Simon Jenkins paints a vivid portrait of a continent with imperial ambitions, fierce battles and existential fears that, he argues, are as present in Europe today as they were in the days of Julius Caesar and Charlemagne, Joan of Arc and Bonaparte, Lenin and Churchill. Above all, he values ​​political history and the never-ending struggle for power that lies at its heart. Without changing his chronological approach, and moving from country to country, from one historical event or character to another, Jenkins tells the story of a continent that has made perhaps the most significant contribution to the formation of modern civilisation. And this is not a simple statement of fact: by the final pages of A Brief History of Europe, the reader will understand how humanity’s present is rooted in its past.