessary: The fire already burned in Hannibal's breast. In time, that flame would destroy the flower of the Roman legions. In an almost unbelievable feat of courage and endurance, Hannibal led his army over the Pyrenees and Alps to challenge Rome's hegemony. And he succeeded against astonishing...

A military genius worshiped for his courage; a fierce politician admired for his shrewdness and mercy; a brilliant writer and speaker. It's no wonder that in his lifetime, Julius Caesar held the positions of military tribune, praetor, consul, pro-consul, and dictator. But even his astounding ambition could not make him emperor, though it did achieve the conquest of Cleopatra, ruler of the most fabulous kingdom in all of known civilization. In this...

An authoritative history of the Knights of St. John, from Jerusalem to Malta, told by the bestselling author of The Great Siege.
Known by many names through their centuries-long career, The Knights Hospitaller of Saint John dedicated themselves to defending the poor and sick. First formed in Jerusalem during the Crusades of the eleventh century, the Order of Saint John grew in wealth and power rivaled only by the Knights Templar....