A History of Diplomacy

'[a] spirited defence of traditional diplomacy . . . a history of the profession, but with an alternative focus, looking at modern diplomacy's non-Western traditions and its roots in the medieval West. It provides fascinating details along the way about the development of embassies, envoys, and give-and-take or 19th century statesmanship. It almost made me want to rejoin the trade – except in a time capsule.' – Eamon Delaney, Irish Times

‘Jeremy Black brings together a wide ranging body of knowledge to produce a powerful defence of the traditional academic discipline of Diplomatic History. In so doing he also demonstrates the continuing importance and relevance of diplomacy in the changing conditions of the modern world.’ – Professor John Clark, University of Buckingham

In A History of Diplomacy, historian Jeremy Black challenges the conventional account of the development of diplomacy, devoting more attention to non-Western traditions and to the medieval West than is usually the case. By the nineteenth century a system of diplomacy was increasingly formalized. Black charts the course and evolution of ‘diplomacy’ in all its incarnations, concluding with the ideological diplomatic conflicts of the twentieth century and the situation today. The role of modern inter- and non-governmental organizations – from the United Nations and NATO to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch – in diplomatic relations is assessed, and the challenges facing diplomacy in the future are identified and investigated.

A History of Diplomacy presents a detailed and engaging study into the ever-changing phenomenon of diplomacy: its aims, its achievements, its successes and failures, against a historical and cultural background. An essential read for students and scholars of history and politics, it will also be of interest to anyone intrigued by the forces that have shaped international relations throughout history.

The Battle of Waterloo: a new history

Waterloo was an iconic battle for the British: a triumph of endurance that laid the path for the modernity of the nineteenth-century, in which Britain played a key role.

This new history offers a masterly and concise reinterpretation of one of the seminal events in modern times, by one of the world’s foremost military historians.

The battle on Sunday 18th June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium is one of the most argued-over battles in history. Lord Wellington immortally dubbed it ‘the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life.’ The battle became an iconic memory in the British consciousness, a triumph of endurance that paved the way for the 19th century. It was also a defining moment for the French, bringing to the end both the reign of Napoleon I and the second Hundred Years' War between Britain and France. The battle was also important for a host of other participants, from Prussia, the state that was to be the basis of modern Germany, to the Netherlands and Belgium, whose fate it decided until the Belgian revolution of 1830, and to minor German principalities such as Hanover, Brunswick and Nassau, each of which also sent troops to the Duke of Wellington's army.

The Battle of Waterloo offers readers a fascinating examination of where this battle belongs in the larger story of the tectonic power shifts in Europe, and the story of military modernization. Jeremy Black uses Waterloo to explore the changing nature of war, the rise and fall of Napoleon’s empire, and the influence of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars on the 19th century.

The Battle of Waterloo by Jeremy Black is published on 6 May 2010 by Icon Books £14.99 hardback ISBN 9781848311558 >>More

London. A History

If you want to find out about two thousand years of London’s past – the –people, the vents and the broad sweep of history – in one beautifully illustrated volume, look no further than Jeremy Black’s masterly new book.
Read an independent review of London by A.W. Purdue.

£25.00. Visit the dedicated 'London: A History' website

The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon

The War of 1812 is etched into American memory with the burning of the Capitol and the White House by British forces, The Star-Spangled Banner, and the decisive naval battle of New Orleans. Now a respected British military historian offers an international perspective on the conflict to better gauge its significance.

In The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon, Jeremy Black provides a dramatic account of the war framed within a wider political and economic context than most American historians have previously considered. In his examination of events both diplomatic and military, Black especially focuses on the actions of the British, for whom the conflict was, he argues, a mere distraction from the Napoleonic War in Europe.

Black describes parallels and contrasts to other military operations throughout the world. He stresses the domestic and international links between politics and military conflict; in particular, he describes how American political unease about a powerful executive and strong army undermined U.S. military efforts. He also offers new insights into the war in the West, amphibious operations, the effects of the British blockade, and how the conflict fit into British global strategy.

For those who think the War of 1812 is a closed book, this volume brims with observations and insights that better situate this “American” war on the international stage.

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War in the Nineteenth Century

This book provides an accessible and up-to-date account of the rich military history of the nineteenth century. It takes a fresh approach, making novel links with conflict and coercion, and moving away from teleological emphases. Naval developments and warfare are included, as are social and cultural dimensions of military activity.
Leading military historian Jeremy Black offers the reader a twenty-first century approach to this period, particularly through his focus on the dynamic drive provided by different forms of military goals, or "tasking". This allows echoes with modern warfare to come to the fore and provides a fuller understanding of a period sometimes considered solely as background to the total war of 1914-45. Alongside state-to-state warfare and the move toward "total war", Black's emphasis on different military goals gives due weight to trans-oceanic conflict at the expense of non-Europeans. Irregular, internal and asymmetric war are all considered, ranging from local insurgencies to imperial expeditions, and provide a deliberate shift from Western-centricity.
At the very cutting edge of its field, this book is a must read for all students and scholars of military history and its related disciplines.

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