
Recommended read
A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower
Mikiso Hane & Louis Perez
A clear textbook-style history covering emperors, shoguns, and Japan's modern transformation.

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

Frederick William I of Prussia
Prussia
1713–1740

Kangxi Emperor
China
1661–1722

Louis XIV of France
France
1643–1715

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Empire
1711–1740

John V of Portugal
Portugal
1706–1750

Farrukhsiyar
Mughal Empire
1713–1719

Ahmed III
Ottoman Empire
1703–1730

Louis XV of France
France
1715–1774

Anna I of Russia
Russia
1730–1740

Peter the Great
Russia
1721–1725

Peter II of Russia
Russia
1727–1730

Bahadur Shah I
Mughal Empire
1707–1712

Catherine I of Russia
Russia
1725–1727

Frederick I of Prussia
Prussia
1701–1713

Tokugawa Yoshimune
Japan (Shogunate)
1716–1745

Muhammad Shah
Mughal Empire
1719–1748

George I of Great Britain
Great Britain
1714–1727
Yongzheng Emperor
China
1722–1735

Philip V of Spain
Spain
1700–1706; 1714–1724; 1724–1746

Frederick I of Sweden
Sweden
1720–1751

Pope Clement XI
Papacy
1700–1721

George II of Great Britain
Great Britain
1727–1760

Anne, Queen of Great Britain
Great Britain
1707–1714

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Spain
1706–1714

Mahmud I
Ottoman Empire
1730–1754

Charles XII of Sweden
Sweden
1697–1718

Pope Benedict XIII
Papacy
1724–1730

Pope Clement XII
Papacy
1730–1740
Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Empire
1705–1711

Tokugawa Ietsugu
Japan (Shogunate)
1713–1716

Pope Innocent XIII
Papacy
1721–1724

Tokugawa Ienobu
Japan (Shogunate)
1709–1712

Ulrika Eleonora I of Sweden
Sweden
1718–1720
One “meanwhile in history” story each week: who ruled where, and what was happening on thrones across the world.
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From the library
Hand-picked histories and biographies for readers who want more than the timeline: the same era, told in full.

Recommended read
Mikiso Hane & Louis Perez
A clear textbook-style history covering emperors, shoguns, and Japan's modern transformation.
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