Knights of the Cross (Volume One), The

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The period embraced in this set is "one of the most dramatic and fruitful of results in European Annals - remarkable for work and endeavor, especially in the Slav world," the author writes. Among Western Slavs, the great events were the Hussite Wars and the union of Lithuania and Polant. The Hussite Wars were caused by ideas of race and religion (born in Bohemia.) The period of Bohemian activity began in 1403 and ended in 1434, with the battle of Lipan. Polish literature developed long ago into the main vehicle of national expression. For many Poles, their literature stands with their religion as the twin pillars of their heritage. Sienkiewicz studied literature, history, and philology at Warsaw University but left in 1871 without taking a degree. He had begun to publish critical articles in 1869 that showed the influence of positivism, a system of philosophy popular in Poland and elsewhere at the time, emphasizing in particular the achievements of science. Known for their great narrative power and contain vivid characterizations, Sienkiewicz' work includes the great trilogy of historical novels began to appear in 1883. It is composed of With Fire and Sword (1884), The Deluge (1886), and Pan Michael (1887-88). Set in the later 17th century, the trilogy describes Poland's struggles against Cossacks, Tatars, Swedes, and Turks, stressing Polish heroism in a vivid style of epic clarity and simplicity.