OUR EUROPEAN ORIGINS
A History of the Nationalities of Europe written especially
for Genealogists and Family Researchers
Copyright 1992, Library of Congress Call Number: D20.R626 1992
SYNOPSIS: This brief history of Europe is for those persons who live in the United States or Canada and who have an interest in genealogy and their European origins. The aim of the book is to provide the reader with basic knowledge about the origins and early history of each of the European nationalities by showing how their civilizations developed in the manner they did and to explain how the surnames of those nations evolved. When family researchers reach the impasse of not being able to trace their family names back further, this brief history will assist them in their quest for knowledge of the past. Have fun! Read and learn about your early ancestors, from where they came, and how the later generations lived in their European homelands before and after they took surnames!
This book has a hard cover and consists of 628 pages (Second Edition).
OUR EUROPEAN ORIGINS
CONTENTS
FRONTISPIECE
LIST OF MAPS
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION
INFORMATION ABOUT THE WRITER
CHAPTER 1--THE FIRST EUROPEANS
Prehistory, Biblical Times, Ur Origins, The First Europeans, The Scythians, The Celts Emerge, The Celts and the Greeks, The Celts and the Romans, The Emergence of Ethnic Groups
SECTION ONE -- THE MEDITERRANEAN PEOPLES
CHAPTER 2--THE GREEKS
Prehistoric Peoples, The Minoan Age, Early Hellenic Civilization, Mycenaean Civilization, The Great Migrations, The City States, Alexander the Great, Constantine the Great, The Byzantine Ascendancy, The Fall of Byzantium, The Dark Age, Emergence of Modern Greece, Greek Names
CHAPTER 3--THE ROMANS
Early Inhabitants, The Founding of Rome, The Roman Republic, The Conquest of the Italian Peninsula, Foreign Conquests, Conquest of the East, The Oligarchy, Conquest of the West, The Roman Empire, The Dissolution, The Goths, The Italian Republics, Italian Anarchy, Fragmentary Italy, Foreign Intervention and National Unity, Italian Names
CHAPTER 4--THE JEWS
Hebrew Antiquities and Traditions, Age of the Patriarchs, The First Commonwealth, The Prophets and the Priests, The Second Commonwealth, Dispersion and Exile, The West in the Middle Ages, Migration to the East, The Modern Age, Hebrew and Jewish Names
CHAPTER 5--THE IBERIANS
Prehistoric Times, The Early Peoples, The Carthaginian Conquest, The Roman Conquest, Christianity in Iberia, The Visigoths, The Moslem Conquest, Emergence of Spain as a Nation-State, Emergence of Portugal as a Nation-State, Spanish and Portuguese Names
SECTION TWO -- THE WEST EUROPEANS
CHAPTER 6--THE ENGLISH AND THE WELSH
The Celts, The Roman Conquest of Britain, Dissolution of Roman Britain, The Anglo-Saxons, Structure of Anglo-Saxon Society, The Danes, The Danish Kings, The Normans, The Norman Conquest, Norman Rule of Britain, Tyranny and the Magna Carta, The Melding of two Cultures, Significant Historical Events (1300 to 1500), Impact and Aftermath of the Reformation, The English Plant Colonies Abroad, The Welsh, The Britons and the Silures, Conquest by the English, The Origins of Surnames, The Structure of Anglo-Norman Society, Categories of English Surnames, Welsh Names
CHAPTER 7--THE IRISH
The Earliest Peoples, Christianity Comes to Ireland, The Danes, The Irish Regain the Ascendancy, Brian Boru Becomes High King, The Anglo-Norman Adventurers, The English Assume Control of Ireland, The "Troubles" Commence, The Scotch-Irish, Irish Names
CHAPTER 8--THE SCOTS
The Early Peoples, The Norsemen, The Making of Scotland, The English, The Normans, Scottish Nationalism, The War of Independence, Union with England, Scottish Names
CHAPTER 9--THE NETHERLANDERS
The Early Inhabitants, Spread of Christianity, Dutch Civilization, The Burgundians, The Reformation and the Struggle for Independence, Dutch and Belgian Names
CHAPTER 10--THE FRENCH
Cro-Magnon Man, The Gauls and Other Peoples, The Romans, Christianity in Gaul, The Franks, The Normans, The Making of the French Nation, Religious Strife, French Names
CHAPTER 11--THE GERMANS, AUSTRIANS, AND SWISS GERMANS
Prehistoric Origins, Early Migrations, Early German Life, The Merovingian Era, The Carolingian Era, Feudalism Comes of Age, Medieval Civilization, Church versus State, The Push to the East, Decline of Feudalism, The Emergence of Austria, the Birth of Switzerland, The Dawn of Enlightenment, The Reformation, The Age of Absolutism and Enlightened Despotism, Germanic Names
CHAPTER 12--THE SCANDINAVIANS
The Prehistoric Northmen, The Teutons, The Vikings, The Danes, The Valdemars and Danish Expansion, The Kalmar Union, The Reformation, Struggle for Mastery, Internal Affairs and the Monarchy, Age of Enlightenment, The Norwegians, The Early Norse Kingdom, The Making of Norway, A Period of Greatness, Decline and Loss of Independence, National Resurgence and Independence, The Icelanders, The Origins of the People, The Father of the Country, The Struggle for Nationhood, The Loss of Independence, The Struggle for Freedom, The Swedes, Swedish Vikings, Christianity in Sweden, Medieval Sweden, The Reformation, The Age of Expansion, Prelude to Modern Times, Scandinavian Names
SECTION THREE -- THE EAST EUROPEANS
CHAPTER 13--THE EASTERN SLAVS
Prehistoric Times, The Eastern Slavs, The Rus Dilemma, The Kievan Rus State, The Political Structure of the Kievan Rus State, The Social Structure of the Kievan Rus State, The Economic Structure of the Kievan Rus State, Kievan Rus Culture, The Disintegration of the Kievan Rus State, The Mongol Invasion, The Tartar Yoke, Decline of Mongol Power, The Ascendancy of Moscovy, The Making of Modern Russia, Eastern Slavic Names
CHAPTER 14--THE WESTERN SLAVS
Early History, The Moravians, The Bohemians, The Slovaks, Czech Rise to Prominence, Luxemburg Rule of Bohemia, The Hussite Age, The Habsburg Rule, Enlightened Despotism and National Revival, The Poles, The Early Polish Dynasty, Early Christianity in Poland, The Mongol and Teutonic Invasions, National Reunion, The Reformation, Poland's Golden Age, The Partition of Poland, Western Slavic Names
CHAPTER 15--THE SOUTHERN SLAVS
Ancient Times, The Slovenes, The Croats, The Serbs, The Nemanjid Dynasty, The Rule of Stephen Dusan, The Dissolution of Serbia, Serbia under Turkish Rule, The Struggle for a Free Serbia, Serbia as an Independent State, The Bosnians and Herzegovinians, The Montenegrins, The Macedonians, The Dalmatians, Modern Yugoslavia, Southern Slavic Names
CHAPTER 16--THE HUNGARIANS
Before the Magyars, The Magyars, The Magyar Kingdom, Turkish Conquest and Domination, The Austrian Rule, The Dual Monarchy, Hungarian Names
CHAPTER 17--THE BALKAN PEOPLES
Prehistoric Times, The Albanians, The Bulgars, The First Bulgarian Empire, Greek Domination, The Second Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria under Turkish Rule, Bulgarian Independence, The Romanians, The Barbarian Invasions, Wallachia and Moldavia, The Rule of the Phanariotes, Romanian Independence, Balkan Names
CHAPTER 18--THE BALTIC PEOPLES
Prehistoric Amberland, The Lithuanians, King Mindaugas, Lithuania under the Grand Dukes, The Demise of Lithuania, The Latvians, Early Latvian Civilization, Livonia and the Military Orders, German Rule and Domination, The Reformation and Counter-Reformation, Foreign Hegemony and Independence, The Estonians, Medieval Estonia 1200-1561, Foreign Domination and Independence, The Finns, The Finns Look West, Medieval Finland, Finland as a Part of Sweden, The Period of Great Wrath, Finland at the Crossroads, Finland Becomes an Autonomous State in the Russian Empire, Baltic Names
EPILOGUE
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
LIST OF MAPS
MAP 1--THE EARLY MIGRATIONS OF PEOPLES INTO
EUROPE
MAP 2--HELLENNIC COLONIES IN THE WEST
MAP 3--THE EMERGENCE OF GREECE AS A MODERN
NATION-STATE IN 1832
MAP 4--THE ROMAN EMPIRE AT ITS ZENITH
MAP 5--ITALY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
MAP 6--ISRAEL AND JUDAH BEFORE CHRIST
MAP 7--THE IBERIAN PENINSULA
MAP 8--THE BRITISH ISLES
MAP 9--ENGLAND AND WALES
MAP 10--THE "FOUR-FIFTHS" OF IRELAND
MAP 11--SCOTLAND
MAP 12--THE NETHERLANDS
MAP 13--THE TERRITORY OF MODERN FRANCE
MAP 14--GERMAN SPEAKING LANDS
MAP 15--THE LANDS OF SCANDINAVIA
MAP 16--ICELAND, HOMELAND OF THE MODERN VIKINGS
MAP 17--EARLY HOMELAND OF THE SLAVS
MAP 18--EUROPEAN RUSSIA, BELO-RUS, AND THE
UKRAINE
MAP 19--THE WESTERN SLAVIC NATIONS AFTER WORLD
WAR II
MAP 20--THE REPUBLICS OF YUGOSLAVIA (FOLLOWING
WORLD WAR I)
MAP 21--HUNGARY AFTER WORLD WAR II
MAP 22--ROMANIA AND BULGARIA
MAP 23--THE BALTIC STATES IN 1991
MAP 24--THE LAND OF THE LAPPS (SHADED AREA)
This book is out of print. Anyone having questions about the book, please click on "Contact the Writer" below. Queries will be answered by e-mail reply. Thank you.