"The Normans: From Raiders to Kings" by Lars Brownworth (2014).
Wikipedia:
Lars Brownworth, an author and former United States history and political science teacher at The Stony Brook School, is the creator of the top 50 podcast, 12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of the Byzantine Empire. This podcast was created on a whim by Lars and his brother, Anders Brownworth. Often mistaken for a college professor, Lars was, in fact, a high school history teacher at the time the podcast was produced.Video Title: Lars Brownworth - Hangout 2014-01-11. Source: Anders Brownworth. Date Published: January 13, 2014. Description:
Lars Brownworth, author of "Lost to the West" and creator of the podcasts "12 Byzantine Rulers" and "Norman Centuries", talks about his new book "The Normans: From Raiders to Kings".
http://larsbrownworth.com/Check out: "Norman Centuries: A Norman History Podcast by Lars Brownworth."
"I think in order to evaluate the Normans' place in history you have to know the whole story. And so I think the Northern story is very important, but I want to tell the whole story so that you can evaluate what is their importance. Honestly, I think they were vitally important in the development of Europe, from the Papacy, to the creation of modern kingdoms, to the written constitution, towards the much later growth of democracy. Really, if you're looking for a Renaissance outside of the Byzantine Empire and before the Italian Renaissance, you can find it in Palermo, in somewhat under Roger II, but under Frederick II as well. They were men before their time. And I think people need to know that story." - Lars Brownworth [23:25 - 24:25].
